1. Johnny Ace / Jon Laurinaitis
Yes, Jon Laurinaitis, Mr. People Power, and the living definition of glad-handed, nonsensical, douchebag yes-men (at least, according to CM Punk), was once a highly respected and accomplished professional wrestlerin Japan. Though he never managed to capture All Japans top title, the coveted Triple Crown Championship, he did nevertheless achieve great success as a tag team wrestler. Among some of his tag team partners in Japan included Bart Gunn, Dr. Death Steve Williams, and the legendary Kenta Kobashi. His teaming with Kobashi proved to be one of his best, as the duo won both the All Japan World Tag Team Championship, and the All Asia Tag Team Championship, the latter being the oldest wrestling title in Japan. He also had two Five Star Matches, and won Match of the Year in 1996, teaming with Steve Williams against the team of Mitsuharu Misawa and Jun Akiyama. He was also the innovator of the Cutter wrestling maneuver, which has since gone on to be popularized by the likes of Matt Hardy, Randy Orton, and of course, Diamond Dallas Page. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i152p_unzKc Fast forward to 2002, and John Laurinaitis signed a contract with the WWE, as a backstage agent. His main role was in Talent Relations, eventually replacing Jim Ross as Executive Vice President of that area. During this time, at least, according to shoot videos readily available on YouTube, he was criticized for making WWEs working relationship with Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) much more difficult, and some of his signings have been a bit controversial. If youre wondering who was responsible for the surge in female talent with little to no wrestling background coming into the WWE, Johnny Ace is your man. He also signed Zack Gowen, the one-legged wrestler. While that was indeed an inspirational story, it was a very odd choice to say the least. Laurinaitis appeared on-screen for a while, appearing to be the biggest corporate stooge to ever accompany Vince McMahon. He even wrestled against John Cena at Over the Limit 2012, which was the worst match of that year. A far cry from the man who once performed at such a high level in Japan. Thanks for reading. Be sure to check out WhatCultures WWE section for other interesting articles