Backstage Update On John Laurinaitis' WWE Promotion

Why the Vince McMahon promoted the former Johnny Ace to WWE General Manager of Talent.

by Andy H Murray
John Laurinaitis
WWE.com

Last week saw WWE promote long-time employee John Laurinaitis to the newly-created role of General Manager of Talent, a position similar to his old one as Head of Talent Relations, which he held from 2004 to 2012.

Per Dave Meltzer in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Laurinaitis' situation is similar to Bruce Prichard's. It is a case of Vince McMahon elevating somebody into a position of power who he knows won't challenge him.

The report calls Laurinaitis somebody who "always has a smile for Vince. The WWE Chairman only wants to be told that everything is great at the moment, which the former Johnny Ace will do. The 58-year-old will also feed into the narrative that television ratings don't matter as much as they used to and WWE is now more popular than ever.

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Though Laurinaitis left his old Talent Relations position in 2012, he was retained as a road agent and was never let go by the promotion.

He will report directly to Executive Vice President of Operations Brad Blum, with Senior Director of Talent Relations Mark Carrano serving beneath him, acting as the person who brings bad news to talent and takes the heat.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.