Backstage Update On Talent Concerns Over John Laurinaitis' WWE Return

WWE talent said to be concerned over a return to the Diva style as part of Johnny Ace's WWE return.

by Andrew Pollard
John Laurinaitis
WWE

With John Laurinaitis now confirmed to once more be heading up WWE Talent Relations, now comes an update on the reaction to the return of Big Johnny.

As per Fightful Select, Laurinaitis being in the role of General Manager of Talent has caused some concerns amongst wrestlers backstage.

One particular fear is that Johnny Ace may revert to his previous habit of embracing a more ‘Diva’ style for the company’s female talent. The last time Laurinaitis served as what was then titled Head of Talent Relations, the focus was less on in-ring talent and more on pleasing aesthetics when it came to the women’s division.

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It’s not yet known what the status of Mark Carrano is at present, with Carrano most recently serving as Head of Talent Relations for WWE. The belief is that many lost faith and trust in Carrano after the mass lay-offs the organisation made from April onwards last year.

For some of those released by WWE across 2020, Carrano is said to have previously made them long-term promises… before those same talent were then left blindsided by being let go by the company.

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Senior Writer
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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.