WWE Executive Chairman Vince McMahon is arguably the most influential personality in the history of professional wrestling. Mr. McMahon has played a major role in the company’s success throughout the years, and he is still doing his best.
Vince has been involved with the company in almost all possible capacities. He has had matches with WWE legends and even served as a referee on various occasions. Although Vince has been involved in different roles, he is mostly remembered for segments showcasing his mic skills.
One such vintage segment has recently been surfacing viral on the internet. In the segment also involving John Laurinaitis, Vince refers to a major backstage mess-up that nearly cost WWE a lot of money.
In the segment from a June 2012 RAW episode, Vince McMahon confronted RAW General Manager John Laurinaitis and said, “You’re the astute businessman who actually hired the wrong one-legged wrestler.”
Vince’s words actually referred to an incident from 2003, when WWE wanted to hire a wrestler named Zach Gowan. Gowan was a wrestler who only had one leg due to childhood cancer. Laurinaitis was the director of talent relations at the time, and he accidentally sent Zach’s contract to a different one-legged wrestler, Steve Chamberlain. The mistake was later corrected; however, Vince didn’t hesitate to remind John about it.
How was Vince McMahon’s relationship with John Laurinaitis?
John Laurinaitis had some major roles throughout his WWE career and was even promoted to Head of Talent Relations in 2021. However, even after having such major roles in the company, former WWE Veteran Jim Ross claimed that Vince McMahon’s relationship with John Laurinaitis was not healthy.
The former WWE commentator, who was the voice of Monday Night Raw for a long time, revealed this through his podcast, Grilling JR. He said that Vince didn’t trust Laurinaitis as much as he trusted him.
Ross said, “I made decisions without Vince’s [formal approval]. I didn’t have to get into a situation where I had to get everything okayed through the old man. He trusted me. I don’t know that Vince ever really, truly trusted Laurinaitis.”
Vince McMahon stepped down from his Chairperson position at WWE in 2022, and this also led to the departure of John Laurinaitis. Although Vince made his comeback to the company earlier this year, it remains to be seen if John Laurinaitis will ever come back to the WWE. What are your thoughts about Laurinaitis’ return?