Things You Didn't Know About John Laurinaitis

John Laurinaitis is someone that fans are familiar with, without knowing too much about him. Because the vast majority of his work takes place behind the scenes, he is a person that fans hear a lot about, and know is important to the daily operations of WWE, but do not know the specific details.

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Laurinaitis once had a role on-screen as a heel authority figure, when people power reigned supreme. While he isn't a natural in front of the camera like others, to his credit, he was always able to secure major heat with the fans, proving he was effective at his job.

10 Stepfather Of The Bella Twins

While John Laurinaitis isn't officially the father of Nikki and Brie Bella, he does have a family connection to them. That's because he is their stepfather, as he is married to their mother, Kathy. This is something that some fans will be aware of if they watched theTotal Bellas reality show, which did feature their wedding day.

However, the vast majority of casual fans will have no idea he has such a close family connection to two of the most well-known wrestlers of the past decade. While their success has nothing to do with that situation, it is a strong person for the twins to be related to.

9 He Was A Wrestler

Something that a lot of people aren't aware of is the fact John Laurinaitis used to be a professional wrestler. While his biggest impact on the business has taken place behind the scenes with WWE, he did spend several years competing inside the ring. He wasn't a world-class wrestler, but Johnny Ace also wasn't terrible.

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He competed in several tag teams, alongside Shane Douglas and Steve Williams, working primarily in Japan. Laurinaitis has put together plenty of matches throughout his career, which allows him to view the product and the industry in a slightly different manner.

8 Match Of The Year

Not every wrestler gets to earn a Match of the Year award from the Wrestling Observer. Some all-time greats have failed to earn that accomplishment, but John Laurinaitis has one. This is something that very few people would have expected, but he has that accolade, which showcases his ability inside the ring.

This came from his tag team contest in 1996 where he worked alongside Steve Williams to compete against Jun Akiyama and Mitsuharu Misawa. It's a side of himself WWE fans never got to see, but Laurinaitis has some true wrestling skills in his locker.

7 Trying To Sabotage Finlay

Finlay is a talented and well-respected professional wrestler. He has had a stellar career inside the ring, but for some reason, the Irishman never won over John Laurinaitis. This ultimately led to Hornswoggle being brought to the company, with Laurinaitis originally hoping that this would be something that sabotaged his career.

However, the pairing of Finlay and Hornswoggle ended up being a huge success. The two men worked perfectly together, and that was a combination that fans remember. Hornswoggle helped Finlay's career, with fans investing in them as a pair.

6 Leading To Cowboy Bob Orton's Firing

In his role as head of talent relations, John Laurinaitis was often given a lot of information that he needed to pass on. During Randy Orton's feud with The Undertaker, he received a big news situation that he didn't pass on. Cowboy Bob Orton had tested positive for Hepatitis C, but he opted to not tell The Undertaker.

This enraged The Undertaker, as Cowboy Bob ended up bleeding during the Hell in a Cell encounter with Randy. The Undertaker was furious about it all, and it was Cowboy Bob who took the fall, even though Laurinaitis knew the information.

5 Hiring Zach Gowen

When WWE brought in Zach Gowen, the intention was to find a wrestler with one leg to compete. That is exactly what John Laurinaitis did, although, he initially hired the wrong person. While Gowen ended up being brought in, it is something Lauritaitis is likely thankful for, because he originally went for someone else.

Steve Chamberland was the person he tried to hire at first, who was completely different from the wrestler that the company wanted. Gowen was a more gifted wrestler, which is why they wanted to sign him. However, he almost got things very wrong with his mistake.

4 The Trash Bag Incident

When Mickie James was released, a photograph of how WWE gave her belongings back surfaced online. This was in a trash bag, and several other wrestlers then revealed that they had received the same treatment. It's a situation that John Laurinaitis ended up having to try and solve himself.

He had to go around and apologize personally to anybody who had been treated in this manner. He called up each wrestler personally, which highlights how seriously they took the situation at the time, with his role in it being a big one, in terms of the clean-up.

3 Not A Fan Of Joey Mercury

MNM were a brilliant group that fans had gotten behind massively at the time as heels. All three of them were talented, but John Laurinaitis was not a fan of Joey Mercury, and he wanted to replace him. He told Tommy Dreamer as much, with Laurinaitis thinking that he had a plain look.

He compared him to Matt Hardy during his conversation with Tommy Dreamer, even though Matt had a successful career in his own right. John tried several wrestlers as John Morrison's tag team partner before Mercury because he wasn't a fan.

2 Supporting Kenny Omega

It is well known that Kenny Omega spent time in WWE's developmental system, but things did not work out for him in the end. He and the company parted ways, and Omega went on to become one of the biggest stars in the history of the business. However, John Laurinaitis was somebody that did believe in Omega.

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He was a huge supporter of Omega during his time in WWE, as he believed that he could become a star. At the time, Harley Race wasn't sure about Kenny, but despite Laurinaitis going to bat for him, it didn't end up being enough.

1 Creating The Cutter

The Cutter has become one of the most popular finishing moves in wrestling history. Whether it is DDP or Randy Orton, fans have always loved watching this move take place, with this being one that finishes a match perfectly. Most fans credit DDP and Orton for that move, but neither of them invented it.

That's because it was none other than John Laurinaitis who first used this as a finisher. He called it the Ace Crusher, which helped to end his matches with a bang. While fans don't give him the credit for it, this is a huge thing he gave to the business.