John Laurinaitis is bringing “People Power” back to the WWE Talent Relations office. According to a report from the Wrestling Observer, WWE has recently hired him back in a role similar to the one he performed in WWE from 2004 to 2012.
Laurinaitis was originally hired by WWE in 2001 as a road agent. Prior to that, he had been working as an executive with WCW, briefly replacing Vince Russo as head booker in the late stages of the company.
It will be Laurinaitis’ first time back with the company in a full-time role since 2012. His official title will be General Manager, Talent.
WWE is splitting the talent relations department into two separate divisions. Laurinaitis will head the talent management division, while ‘talent branding’ will focus on booking WWE Superstars for appearances in television, movies and other engagements.
Laurinaitis replaced Jim Ross as the Head of Talent Relations in 2004. He would become an on-screen character from 2011-12. His most notable role was as the heel authority figure in a feud against CM Punk. Following his on-screen firing in 2012, Laurinaitis stepped down from his backstage role in the company as well.
Laurinaitis had a 14-year in-ring career from 1986-2000. His most notable run came in All Japan Pro Wrestling from 1988-2000. He won multiple tag-team titles in the promotion with Kenta Kobashi and “Dr. Death” Steve Williams.
In 2015, Laurinaitis married Kathy Colace, mother of the Bella Twins.
On Tuesday’s edition of SmackDown Live, WWE confirmed several more legends that will be appearing at the upcoming RAW 25th Anniversary special on January 22nd:
The Godfather
Brother Love
Teddy Long
The Boogeyman
Ted DiBiase Sr.
Sgt. Slaughter
John Laurinaitis
These names are in addition to the previously announced:
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin
The Undertaker
Scott Hall and Kevin Nash
DX: Shawn Michaels, Triple H and The New Age Outlaws
Ric Flair
Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler
Free agent John Cena
WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar
The Bella Twins
JBL and Ron Simmons
The Dudley Boyz
SEScoops can also confirm that former RAW General Manager Eric Bischoff will be on hand for the RAW 25th Anniversary special.
– The following RAW Fallout clip features Braun Strowman coming off his big battle royal win earlier in the night. As noted, Braun will join Chris Jericho, United States Champion Roman Reigns, and Universal Champion Kevin Owens as part of Tea RAW at the Survivor Series. Braun says in the clip below that he would have taken pleasure in destroying the entire locker room, but now his sights are set on Team Smackdown.
– Recently-crowned WWE Cruiserweight Champion Brian Kendrick retained his title against TJ Perkins last night on WWE RAW, in their rematch from the previous night. The following RAW Fallout clip features Kendrick discussing his recent string of success:
– After Monday’s RAW from Phoenix, AZ went off the air, Dean Ambrose cut a promo talking about how hard he worked to finally win the WWE world Heavyweight championship. He said the victory was for the fans and plans to be a fighting champion.
– After making a surprise appearance on RAW, John Laurinaitis spoke to Tom Phillips backstage after RAW says he hopes to make a full time return to WWE as the General Manager of RAW or SmackDown.
– WWE.com is running a poll asking fans which RAW return they liked the best, The Wyatt Family, Sasha Banks or John Laurinaitis. The Boss leads the voting with 46%, followed by the Wyatt Family at 42% and Big Johnny at 12%.
– WWE.com also has a video of Dean Ambrose’s new side plates being installed on the WWE World Heavyweight Championship belt.
– In response to a fan on Twitter who told Goldust he ‘deserves better’ than being paired with R-Truth in a comedy tag team, the golden one responded,
– For whatever reason, WWE has pulled the NXT Takeover: Respect “Fallout” video from their official YouTube channel. The video featured Bayley and Sasha Banks reacting to their 30-minute “Iron Woman Match” on the show.
– The next episode of WWE Rivalries will premiere on the WWE Network on Tuesday at 5pm and will look at the legendary Ric Flair vs. Ricky Steamboat rivalry. The official preview reads as follows:
“Opposite personalities with equal in-ring talent, Flair and Steamboat would battle in some of the greatest matches in history.”
– It appears as though former on-air RAW General Manager John Laurinaitis is the agent in charge of WWE’s current tour of Saudi Arabia. Below is a tweet that Laurinaitis posted during the event.
– WWE Hall Of Famer Amy “Lita” Dumas was backstage at the NXT television tapings this week. Below is a photo of Lita backstage at the show with John Laurinaitis, Terry Taylor and Scott Armstrong.
As reported last week, former WWE on-air personality and current WWE agent John Laurinaitis recently got engaged to Kathy Colace, the mother of Nikki and Brie Bella.
Laurinaitis and Colace have been a couple for a fairly long time and both have each been married previously.
Colace currently runs an eight-person management recruiting company, JBN & Associates, which is based out of Phoenix, Arizona. The “JBN” in the company name stands for Colace’s three children, J.J., Brianna and Nicole.
There has been at least some talk of the wedding between Laurinaitis and Colace being aired on an episode of Total Divas, as Colace has appeared on the show as herself several times in the past.
– As seen on Monday’s RAW, Los Matadores attacked El Torito and left him laid out. It appears that this is part of the Los Matadores gimmick change that we reported about last week. As noted, WWE has been discussing repackaging Diego and Fernando.
– John Laurinaitis, who recently got engaged to The Bella Twins mother Kathy Colace, recently tweeted the following, leading fans to speculate that he will be returning to WWE television under his “People Power” character.
WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross recently updated his official blog with his thoughts and comments on a variety of current topics. Below are some of the highlights.
On Jimmy Snuka murder charges: “The Jimmy Snuka alleged murder of his former lady friend three decades ago is going to continue to garner ample publicity. WWE has separated themselves from the Hall of Famer which is really the only thing that they could do in this instance. Jimmy is 72, has stomach cancer and is allegedly battling dementia which may equate to a very unique trial and legal process before all is said and done. I’d assume he will also have to have a public defender as his attorney as the State attempts to prove that Snuka his lady friend decades ago. I could see Snuka declared unfit to stand trial which would outrage many who have a vested interest in the case and subsequent trial that is if it actually goes to trial.”
On John Laurinaitis getting engaged to The Bella Twins’ mother Kathy Colace: “Congrats to John Laurinaitis on his engagement to the Mom of the Bella Twins. Holiday meals will be fun. I wish them the best as she is a lovely lady and a really nice person. John was my successor in WWE after I hired him when WCW went belly up.”
On WWE messing up the Divas Revolution: “WWE did their ballyhooed Divas, UGH, division no favors Monday night and many within the business agree with me. All talents need ample time to tell a story. No story and no one gets over.”
On Hulk Hogan: “If I was advising Hulk Hogan I’d suggest him to lay low and let things settle down. He does deserve forgiveness, as we all do, if he’s sincere and I want to believe that Hulk is sincere but trying to promote himself to have “one more match” is not advisable. Just my two cents.”
Check out the complete blog at JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.
It appears that the mother of The Bella Twins has found love in the arms of a man that pro wrestling fans know quite well. Kathy Colace, mother of Nikki and Brie Bella, is engaged to marry WWE executive John Laurinaitis. Colace’s social media accounts indicate that the two have been dating for a while now.
Colace, who has made several appearances on Total Divas with her daughters, posted the following photos of herself with Laurinaitis, John Cena and Nikki Bella out on her birthday and engagement dinner.
– WWE is scheduled to release their “Beast In The East” WWE Network special from Japan on DVD and Blu-ray in the United Kingdom and Australia on October 5th. In addition to the matches that aired on the WWE Network live special, the DVD will also feature the dark matches, which included Cesaro vs. Diego and The New Day vs. The Lucha Dragons.
– WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair is scheduled to make an appearance for Top Rope Promotions at their Summer Showdown 2015 event on July 31st. For more information, visit Facebook.com/TopRopePromotions.
– John Laurinaitis posted the following photo on social media that features Irish WWE performers Becky Lynch, Sheamus and Fit Finlay.
John Laurinaitis served as the producer and head agent for WWE’s recent tour of Japan, including the critically acclaimed “Beast In The East” WWE Network special.
It was Laurinaitis who came up with the idea to use streamers before the NXT Championship match with Finn Balor and Kevin Owens, as well as the pre-match ceremony where the women in kimonos presented flowers to both Balor and Owens. Laurinaitis had the idea to cater to the local crowd and give the show a unique Japanese touch that was a stark contrast to what we regularly see on WWE television.
WWE did send a production crew to Tokyo to air the show, but they saved a lot of money by using a stripped down production setup.
The live WWE Network special was considered to be a major success and WWE officials are already looking at doing more Network-exclusive specials.
– On Monday’s WWE Payback “go-home” edition of RAW from Cincinnati, Ohio, one of the main events for this week’s SmackDown, the final edition of the show before this Sunday’s pay-per-view was announced.
In singles action, Roman Reigns will battle Kane, however due to the way their match ended on RAW last night, their match on SmackDown is guaranteed to have a winner by either pinfall or submission.
– Former WWE Vice President of Talent Relations and on-air personality John Laurinaitis commended Daniel Bryan on his decision to vacate the WWE Intercontinental Championship on Monday’s RAW. Mr. “People Power” himself tweeted the following shortly after Bryan made the announcement live on RAW.
I have respect for Daniel Bryan, his values and considerations for the WWE Universe. #PeoplePower@WWE@WWEUniverse he is truly a Champion
— John Laurinaitis (@JohnLaurinaitis) May 12, 2015
– There is talk that a former WWE Diva Search contestant will be hosting the new season of the show when it returns on the WWE Network. The only former contestants of the show that are still affiliated with WWE in some form or fashion are Layla, Rosa Mendes, Maryse, Michelle McCool and Eve Torres.
– With Michael Cole off of television selling the attack by Brock Lesnar at last week’s RAW, the commentary on SmackDown this week was handled by Byron Saxton, Jerry Lawler and Tom Phillips. Main Event commentary was done by Rich Brennan and JBL.
– WWE executive John Laurinaitis praised the efforts of Summer Rae and Emma on Twitter on Tuesday, putting over the match the two had in Dallas last night, which was taped for this week’s edition of WWE Main Event. Laurinaitis wrote the following:
I really enjoyed the competition ton Main Event between Emma vs Summer. #PeoplePower@WWE @EmmaWWE @RealSummerWWE if you get a chance, watch
WWE Diva and Total Divas star Natalya is scheduled to induct former WWE Women’s Champion Alundra Blayze (Madusa) into the WWE Hall Of Fame on Saturday night.
With that now known, below is the complete list of inductees and inductors for tonight’s 2015 WWE Hall Of Fame induction ceremony, which airs live on the WWE Network at 7pm EST.
– Warrior Award: Connor Michalek, inducted by Daniel Bryan and Dana Warrior
– Indy wrestlers Mia Yim and Leva Bates (NXT performer “Blue Pants”) worked as Rosebuds on Monday’s RAW.
– John Laurinaitis was backstage a last night’s RAW from Orlando. He was also on WWE’s recent tour of Abu Dhabi.
– After Titus O’Neil reunited with Darren Young on RAW, Heath Slater said he’s going to start focusing on himself, since he’s apparently no longer teaming with Titus.
I'm going to start focusing on ME!!! I'm better on my own… It's about time I get what I deserve… #MyTime
After the televised portion of WWE RAW ended on Monday night in Seattle, Washington, World Heavyweight Champion John Cena gave props to the 12th man and asked if the fans wanted one final match.
John Cena def. Randy Orton via Disqualification. The DQ came when Orton hit Cena with a steel chair during the match. Orton tried for an RKO, but ended up getting hit with an Attitude Adjustment instead.
After the match, Cena brought out Daniel Bryan to another enormous ovation. Booker T came out and led the crowd in cheering on Daniel Bryan to do a Spinarooni. Bryan obliged and did one of the most awkward Spinarooni’s ever. Booker then brought out John Laurinaitis for a “People Power Spinarooni.” Titus O’Neil was also brought out to do a Spinarooni. Next, he challenged Stephanie McMahon to come out and do one. She tried backing out of it claiming her head hurts, but eventually did one herself. Finally, Booker had CM Punk come out and do one in his underwear.
– Former manager of Alberto Del Rio and Rob Van Dam, Ricardo Rodriguez, worked at last night’s WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view. Rodriguez handled the Spanish commentary for the pay-per-view broadcast.
– Former WWE RAW General Manager on-air and former Senior Vice President of Talent Relations behind-the-scenes, John Laurinaitis, made a small cameo during the Survivor Series pay-per-view on Sunday night. During a backstage segment that featured Santino Marella and R-Truth playing with WWE action figures, Laurinaitis, along with Los Matadores and Fandango, popped in briefly.
WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair gave a pep-talk to the Countryside high-school football team in Florida this past Friday. The team, which features WWE agent John Laurinaitis’ son as one of the players, would go on to lose by 36 points to the Pinellas Park high-school team.
According to a Tampa Bay Times report, Flair, who was vacationing in Florida this weekend, was asked by Laurinaitis to address the team.
You can check out the complete article with further coverage on this story at TampaBay.com.
– On this week’s “Backstage Fallout” for SmackDown, John Laurinaitis reacts to his appearance on the show. Plus, Kaitlyn explains why she was happy to be Daniel Bryan’s tag team partner despite their differences.
– In 1992, Marvel Comics released the first issue of WCW: World Championship Wrestling a comic book featuring the biggest WCW biggest stars of the time including Sting, Lex Luger, The Steiners, Paul E. Dangerously’s Dangerous Alliance and PN News. The official WWE website has published an article examining ten of the best moments from the first four issues.
– Former WWE Superstar Vader has been announced to appear at the “Wrestling Spectacular 1” taking place May 18 at the Middletown Market 128 Dolson Ave. Middletown, New York. (Event Details)
– The future of John Laurinaitis in WWE has been a hot topic among employees since he had yet to resume his behind-the-scenes duties after undergoing rotator cuff surgery in September not to mention that he no longer held an office at WWE’s corporate facility in Stamford, Connecticut. The former Senior Vice President of Talent Operations arrived in Greensboro, North Carolina, last night for tonight’s Raw taping, surprising a number of his co-workers who believed he would not resurface.
– Bill Apter of 1Wrestling.com recently caught up with “The Doctor of Style,” Slick. The memorable WWE manager reveals what he’s up to these days and has a message for grappling fans.
– According to WrestlingFigs.com, WWE Hall of Famer “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka will be signing copies of his autobiography Superfly: The Jimmy Snuka Story at Barnes & Noble 100 Greyrock Place Stamford, Connecticut, on Saturday, January 12, 2013 beginning at 2:00 p.m. For more info call 203-323-1248.
– There is talk in WWE that John Laurinaitis will be leaving the company soon and will not be returning to television as an on-air character.
– The RAWActive Twitter poll on Monday’s RAW with Kane and Daniel Bryan was given the green light by Triple H. Vince McMahon is reportedly not a fan of the social media service, but with Triple H running the show due to Vince being out of the country on Monday, WWE “allowed the fans” to pick CM Punk’s opponent.
As noted noted earlier this week, Daniel Bryan revealed on Twitter that contrary to what was reported on RAW, he actually received more votes than Kane.
– After the third hour of Monday’s WWE RAW lost a staggering 638,000 viewers from the second hour, there is a lot of concern about how Vince McMahon will react. Especially because McMahon was out of the country and not running the show, it will be easier to assign blame to others.
– WWE issued a casting call last week seeking women to apply to become female talent for the sports-entertainment organization as “Divas.”
WWE is looking for woman between the ages of 18 and 30 “with charismatic personalities, beautiful faces and great bodies.” Resumes as well as headshots and bikini body shots, are being requested.
Wrestling experience was not mentioned in the casting breakdown, with it being noted that WWE Divas “instantly gain a huge fan base”, travel the world and appear on television in “600 million homes worldwide,” and take part in multimedia shoots and charities.
– John Laurinaitis, who is currently recovering from shoulder surgery, is not expected to return to the road as WWE’s head producer until the end of the year.
– Independent wrestler Smith James was among those evaluated by WWE officials at this week’s television tapings.
– Big Show is featured in today’s “Superstar Spotlight” on WWE.com.
– Lowell Weicker, a former member of the WWE Board of Directors, recently announced that is supporting Linda McMahon’s opponent in the ongoing United States Senate race in Connecticut, Chris Murphy. Weicker was a three-term senator and later the governor of Connecticut. Weicker is a former Republican that is now an Independent.
– John Laurinaitis recently underwent major surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff and will be out of action for several months. Laurinaitis had been doing run-ins during John Cena’s main event matches at live events but was taken off the shows after complaining about bad shoulder pains.
– Backstage at WWE’s recent RAW from Montreal, Brodus Clay was reportedly upset that he did so poorly in the RAW Active poll to determine who would wrestle CM Punk that night. WWE veteran Booker T reportedly saw how upset Clay was an started ribbing him about it.