AEW personality reveals how Vince McMahon's backstage behavior affected fired WWE Executive
AEW commentator Jim Ross has opened up about how former WWE Executive John Laurinaitis would act around Vince McMahon during his time with the company.
JR was Vince's right-hand man for many years in WWE, acting as the vice president of talent relations during the height of the famed "attitude era" until 2005, when he began to take on less responsibility to focus on his health.
The man who succeeded in the role was John Laurinaitis, who would work both behind the scenes and on camera for WWE until 2022, when he was let go by the company following the investigation into Vince McMahon's misconduct allegations.
John Cena vs. John Laurinaitis
WWE Over The Limit 2012
مباراه عظيمه https://t.co/6UvJE4Pyka
Speaking on his podcast, "Grilling JR," Jim Ross talked about the relationship the former Johnny Ace had with Vince McMahon, with the AEW commentator making it out as if Laurinaitis may have acted a little like a teacher's pet.
“He went out of his way to make sure he stayed in front of Vince all the time. There's not a day went by that I didn't talk to Vince, [by] phone, texts, or meetings. But I never went out of my way to [say], 'Hey Vince, guess what I did today? You'd be so proud of me.' Well, first of all, Vince ain't proud of sh*t. He's just not. It's not a big knock. It's just the way that he is, and Laurinaitis played that up." (H/T Wrestling Inc.)
JR followed up these comments by stating that he didn't think Vince ever fully trusted Laurinaitis to make decisions by himself, something Ross did on multiple occasions while doing the same job.
"I made decisions without Vince's [formal approval]. I didn't have to get in a situation where I'm going to have to get everything okayed through the old man. He trusted me. I don't know that Vince ever really, truly trusted Laurinaitis, we've kind of seen how that relationship worked out and evolved.” (H/T Wrestling Inc.)
AEW fans can hear JR's voice every Friday on Rampage
It's easy to forget that Jim Ross has been a member of the AEW roster since the company debuted in 2019, with the legendary commentator on hand to call the inaugural Double or Nothing event.
But just because JR isn't on Dynamite every Wednesday doesn't mean that he doesn't get the chance to call matches for members of the AEW roster, as the wrestling veteran is now the lead announcer on Rampage.
Moving Jim Ross from Dynamite to Rampage in the past few weeks has been a hit formula.
Lessens his time on the booth and you have two days to edit his material.
The move was made to give the wrestling legend a lighter workload so that he could once again focus on his health, with JR having to have radiotherapy treatment at the end of 2021 to fight skin cancer, a battle he thankfully won.
Do you still enjoy hearing Jim Ross in the commentary booth? Let us know in the comments section below!