Booker T has come to the defence of former WWE employee and controversial figure John Laurinaitis.
John Laurinaitis was quietly let go by WWE in August 2022 for his involvement in the sexual misconduct scandal which also saw former Chairman Vince McMahon retire. It was claimed that Laurinaitis demoted a woman after she ended their affair, while he also stepped down from his role as Head of Talent Relations around the same time he reached a “$1.5 million nondisclosure agreement” with the employee.
The veteran also known as Johnny Ace was recently back in the news after being pulled from WrestleCon following fan backlash.
Booker T Defends John Laurinaitis
However, speaking on his Hall of Fame podcast, Booker T heaped praise on the controversial figure. The current NXT announcer said that Laurinaitis had been great help to him during his in-ring career.
“He’s had a tough job. A lot of guys may not like your John Laurinaitis, but that dude’s always had my back. Always. I’m serious. That dude has always had my back. 100%. He’s always been a good dude to me. That’s why when people say stuff about Laurinaitis, it makes me laugh because I know how he’s treated me over the years. That dude changed my wrestling career, man. I just want to let everybody know that.
There’s been a lot of people that have been instrumental in my career. I can’t sit here and say I did it all on my own. This guy helped me in so many different ways as far as launching me to another level, but I just wanted to put that out there.”
After news of allegations against John Laurinaitis surfaced, former WWE Tag Team Champion Rene Dupree said that the claims were only the “tip of the iceberg.” AEW commentator and fellow former Executive Vice President of Talent Relations Jim Ross didn’t mince words when commenting about Laurinaitis, saying he deserves the misery he’s living.
H/t to WrestlingNewsCo