5 things you may not know about John Laurinaitis

John Laurinaitis' position as Head of Talent Relations is in jeopardy after the allegations and investigations against him and former Chairman Vince McMahon. He has reportedly been put on administrative leave, with Bruce Prichard taking charge as interim Head of Talent Relations.

Last week, WWE released a press release stating that they had put together a committee to investigate the recent allegations against Laurinaitis and McMahon. Since the announcement, the latter has stepped back from his position, while the former was reportedly absent during the latest SmackDown and RAW episodes.

Given how he operates backstage and likes to keep a low profile, this isn't the first time fans have been surprised by the details surrounding Laurinaitis' life. The former on-screen authority figure is rarely seen now, which means there are quite a few relatively unknown things about him.

On that note, here are five things you may not know about John Laurinaitis.

#5 on our list of things you may not know about John Laurinaitis: He was responsible for Cowboy Bob Orton's firing

John Laurinaitis' actions cost Bob Orton big time.

As the Head of Talent Relations, John Laurinaitis received a lot of information. It was his job to relay updates to the performers when required, which he failed to do during Randy Orton's feud with The Undertaker.

Cowboy Bob Orton was in his son's corner as he took the fight to The Deadman. However, the Hall of Famer had tested positive for Hepatitis C and was in no condition to participate in the Hell in a Cell match. But Laurinaitis did not inform The Undertaker of this, and Bob bled during the match.

Upon learning the truth, The Phenom was furious with Vince McMahon's right-hand man, but the latter was not reprimanded. Instead, The Viper's father was fired afterward, as Laurinaitis failed to disclose such vital information ahead of the bout.

#4. He has a Match of the Year award to his name

Laurinaitis had some pretty good wrestling chops

Most people don't know that John Laurinaitis was a wrestler, let alone that he was a good one. Despite his in-ring career being a bit underwhelming, there is one thing he has done that even some all-time greats haven't, and that is a Match of the Year award from the Wrestling Observer.

Laurinaitis won this for his tag team match in 1996, where he teamed up with Steve Williams to fight Jun Akiyama and Mitsuharu Misawa. While Johnny Ace has wrestled the likes of John Cena in WWE, it's a shame that the modern audience never got to see the former in his prime.

#3. He backed Kenny Omega in WWE when no one did

Before Kenny Omega became The Best Bout Machine and arguably the greatest wrestler on the planet, he was a part of WWE's developmental system. However, the company did not include him in their plans, resulting in him and the promotion parting ways.

Despite most people in WWE not seeing the potential in Omega, John Laurinaitis did. He backed him extensively and vouched for his future in WWE. The Cleaner recalled years later how his WWE experience went and credited the former Johnny Ace for having his back.

"And then he [Laurinaitis, speaking to Harley Race] is like, 'This is probably the only guy that could stand up in front of all of you and cut a one-and-a-half minute promo and actually be entertaining. I look at all of you [the other wrestlers with Omega] and you are all cookie-cutter bulls**t!'" (2:50-3:00)

However, Harley Race overruled Laurinaitis to end Omega's chapter with the company, making it one of the biggest missed opportunities in wrestling history.

#2. He invented the Cutter

The Cutter is one of the most popular moves in wrestling today. Most people love the RKO, or the Diamond Cutter moves popularized by Randy Orton and Diamond Dallas Page, respectively.

These men are credited with making the Cutter what it is today, but John Laurinaitis used it first. Indeed, Orton acknowledged the inspiration for the three most destructive letters in sports entertainment and revealed that he was thankful to Laurinaitis for letting him use a variation of the move.

“He [Laurinaitis] used the Ace Crusher back in the day and he was like, ‘Take my finish, kid.' And you know Diamond Dallas Page made the move famous as well. So credit to those guys for letting me steal their s*** and make it even better,” Orton said.

Laurinaitis was the first wrestler to use the move as a finisher, naming it the Ace Crusher. It was critically acclaimed for giving his matches flashy conclusions, but the years have not landed the man the credit he deserves. He has contributed to the wrestling business in many ways, but this one probably takes the cake.

#1. He is Nikki and Brie Bella's stepfather

Laurinaitis and the Bellas are related.

Yeah, you read that right. John Laurinaitis is the stepfather of the Bella Twins, having married their mother, Kathy Colace. You will only know this if you are a Total Bellas fan, with this detail cropping up during their wedding day.

Nevertheless, the fact that Laurinaitis has such a close relationship with Nikki and Brie Bella is mind-blowing. This also means he has a good relationship with Bryan Danielson, who is married to Brie. Johnny Ace has appeared on multiple Total Bellas episodes and looks like he shares a close relationship with the twins.