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Ex-WWE star Gail Kim recently recalled John Laurinaitis calling her to inform her about her release.
Gail Kim's first WWE run lasted about two years, from 2002 to 2004. She was quite popular among the WWE Universe and won the women's title one time. She held the title for about a month before losing it to Molly Holly.
Kim was let go by WWE in late 2004. In the newest edition of Stories with Brisco and Bradshaw, she revealed details about Laurinaitis' phone call to inform her about the release. Kim was genuinely surprised when she learned she got released:
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“I just remember being shocked because, literally, I was working so hard in the ring and I was improving. I actually started noticing that the crowd was starting to notice that. Fit (Finlay) liked all the work too."
As per Kim, Laurinaitis seemed to be in a hurry and just wanted to get it over with:
“I remember Johnny (Laurinaitis) calling and said, ‘We have to release you,’ and he just wanted to hang up. I was like, ‘Wait, hang on. Can you tell me why?’ He said, ‘We’re going in a different direction now,’ which they did, to be fair. It was me, Nidia, and Jazz who got fired in that group. My passion was killed, like, literally killed." (H/T - WrestlingNewsCo)
John Laurinaitis is still working for WWE as Head of Talent Relations
John Laurinaitis is still going strong in WWE and is one of the most respected backstage figures in the company. He's been with WWE for over two decades. Laurinaitis has informed several wrestlers of their release over the years. The job isn't an easy one in the least.
As for Gail Kim, she had a brief stint in IMPACT Wrestling after her WWE release. She returned to WWE for another run in 2008. This time around, Kim didn't make much of a note on the main roster. After her second WWE run ended, Kim returned to IMPACT Wrestling again.
Kim wrestled her final match against Tessa Blanchard at IMPACT Wrestling Rebellion in 2019. She immediately took on the role of a backstage producer for the company following her retirement.
