"His wife was making more than half the boys" - Paul London on John Laurinaitis giving ex-WWE Superstars a huge salary

Paul London recently revealed that John Laurinaitis paid two WWE Superstars a higher salary than many of their co-workers in the mid-2000s.

Kenzo Suzuki wrestled for WWE on the SmackDown brand in 2004 and 2005. His wife, Hiroko Suzuki, also worked for the company as the Japanese star’s valet.

London, who wrestled on the main roster between 2003 and 2008, discussed Laurinaitis on Rene Dupree’s “Cafe de Rene” podcast. The 42-year-old recalled how the then-Head of Talent Relations paid the Suzukis $250,000 each per year.

“I remember Johnny being responsible for one of your former teammates, Kenzo, getting a $250,000 deal a year, and his wife,” London said. “They each had $250,000. Those were two people that Johnny was responsible for bringing in, at least that was the story I always got. I liked Kenzo a lot, but the guy couldn’t tie his shoes… To pay the guy and his wife, I mean his wife was making more than half the boys. It was just like, ‘What?! What?!’” [24:59-25:54]

Kenzo Suzuki held the Tag Team Championship for 91 days with Rene Dupree in 2004. One of his most high-profile storylines came in 2005 when he unsuccessfully challenged John Cena for the United States Championship twice on SmackDown.

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Paul London understands WWE Superstars’ frustrations

During his early days in WWE, Paul London learned that Crash Holly was among those on the roster who felt they were underappreciated.

After hearing how much money Kenzo and Hiroko Suzuki earned, the former Cruiserweight Champion immediately realized why the likes of Holly became so frustrated.

“I would think back to why Crash and some of these guys were so disgruntled and p****d off all the time,” London added. “I was like, ‘Ah, now it kinda makes sense.’” [25:58-26:07]

Do you have any memories of Kenzo Suzuki’s short SmackDown run? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.

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