Kevin Nash didn’t hold back when it came to former WWE executive John Laurinaitis—accusing him of actively trying to screw over talent during his time running talent relations.
Speaking on his Kliq This podcast, the WWE Hall of Famer reacted to Laurinaitis being dropped as a defendant in the Janel Grant lawsuit. While Laurinaitis has agreed to cooperate in the case, Nash took the opportunity to rip into how the former executive operated behind the scenes in WWE.
When co-host Sean Oliver called Laurinaitis a polarizing figure and asked if he was an “asshole” to deal with, Nash laid it out clearly. “Depends on where you are [in] the f**king hierarchy,” Nash began. He then gave an example of how Laurinaitis would come up with ways to penalize wrestlers just to win favor with the higher-ups in WWE.
“He was one of those guys that would come in and to show his worth to the office. He would say, ‘Hey, I know how we can f*ck these guys. We’ll put a time clock, and they got to sign it, and if they’re not in by a certain time, then we’ll fine them, and then that’s why we can get us all this, some of this f*cking guaranteed money that we got all these guys, because they won’t show up at 11 o’clock.’”
Nash pointed out how hypocritical this was, considering WWE classifies wrestlers as independent contractors.
“Not understanding that the number one thing that differentiates you from being an employee to being a f*cking 1099, is fking not having to show up to work on a certain time.”
Nash clarified that he was never personally fined by Laurinaitis because of his standing in the company at the time.
“By the time I had any kind of a relationship with him… it was nothing he was gonna do.”
But he added that he’d heard the stories and saw how others were affected. Nash also gave his take on Laurinaitis’s current situation after being removed from the lawsuit—but not from public scrutiny.
“His life is f*cked, like he sees he’s f*cked. I’m sure he’s at the point where he’s… I don’t see him at signings. I don’t know what he’s doing for money. I mean, I’m sure his life is destroyed by this.”
Despite the harsh words, Nash said he wasn’t interested in kicking someone while they’re down.
“So, I mean, I don’t believe in the pile-on f**king rule. His life is s*ht. So I’m not gonna sit here and f**king pile on.”*
Still, Nash couldn’t deny Laurinaitis had a pattern. “Obviously has continually made bad decisions.”
Kevin Nash isn’t the first to blast Laurinaitis, but his comments cut deeper coming from someone who saw it all firsthand. And with Laurinaitis no longer protected by a WWE title or a corporate role, it seems like his past is finally catching up to him.
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