John Laurinaitis Placed On Administrative Leave, Interim Replacement Named

Last week it was reported that the WWE board is investigating misconduct allegations involving Vince McMahon and John Laurinaitis, and shortly after Vince McMahon stepped down as Chairman and CEO of WWE. Now it’s being reported that Bruce Prichard has been named interim Head of Talent Relations.

According to PWInsider, WWE informed talents that, “pending the conclusion of our Board of Directors’ internal investigation” John Laurinaitis has been placed on “administrative leave.” The memo noted that Bruce Prichard would provide a “seamless transition.”

Fightful Select reports that the unanimous belief among people in the company is that John Laurinaitis is as good as gone, and several are even celebrating his departure. One person reportedly joked about Bruce Prichard taking over the role and said, “Vince only knows three people.”

One person expressed concern with Bruce Prichard handling his roles in both creative and talent relations. A point of concern is that now if talents want time off they essentially have to ask the person who is their filter between creative and Vince McMahon.

John Laurinaitis was not at WWE Raw this week, and several people were under the impression that they’ll never have to work with him again.