WWE's John Laurinaitis Scouts New Talent, and Bleacher Report Is There

WWE Executive Vice President of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis was in Hendersonville, North Carolina on Saturday, November 26th, and yours truly was there.

Hendersonville is home of High Velocity Wrestling, a promotion that I have written about before here on Bleacher Report.  It’s owned by a good friend of mine, a guy I met on my first night in the business 10 years ago.

Gary Benfield is his name, and he is also known as Viper.  Viper is a good worker who has lived the life of a starving pro wrestler for over a decade now.  Since he began HVW seven years ago, he has really seen the best years of his career, and as an owner he has met each and every challenge head on.

HVW is now considered one of the top promotions in the Carolinas, and it’s all due to Viper’s hard work, and the work of his talent, who believe in what he’s been doing for the past seven years.  As a friend, and colleague, I have to say, I am pretty proud of the guy.  He has come a long way.

But when he called me up to tell me that John Laurinaitis was coming to HVW to evaluate his talent, I went from being proud to know to him to being thrilled over the prospect of his company going higher than I could have ever imagined.

The fact is that WWE’s talent has to come from somewhere.  FCW may be the starting point, but those workers are coming from all over the country.  A man in John’s position has to keep his eyes open, and constantly be on the look out for fresh faces, young and hungry workers who want to one day see the bright lights of WWE.

Enter HVW, whose relatively quick rise to prominence on the independent circuit has turned some heads, and brought the attention of the biggest wrestling company in the world to town.  But, the truth is this is not the first time that Viper has met Laurinaitis.

Viper has worked for WWE before, most notably in a spot that many fans will remember from the Edge and Kane feud last year.  Remember the phony Paul Bearer tied to a wheelchair?

Hey, whatever it takes to get your foot in the door, right?  

As I sat there in the locker room, going over some notes for the commentary that night, it occurred to me that yes, I was waiting for John Laurinaitis.  I have to admit, I was beginning to get a little starstruck.

By now I should have been over that.  In years past, I have met The Rock 'n' Roll Express, Paul Jones, The Boogie Man Jimmy Valiant, The Barbarian and Missy Hyatt.  For some younger fans out there, those names may not be familiar, but let me tell you, these workers used to be prime time.

But, this is Vince McMahon’s right hand man we’re talking about here, the guy who is responsible for the hiring and firing in the company.  He’s big time, a major player in the business.

The truth is, he is so far from being that kind of person, it would blow your mind.

Not only was he soft spoken, and very laid back, but he was also very humble.  He addressed the workers before bell time that night, and it was like listening to a motivational speaker who also happened to be your best friend.

“My biggest piece of advice to you guys is to be yourself, do what you do.  If you go out there, trying to do what you think I want to see, or what Vince wants to see, then you’re going to screw it up.  Do what you know you can do, and do the best you can.”

You could literally hear a pin drop as John spoke, and every eye in the room was on him.  The more I listened, the more I liked him, and I found myself having more respect for him than I ever thought possible.

As far as any of the guys being nervous, John attempted to lay their fears to rest right from the start.

“I know some of you may be nervous about getting in there tonight, with me sitting in the crowd, but trust me there’s no reason to be.  I mean, who the f**k am I?  I’m nobody.  I’m one of you guys.  I came up just like you did, working for years, running up and down the roads, for 20 dollars here, 20 dollars there, just hoping for an opportunity.”

Opportunity was the keyword for John.  He spoke of being in the right place at the right time, about making the best of your opportunity, and not letting anyone stop you.

By this point, I’m ready to take on the world.  The guy is very good, very direct, and it’s easy to see why he’s in the spot he is with WWE.

Yes, he seems uncomfortable on camera.  Yes, he does seem out of place and excruciatingly repetitive during his mic time, but don’t forget: he’s in character.  This is not John Laurinaitis that you’re seeing on Raw, this is Mr. Laurinaitis.  There is a huge difference.

And just when I thought that he could not get any cooler as a person, he walked right by the nice red chair that had been roped off for him at ringside.  Shaking his head as he shook hands with the fans, he said “I’m not sitting there, that’s not me.”

He then sat right down with the rest of the crowd in a folding chair, as if he had just come in from work and bought a ticket.

And, yes, he was seen randomly texting as the show went on.

Who’s to say if any of the HVW talent will get a shot with WWE?  As John himself said, he could not guarantee anything, not to them, to any of the FCW talent, or to anyone in WWE for that matter.  But, his words of encouragement before and after the show were enough to give everyone within earshot enough reason to keep doing what they love, and to never give up the dream.

John Laurinaitis is a class act, and so is Viper and HVW.  Stay tuned, there is sure to be more to come.