Eric Bischoff Supports John Laurinaitis’ Decision To Make Public Appearances

On the latest episode of 83 Weeks, Eric Bischoff talked about John Laurinaitis, known as “Johnny Ace,” making is first public appearance in over two years at an autograph signing in Chillicothe, Ohio. Laurinaitis was named in a civil lawsuit from Janel Grant against WWE and Vince McMahon in January 2024. Laurinaitis has agreed to cooperate with Grant’s side. You can check out some highlights below:

On the Appearance:

“This is a tough one, but I’m just going to be honest. First of all, I don’t judge anybody. I got enough stupid s**t that I did my life. You know, I’m not in any position to judge anybody. Everybody’s got to make up their own minds about how they feel, I’m not trying to influence anybody. People make mistakes. Johnny put himself in the position Johnny was in.

“And let’s face it, it is what it is. It’s an ugly situation, no matter how you look at it. There’s no right — there’s no justification, there’s no — it happened. He’s a human being, he made a choice. The choice was a bad choice. And he’s going to — he is, has and will probably continue to, to bear responsibility for that in ways that none of us will probably understand. That’s his burden.”

On Their Current Relationship:

“As someone who’s known Johnny for a long time and considered him a friend and still do despite what he did, or is alleged to have done, do I hang out with Johnny? No. Am I going to go out and promote for Johnny? No. Because of what he did. While I’m not going to judge him. I do choose who I associate with.

“And while I’ll always pick up the phone if Johnny calls and have a conversation, Johnny’s decision to go out and do what Johnny’s about to do is a brave one, because he’s going to face it, there’s going to be people that are going to be excited to see him, and they should be. He’s a name, he’s a legend, for reasons good and bad I guess. But it is what it is. Johnny’s got to get on with his life, and he. He made this decision. Let’s see what happens. I wish him the best.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit 83 Weeks with an h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.