Axl Rose Accuses Ex-Manager of Sabotaging GNR

Axl Rose

Guns N' Roses singer Axl Rose has filed a countersuit against his former manager, claiming Irving Azoff and his company, Front Line Management, attempted to sabotage Rose's "new" version of GNR so he'd reunite with Slash and the band's classic lineup.

According to gossip site TMZ, Rose alleges in his $5 million countersuit that Azoff was "devising and implementing a secret plan to set up Rose and the band for failure so that Rose would have no choice but to reunite with the original Guns N' Roses' members," a move Axl had resisted. Rose also took issue with Azoff's decision to file his original lawsuit against William Bailey, the singer's real name -- something that "carries significant emotional damage from Rose's childhood."

Azoff filed suit against Rose in March, claiming GNR owed his company $1.8 million, an amount equivalent 15 percent of the gross revenue earned by the band during its run of tour dates through Asia, Canada, and South America in support of their 2008 comeback album Chinese Democracy. Read SPIN's review of their 2010 Canadian tour kickoff here.

According to TMZ, Azoff -- who also serves as CEO for Ticketmaster -- has already responded to Rose's countersuit: "On advice of counsel I cannot respond at this time, but will discuss in my upcoming book, My Life with William Bill Bailey." Ouch!