WWE Hall Of Famer JBL was front row for a legitimate backstage fight between Kurt Angle and Eddie Guerrero.
He told the story during a recent episode of Stories with Brisco and Bradshaw, noting that the fight took place backstage after a match Angle and Guerrero had. Guerrero was under the impression that Angle had stiffed him.
JBL explained that he was confused because during the fight, Guerrero attempted to take Angle down – Angle being an Olympic gold medalist wrestler.
“You know a fight’s going on in the locker room … you can tell by the noise, and this was a fight. So finally, [John] Laurinaitis had gotten between Eddie and Kurt. Kurt was outside the dressing room, Eddie was inside it, I was dressing right by Eddie.
“Laurinaitis shut the door, so that separated Kurt and Eddie. Eddie comes back and sits down, and I could tell by the noise that’s going on that … Eddie had tried to leg dive [him]. So I’m sitting there looking at Eddie, and he’s not looking at me at all. He’s looking at the door, just mad as mad as he can be, breathing so loud you can hear him breathe. …
“Finally I said ‘Why would you leg dive a Gold Medalist?’ And without looking at me, he goes ‘Cause I’m stupid!’ That was great. Then he finally started laughing.“
Not only is Angle a former Olympic gold medalist, but he’s also a five-time former WWE World Champion. He has since retired from in-ring competition and was inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame in 2017.
Guerrero was also inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame shortly after his untimely death in 2005. He was a former WWE Champion and one of the most respected in-ring performers of his time.
The days are getting darker. The winds are getting colder and that can only mean one thing.
The Holidays are coming!
Each year, WWE makes sure to air a Holiday episode, complete with Christmas trees and other sights associated with the most wonderful time of the year.
Countless Superstars and personalities have donned the iconic red and white suit of Santa Claus himself, but not all did so with the best of intentions.
Here are five Santas from wrestling who will be getting coal in their stocking this Christmas.
5: Damien Sandow
Damian Sandow’s 2013 ended with him on the naughty list after losing to the World’s Strongest Santa Mick Foley.
For Damien Sandow, 2013 could be best described as a ‘mixed year.’
After winning the SmackDown Money in the Bank contract, Sandow seemed on the cusp of becoming World Heavyweight Champion, but failed in his cash-in attempt on John Cena.
By December, Sandow had fallen down the card dramatically and played the role of ‘evil Santa’ on the December 23, Raw.
Facing off against the World’s Strongest Santa Mark Henry, Sandow had little chance, and what started as a promising year for the intellectual ended on a dud.
4: Bubba Ray Dudley
Tajiri used a festive red mist to defeat Bubba Ray Dudley in a Santa Vs. Santa match in 2001.
For much of the Invasion storyline, Bubba Ray and D-Von Dudley were key players in the Alliance and would hold the WWF and WCW World Tag Team Titles.
Even after the Alliance was defeated, the Dudleys remained, and Bubba would don the iconic red suit for the Christmas Eve Raw.
Facing off against SanTa-jiri, Bubba earned himself on the naughty list with his heel antics throughout the match.
To their credit, both men would put on an entertaining match despite their costumes, and Bubba even used some Santa-themed taunts to rile the crowd.
In the end, Tajiri’s mist (festive red of course!) would give the Japanese Buzzsaw the win in a highly-entertaining match.
3: Bobby Heenan
Bobby Heenan tried to reveal s hocking secret while dressed as Santa Claus.
Rightly considered one of the greatest heel managers in wrestling history, Bobby Heenan earned himself a spot on the naughty list countless times with his actions.
On Christmas Day in 1989, Heenan took to Prime Time Wrestling for what he called his ‘Santa Claus Shoot,’ in which he declared to the world that Kris Kringle isn’t real.
No doubt breaking the hearts of children watching, Heenan’s rant was cut short by Roddy Piper, who told the kids Santas is real, and pushed and prodded the famed manager.
Heenan, in typical fashion, tried to talk his way out of being beaten up by Piper, and we imagine that The Brain got coal in his stocking the next year.
Of course, this Santa suit wouldn’t be the only costume Heenan would don on-screen, but his other, more iconic outfit, would be that of a weasel.
2: Xanta Claus
Xanta Claus, played by Balls Mahoney, showed that everybody has a price for the Million Dollar Man.
For In Your House 5: Seasons Beatings, Santa Claus took a break from a busy December to appear for the World Wrestling Federation, handing out presents with Savio Vega.
Confronting Million Dollar Men Ted DiBiase in the ring, it seemed the numbers were in the good guys’ favor until the unthinkable happened.
Santa Claus sold out!
Attacking Vega and aligning with DiBiase, the man was now Xanta Claus (hailing from the South Pole,) a pretender to the role who had been paid off by DiBiase.
Xanta’s one and only match would come on the Superstars of Wrestling show on December 19, defeating Scott Taylor, but the character would last a few weeks after Christmas.
Years later, Xanta would return to WWE, but under his more recognizable name as Balls Mahoney, and his actions showed that everyone has a price for the Million Dollar Man.
1: John ‘Bradshaw’ Layfield
Like Damien Sandow at the start of this list, 2005 was not the best year for John ‘Bradshaw’ Layfield.
In April, his ten-month-long reign as WWE Champion ended at the hands of John Cena, ushering in Cena’s rise to the top of wrestling, and the Texan would fail to regain the gold.
That December, JBL donned a camouflaged Santa outfit for that year’s Tribute to the Troops in Baghdad, and berated the troops for the
Complaining about having to use a porta-potty for his rosy backside and the lack of Dom Perignon for his reindeer, and even threatened to cancel Christmas.
JBL’s Santa didn’t stop there, threatening to cancel all holidays (even Bastille Day!) but his plans were thwarted by WWE’s resident Santa, Mick Foley.
Facing off in a match to determine the true Santa of WWE, Foley got the win with a literal bag of tricks and Mr. Socko.
JBL’s berating of the troops was certainly not becoming of Jolly Ol’ St. Nick, and when you consider his actions as a character (and his history of hazing and bullying) JBL has a lifetime spot on the naughty list.
JBL returned to WWE recently as Baron Corbin’s manager on Raw.
Rey Mysterio approached Triple H backstage during an episode of SmackDown and tried to quit the company because he didn’t want to battle with his son, Dominik Mysterio in Judgment Day.
The Game talked Rey out of quitting and orchestrated a trade. Baron Corbin was traded to Raw in exchange for Rey Mysterio. JBL has been managing Corbin on the red brand and has referred to him as a “wrestling god”.
5 Funniest Moments of Sami Zayn & The Bloodline
Corbin has been picking up victories on Raw lately but lost all of his money this past Monday. Akira Tozawa whooped JBL and Corbin in poker, but Baron got his revenge later on the show by defeating him in a singles match.
JBL joined Corey Graves’ After The Bell podcast recently and was asked about the MC Hammer suit pants he was wearing on RAW recently. JBL said he has a large backside and the bigger pants are necessary.
I happen to buy pants that fit me,” said JBL. “I have a large a**. I have got more a** than a donkey farm. My college coach told me one time, ‘son if I told you to haul a**, it’d take you four trips’. I am not putting my large a**, ten pounds of potatoes in a five-pound sack, and putting them in skinny jeans.
JBL recently made his triumphant return to WWE television to manage Baron Corbin.
He’s referred to Corbin as the “Modern Day Wrestling God” in promos and claimed that Baron is the only reason he’s returned to the company. Corbin was traded from SmackDown to RAW in exchange for Rey Mysterio.
Corbin picked up another victory this past Monday over Akira Tozawa. However, Tozawa took all of JBL and Baron Corbin’s money in poker earlier in the show, so all things considered it wasn’t a bad day at the office.
JBL Reveals Stone Cold Steve Austin Named His Finisher
Baron Corbin and JBL appeared on WWE’s The Bump today. During the conversation, the 55-year-old revealed that Stone Cold Steve Austin came up with the “Clothesline From Hell” finisher name. JBL’s Clothesline was one of the best in the business.
Stone Cold is the one that named the Clothesline From Hell. You can’t name your own move. You can’t give yourself a nickname. I hit somebody with a Clothesline one time in Europe and I come back, Stone Cold says ‘that’s not a Clothesline, that is a Clothesline From Hell’. And it stuck from that point forward.
WWE reportedly reached out to Stone Cold Steve Austin about another match recently. The Rattlesnake returned to the ring during Night 1 of WrestleMania 38 and defeated Kevin Owens. Austin looked great in the match and may have another one left in him.
WWE is again using JBL on television as Baron Corbin’s manager. In recent weeks, the WWE Hall of Famer has been doing promos on the behalf of Baron and calling him a wrestling god, a nickname he had when he was still wrestling.
This continued on Monday’s episode of Raw as JBL did a heel promo and Corbin beat Cedric Alexander in a quick match.
In a post on Twitter, WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair called out WWE for using JBL while endorsing an anti-bullying program and knocked WWE for having JBL in the Hall Of Fame. Flair wrote the following:
Ric Flair’s Tweet
(WWE)
“I Guess The Anti Bullying Program You So Heavily Endorsed Does Not Apply To Bradshaw!! Jason Roberts And Joey Styles!! What A Joke! And He’s In The HOF! Sad!”
For years, there have been stories from wrestlers and talent about JBL that have claimed he was a bully backstage in WWE by taking ribs/pranks too far that were not in good-nature.
Former ECW star The Blue Meanie accused him of taking hard shots at him during their brawl at an ECW One Night Stand show that left him bloodied and injured. Also, Justin Roberts accused JBL of being a bully in his book, while there were issues with former WWE announcer Mauro Ranallo when he paired with JBL on the SmackDown commentary team.
Joey Styles was bullied by JBL and punched him out as a result. This past July, Flair partnered up with his son-in-law Andrade El Idolo and faced Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett in the main event of “Ric Flair’s Last Match” event during SummerSlam weekend.
I Guess The Anti Bullying Program You So Heavily Endorsed Does Not Apply To Bradshaw!! Jason Roberts And Joey Styles!! What A Joke! And He’s In The HOF! Sad!
Baron Corbin recently returned on WWE RAW with the legendary John ‘Bradshaw’ Layfield as his manager.
JBL picked up Corbin in his limo on the September 2nd edition of SmackDown and they had not appeared on TV since Corbin’s return last week.
Rey Mysterio approached Triple H on a recent episode of SmackDown and tried to quit due to conflict with his son, Dominik Mysterio, and The Judgment Day. The Game opted to trade Corbin to the RAW roster and bring Mysterio to SmackDown instead.
Baron battled Dolph Ziggler in a long match on RAW as JBL joined commentary. JBL referred to Corbin as the “Modern Day Wrestling God” after he defeated The Showoff.
Jim Cornette on Baron Corbin & JBL
Wrestling legend Jim Cornette praised JBL for his promo and on episode 266 of Jim Cornette’s Drive-Thru. Jim and co-host Brian Last joked that JBL’s suit was a little too big for him.
Jim praised JBL for his promo ability and noted how he got the crowd to turn against him right away.
He acknowledged the people’s cheers and etc, and then went right into the f***ing best heel promo, the most natural.
He’s got the personality, the delivery, the material, it was all off the top of his head. He buried Oklahoma and praised Texas, like if you anyone from Oklahoma and Texas, that is all they do.
Cornette wondered if even the great JBL will be able to get Baron Corbin over with the crowd despite being a great promo.
JBL is a great promo. But can even he get Baron Corbin over? But it’s not Happy Corbin anymore. They’re trying.
It’s Baron Corbin. We were watching the show when he became homeless Corbin and then he became Happy Corbin, but did we ever just see a Baron Corbin? Before that he was the possum king, King Corbin.
Have we ever just seen Baron Corbin try to be serious?
The 61-year-old noted that Corbin’s new gear looks horrendous and compared him to “some kind of a mole creature” that resides underground.
His gear still looks horrendous. I don’t what the f***. He’s so hairless. He looks like some kind of mole creature. That lives underground and has no hair. I don’t know.
But his gear looks horrendous, which accentuates the paleness and lack of features he has. He seems to have lost weight. He’s trying to get in better shape.
His work, some of it looked okay. His physical appearance to me is odd and off-putting. I don’t know how to explain it.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit Jim Cornette’s Drive-Thru with a H/T to SEScoops for the transcription.
Happy Corbin left in JBL’s limo on the September 3rd edition of SmackDown and made his triumphant return tonight on WWE RAW.
Following Rey Mysterio being moved to SmackDown, it was announced that Corbin was traded to RAW. JBL introduced Baron Corbin tonight and joined commentary for his match against Dolph Ziggler.
JBL hyped up Corbin on commentary and compared him to Michael Jordan as Baron connected with the End of Days on Ziggler for the pinfall victory.
Byron Saxton caught up with JBL and Baron Corbin backstage following the match. Saxton asked why WWE Hall of Famer JBL decided to lend his support to Baron Corbin. JBL said the choice was easy.
This is the emergence, the debut, of the modern-day “Wrestling God”. The era of dominance, this man is a cornerstone. This is what you build a company on. So this has nothing to do with my return.
I came back for one reason, and one reason only, and that is because this man is here. There is a lot of people out there you think ‘oh, I could be that guy’. You can’t be him. So ask him the questions because that is the man.
Saxton asked Corbin how it felt to have JBL’s support in his career and Baron said anything is possible with the Hall of Famer’s guidance. Corbin added that landscape has officially changed to end the interview.
How do you think it feels? I went out there on Monday Night RAW on my first night and I dominated Dolph Ziggler.
With this man’s guidance, his wisdom, he’s a Hall of Famer and he’s passing this stuff onto me. The sky? There is no limit.
We are changing the game. Like he said, a modern-day “Wrestling God”. The landscape has officially changed.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit RAW Talk and give a H/T to SEScoops.
“When you get a Texan and Oklahoman together, they are either going to do two things: fight each other or sit down and drink a beer. He was too damn big for me to fight at that time. I chose to sit down and have a beer with him.”
This is what Gerald Brisco said regarding the origins of his friendship with John “Bradshaw” Layfield. If you’ve heard or seen their “Stories with Brisco and Bradshaw” show, you immediately sense there is a special bond between the two. One built on mutual interests including a love of wrestling and football. Perhaps Brisco saw some of his himself as a competitive athlete.
He fought hard to recruit him for WWE back in the mid-1990s. A time when the war between WCW and WWE was hot and heavy. A member of Vince McMahon’s inner circle for decades, his opinion certainly went a long way.
“Jerry and JJ Dillon pulled me aside in the shower,” Layfield recalled. “[Jerry] said, ‘I understand you’re going to WCW. Well, I don’t want you to go. How will I know you’re not going to WCW and take our contract.’ I hadn’t seen a contract. I said, ‘Well, how do I know I got a contract?’ He said, ‘You have my word.’ He stuck out his hand, and I shook it. We’ve been friends ever since.”
“One fo the most giving people,” Brisco added. “I see the work he does not just in America but Africa and Bermuda where he sets up these rugby leagues.”
Bradshaw’s philanthropic efforts combined with his accomplishments in the business made him an ideal candidate to be recognized by the Cauliflower Alley Club as the 2022 Iron Mike Mazurki honoree. The WWE Hall of Famer and multi-time world champion, along with Brisco, will be part of the 56th Cauliflower Alley Club Reunion. The ceremony takes place September 26-28 at the Plaza Hotel & Casino.
“It’s a huge honor,” JBL said. “I look at the guys who won the award including Gene LeBell, Lou Thesz, ‘Stone Cold’ [Steve Austin], Harley Race, Jesse Ventura. I never dreamed of being in the Hall of Fame. I just love this business. I wanted to be in it. Going into the Hall of Fame with names like this. I feel like I should be buying a ticket to be in the room with those guys including Mr. Gerald Brisco.”
Brisco knows the importance of the CAC over the years as it has helped colleagues in many ways. He stresses the organization not only helps the old-timers but today’s talent too.
“It’s so important that our current wrestlers get out and get involved and come to these CAC events,” Brisco said. “See exactly the camaraderie that the talent gives out to the fans that come to these. This is a tremendously attended event that is in Las Vegas every year.”
Much the contrary to many veterans, JBL and Brisco have a positive outlook on the current landscape of pro wrestling. They feel the business is certainly booming.
“My opinion is it is as healthy as it has ever been in the history of the business.,” Brisco said. “You have so many choices now…If there is something on Raw or SmackDown I want to watch, I’ll watch it, but my favorite go-to is the NXT show. You’re going to see a lot of raw and young talent building that dream and taking the next step. You see their successes and feel their failures too. Watching like John and I do, you can see a failure. Not as a person. A failure of a spot and see the disappointment in their body language and expression.
“But 99 percent of the time they are right on the money. To see these kids come from absolutely never seen a wrestling ring before or what the ropes or turnbuckles are like to taking a giant step center of the ring. You are there seeing them take that first step and see how uncoordinated that first step is. Then you see how they advance, makes goosebumps come to both of our arms.”
Layfield added that “the business is as hot as it can be. These guys have their own buses and own plane. I’m not saying that in a disparaging way. I love it. I wish we had that. They are making a ton of money, and good for them. We’re not those old guys who say they don’t deserve it. Those guys deserve it as much as we did. I’m so happy there are billion-dollar TV contracts selling out huge arenas. It’s fashionable to knock the current business. You seem smart if you do and a ‘mark’ if you put it over. You have to put it over. Something is going incredibly right. All these independent shows are drawing. I hadn’t seen that in 20 years or more, maybe the late 1980s territories that drew. It’s a wonderful time.
Visit the CAC site for more information on the organization and to attend the CAC Reunion.
JBL has gone to bat for his longtime former boss Vince McMahon against critics of his production style in WWE.
Many over the years have voiced the opinion that WWE is over-produced, especially due to the oversight by McMahon. One of the most common talking points is how McMahon feeds lines and information to the commentary team during the show.
The likes of WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross, and others have discussed this and how it can sometimes make the job difficult. It’s often said that McMahon can be rude at times to commentators during this period.
However, speaking on GAWTV recently, JBL said he actually enjoyed having McMahon in his ear during shows.
“Vince [McMahon] gets a lot of heat over what he produces, and I loved it. By the way, Vince was never rude to me. Not one time, did not yell at me one time.
“Jerry Lawler says the same thing. Booker T says the same thing. Now he yelled at Michael Cole and he yelled at some other guys, but I think it was the old guys who had been in the ring for him.
“He just treated us differently. Even when I made mistakes, he was very kind about it,” JBL said.
“But I loved him being in my ear because he was very succinct. He’s a great producer. He would tell you just a short little phrase. He wouldn’t tell you a whole paragraph.
“Usually I’d be one word behind it. I’d just repeat exactly what he said, because he knew what was coming up and he also knew what he was feeding somewhere else.
“So, sometimes he’d feed me something, but he’d [Michael] Cole something different and it made sense after Cole said it. He (Vince) had access to everything.
“I enjoyed Vince being a producer. A lot of guys, I think it’s fashionable to say they hated it, but I thought he was terrific at it.”
JBL served as a commentator for just over five years, serving as a vital part of the broadcast team assisting on both Monday Night RAW and SmackDown Live.
The WWE Hall Of Famer has since stepped away from full-time commentary, but does occasionally return for pre-event shows and other special appearances.
WWE Hall Of Famer JBL not only had a strong presence inside the ring, but at the broadcast table as well.
Layfield joined WWE back in 1995; racking up runs as WWE Champion, Intercontinental Champion, United States Champion, Hardcore Champion, Tag Team Champion, and more. After getting off a full-time schedule as an in-ring performer, JBL joined the WWE broadcast team in 2006. Although he still wrestled part-time, Layfield became a staple in WWE’s commentating team over the next decade.
Recently, the WWE Hall Of Famer joined The Universal Wrestling Podcast to talk about a number of topics. In regards to his role as commentator, Layfield revealed some advice he got from Vince McMahon himself – who also used to do commentary during the early days of WWF.
“‘John, it’s not radio,’” JBL said (via Wrestling Inc.). “‘You don’t have to tell them it’s a dropkick. You don’t have to tell them it’s a Saito suplex and show off that you know what it was.’
“People can see that. They need to know who this character is and why they should care about them. Once you realize that, you understand Vince’s mind for commentary.”
JBL stepped away from the commentary team in 2017, instead deciding to focus more on his projects outside of the world of wrestling. However, Layfield has made some sporadic WWE TV appearances since then, including his Hall Of Fame induction in 2020. He also served as a panelist for the WrestleMania 38 pre-shows in his home-state of Texas earlier this month.
JBL, a self-proclaimed “Wrestling God,” is offering managerial services to Happy Corbin.
On WWE TV, Corbin has aligned himself with Madcap Moss. The two have been involved in a feud with former two-time WWE Champion Drew McIntyre. While some feel Moss has huge upside, it’s Corbin who JBL wishes to manage.
A Happy Pairing?
Speaking to the folks over at Inside The Ropes, JBL explained why he wouldn’t be opposed to managing Happy Corbin if given the opportunity.
“I Love Baron Corbin. I think Baron Corbin is a really smart guy, and I think Baron Corbin is a guy I would like to manage. The problem I have is I’m kind of like Colonel Parker. I’m tall and so I can’t manage a lot of people because I’m 6’6 and you don’t want a manager that’s bigger than the wrestler and so I’m limited in who I can manage because of the size.”
Corbin has been with WWE since 2012 and while he’s never held a world title, he’s been featured prominently on TV. At one point, Corbin was even an authority figure on Monday Night Raw.
Recently, Corbin saw his tag partner Moss get pinned by McIntyre at Elimination Chamber in Saudi Arabia. After the match, McIntyre took to social media to say he has unfinished business with Corbin.
Time will tell what the WrestleMania plans are for Corbin but it’ll likely have something to do with McIntyre. Whether that means a singles match or a multi-man match remains to be seen.
John Cena is a name synonymous with WWE. He was the franchise player for the wrestling company. There are only a few names in the industry who can evoke such strong emotions and reactions from the crowd as Cena did. He has tied Ric Flair’s record for most world championships reigns at 16. He served as the company’s top stars for more than a decade. However, before taking on the superman gimmick in the company, Cena still had to gain the trust of the company to fully believe in him.
Before using his popular The Doctor of Thuganomics gimmick, John Cena was about to be let go by the company. WWE Hall of Famer JBL said in a recent interview that Vince McMahon personally asked about his first impressions of Cena and whether he thinks Cena has potential to be in the main event scene.
“There weren’t a ton of believers in Cena,” Layfield said while appearing on the Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling podcast (via Sportskeeda). “I don’t think there were un-believers. But Vince asked me one day, he said, ‘How is he?’ I said, ‘He’s your guy, man.’ Vince said, ‘He’s that good?’ I said, ‘Yeah.'”
“It’s a different dynamic going from, say, eight minutes to going to 30 minutes,” JBL added. “Now, I think he had done it with Kurt Angle too, obviously one of the greatest of all time. But when I first got out there with him, some guys never make that transition. It’s hard.”
John Cena has transitioned to Hollywood as a successful actor and wrestles sporadically. Most recently, he made a brief return to the WWE, where he challenged Roman Reigns for his WWE Universal Championship at SummerSlam. He was unsuccessful in capturing the title. Cena was asked at the Florida Supercon back in September if we would ever see him wrestle in another company. Cena reiterated pro wrestling’s famous “never say never” philosophy. Though he added that he is certain it would never happen.
“There’s a whole like ‘never say never’ philosophy and I’m also that way in life because you never know what life will bring you. But, I can with certainty say no.”
Being a three-decade veteran in the industry, JBL knows what it takes to be successful in wrestling. According to him, the hardest thing to learn in the business is the psychology and timing.
Discussing the psychology of wrestling, JBL recalled an interaction with Vince McMahon before a show in Canada. He explained how Mr. McMahon suggested him to take his promo to a completely different direction:
“Vince asked me, this is when I was JBL, ‘What’s your promo?’ And I had this promo where I tell them they suck and America’s better and all this blah, blah, blah. And he said, ‘No, no, no, just tell him you love them,’
And I thought about it. I thought, you know, I think that’s going to work, and I went out there. I said, ‘I just want you all to know that I love you. I think you’re the greatest so proud of you being our neighbor.’ People booed me out of the building.”
JBL On What Is The Hardest Thing To Learn In Wrestling
JBL is the twentieth triple crown champion in WWE history
JBL went on to explain that being a heel is not about getting a response from the crowd. He then revealed what he thinks is the hardest thing to learn in wrestling:
“It’s about believing that you’re the good guy. JBL always thought that he was the good guy. JBL always thought that he was on the right side of everything,
And that’s what added to people hating JBL was ‘how can you be that out of touch?’ And to me, that part of it, the psychology and the timing, is the hardest thing to learn.”
JBL was also asked if being a second-generation star makes it easier to make it in wrestling. Replying to it, the former WWE star discussed how it’s easier for some but difficult for others.
JBL has reflected on the time he was told the APA would be splitting up.
Back in 2004, SmackDown GM Paul Heyman told the APA that Ron Simmons would be fired if they failed to capture the Tag Team Titles. APA lost the match and Heyman ended up telling JBL that he has a lot to think about with his future. When Ron urged JBL to exit the building with him, Bradshaw said he couldn’t leave just because Ron said something “stupid.”
JBL Recalls Reaction To APA Splitting Up
During a Q&A session on his YouTube channel, JBL said that he and Ron wish they had more time but didn’t fight the decision.
“Yeah, of course. It wasn’t up to us. The office wanted JBL, at that time, just Bradshaw to go on his own, and so Ron and I were just footsoldiers. We did what we were asked. We didn’t really protest stuff and didn’t really say ‘we won’t do this’ or ‘didn’t want to do that.’ Ron and I worked together a lot of times before the APA, so we’d wrestle each other a ton. It wasn’t a matter of whether we wanted to wrestle each other, but we really didn’t want to do the angle where Ron came back for revenge and all that.”
JBL ended up getting the biggest push of his career. He captured the WWE Championship and held it for 280 days. As for Ron Simmons, he was legitimately released by WWE but has made sporadic appearances throughout the years to deliver his renowned “Damn!” line.
The 2004 split wasn’t the first time the APA was separated. In 2002, Simmons was drafted to SmackDown while JBL was sent to Raw. The two remained faces as singles stars.
WWE Hall of Famer John Bradshaw Layfield (JBL) recently reacted to the backlash that John Cena has received. The former World Heavyweight Champion took to social media to praise the character of Cena, saying that he ‘stands with him.’
Cena recently took part in interviews as part of promotion for his new film, Fast & Furious 9. The former WWE Champion referred to Taiwan as a country during the interview, leading to Chinese outlets and media demanding that he apologise for the incident.
John Cena did in fact release an apology video, speaking in Mandarin, hoping to try and clear up the situation.
“Hi China, I’m John Cena. I’m in the middle of Fast & Furious 9 promotions. I’m doing a lot of interviews. I made a mistake in one of my interviews,” Cena began. “Everyone was asking me if I could use Chinese… the staff [of the movie] gave me a lot of information, so there was a lot of interviews and information.”
JBL on John Cena Apology
“I made one mistake, I have to say something very, very, important now. I love and respect China and Chinese people. I’m very, very sorry about my mistake. I apologize, I’m very sorry. You must understand that I really love, really respect China and the Chinese people. My apologies. See you” John Cena concluded.
Reacting to the backlash that Cena has received since making the apology to China, JBL would praise the multiple time WWE Champion. “John Cena has granted over 600 Make a Wishes-a record. Supported cancer research, rise above hate campaign, a million of his own dollars for racial equality.”
“He has fought tirelessly for equality” JBL added. “An incredible track record of making the world better. I’ll stand with this guy” the former World Heavyweight Champion would conclude.
Being part of the APA was an important stop in JBL’s career and the breakup of the group helped launch his run as a main eventer in WWE.
The WWE hall of famer alongside his partner Ron Simmons appeared on the latest episode of WWE’s The Bump where they discussed a number of things and relived the memories of their time together.
During the interview, JBL also talked about their storyline break up in 2004 which saw John turning on his partner and the former WWE champion said that he would have been happy if the company never split them:
“We knew it that it wasn’t gonna last forever. You know, we couldn’t be doing it to this day, we can go back and do the backstage stuff, but we wouldn’t be in the ring now, you know, backing that up anymore.
So, we knew at some point it was going to end, which I hated. I would’ve been happy being an APA member my entire life. If JBL had never happened and I retired at the end of APA, I’d be perfectly fine with that.”
APA lost a “You’re Fired” match to the then WWE tag team champions Rikishi and Scotty 2 Hotty in March 2004 and it meant that both the stars will be released from their contract.
However, General Manager Paul Heyman later revealed that Ron Simmons was the only one being released because the management saw potential in JBL. This storyline effectively ended the partnership between the two.
John Bradshaw Layfield believes that WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns is the most “compelling character” he’s seen in the past twenty years.
JBL shared his thoughts when he recently appeared on WWE’s The Bump. He immediately praised The Tribal Chief. Accoding to JBL, Reigns has impressed him more than anything else he’s seen in two decades.
“Roman Reigns to me is the most compelling character I’ve seen on television, I think in twenty years, it’s unbelievable how good he is,” JBL stated. “That character, the way it’s just transitioned and become the head of the table, I’m a huge fan.”
He was then asked about Reigns’ recent Champion vs. Champion clash with Drew McIntyre at Survivor Series. JBL shared how their match “lived up to every bit of the hype.”
He noted how meeting and surpassing people’s expectations is “[…] hard to do when you talk about having a true heavyweight matchup like they had. You had two great champions and both of those guys are in the prime of their life.”
Earlier this year, John Bradshaw Layfield was announced as an inductee into the 2020 Hall of Fame. He joined other 2002 inductees, including Batista, the nWo, The British Bulldog, Jushin “Thunder” Liger, and The Bella Twins.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, however, WWE’s Hall of Fame ceremony was forced to postpone. The 2020 Class will now be inducted during the lead up to 2021’s WrestleMania 37 pay-per-view.
John Bradshaw Layfield (JBL) took some time during his self-isolation to share a story with fans about a backstage fight between Eddie Guerrero and Kurt Angle. According to JBL, both Superstars came backstage angry, leading to Guerrero attempting to take Angle down.
“Well, apparently, something happened in that match,” JBL began. “[…] As they come back, Eddie and Kurt get into a physical fight. Eddie leg dives an Olympic gold medalist. Now, Kurt Angle was not good in high school, he was not really good in college, he was the best in the world. Out of 8.5 billion people, he was the gold medalist. You might have a chance punching Kurt; hit him with something. Don’t leg dive an Olympic gold medalist.”
JBL recalled how John Laurinaitis separated Guerrero and Angle, shutting JBL in alone with a seething Guerrero. “Eddie comes back, doesn’t even look at me, sits right beside me, and he’s staring at the door, and he’s breathing so loud you can hear him breathe. And I looked at him, and he’s still looking at the door, and I said, ‘Eddie why would you leg dive a gold medalist?’ Eddie says, ‘Cause I’m stupid!'”
A fan then asked how JBL could know that Guerrero attempted to “leg dive” on Angle if he was alone in the locker room. JBL explained how he heard all the yelling as they fought. He added, “it was easy to figure out what happened.” He also noted that other wrestlers who had witnessed the exchange were explaining it to each other as they entered the dressing room.
John Bradshaw Layfield is officially heading into the WWE Hall of Fame. News of JBL’s induction was confirmed during last night’s episode of WWE Backstage.
The former Superstar joined WWE back in 1995, wrestling regularly under several gimmicks until his retirement in 2009. His final match took place at Wrestlemania XXV where he lost the Intercontinental Championship to Rey Mysterio in only 21 seconds. Having left in-ring competition, JBL segued into a commentator role with WWE before focusing on his humanitarian work in and out of WWE. He has worked with organisations such as Beyond Rugby Bermuda and Beyond Sport, where he is a Global Ambassador.
JBL won copious amounts of gold during his tenure in WWE. He is a former WWE Champion, Intercontinental Champion and United States Champion. During his time in WWE, he also won the Hardcore, European and Tag Team championships. He is one of the few Superstars to not only be a Grand Slam Champion but a Triple Crown winner.
He joins “The Animal” Batista, the Bella Twins, and the nWo (consisting of Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash and Sean Waltman) as a part of the 2020 Hall of Fame Class. The ceremony will take place during WrestleMania week on April 2 from the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.
One of JBL’s most notable rivals delivered a special message after the Hall of Fame announcement was confirmed. John Cena congratulated JBL on the accomplishment, stressing how he absolutely earned the recognition for all he has done.
“Hey John, it’s John. Remember that young whippersnapper that you put over at WrestleMania for the strap? I just want to thank you for everything you’ve ever done for me. I have great perspective of all the people that have helped me along my journey, and there is no me without you.”
He continued, “We had some wonderful times. I hope that as you get inducted into the Hall of Fame, maybe you can relive some of those times and enjoy some of those memories like I do every single day. I’m just really thankful for what you have done for me. As far as I’m concerned, this is something that you’ve absolutely earned. I never use the word ‘deserve’—you have earned every inch. I hope that you enjoy the Hall of Fame ceremony and all that it encompasses because it is well earned. Thank you, John.”
JBL dropped the WWE Championship to Cena during WrestleMania 21. This was the first time Cena had claimed WWE’s top prize, moving him from the roster’s upper mid-card and firmly placing him into the main event picture.
After it was confirmed that the Hart Foundation member Davey Boy Smith will be going into Hall Of Fame, a new report has revealed another interesting name for this year’s class.
Former World Champion John “Bradshaw” Layfield or JBL is set to be inducted into Hall Of Fame during the WrestleMania weekend this year, according to WrestlingInc.
The former WWE Champion started his career way back in
September 1992. He wrestled for NWA and toured the world to compete in
countries like Mexico and Japan before joining WWE in January 1996.
The company ended up being his home for the rest of his
career. Layfield stayed active in the promotion for almost 14 years and won
over half a dozen championships during his tenure as an active wrestler.
While JBL went through many character tweaks during his
career, his run with Faarooq as a tag team known as Acolytes Protection Agency
or APA is one of the periods most fondly remembered by the fans.
John announced his retirement from active competition after losing an Intercontinental Championship match to Rey Mysterio at WrestleMania XXV and he has been making sporadic appearances for the company ever since.
If these reports are true then JBL will be joining Batista,
nWo, The Bella Twins, Jushin “Thunder” Liger and The British Bulldog
in the Hall Of Fame class of 2020.
Former WWE Champion, John “Bradshaw” Layfield says he dealt with memory loss after retiring from wrestling. JBL was on Prime Time with Sean Mooney recently. He talked about his concerns about possibly having CTE, which currently can only be diagnosed posthumously.
The topic of the many unprotected chairshots that used to take place throughout JBL’s career came up. Mooney then asked JBL if he worries about the long term impacts of such blows to the head.
“I figure pretty sure soon I’ll be hunting for the Easter eggs I just hid. I don’t know, I should be the poster child for CTE,” JBL said. “When I first retired, I had short term memory loss, and I started reading about neuroplasticity in the brain, about how the brain can regenerate itself and I don’t know if it can or not.”
JBL then mentioned he does many cognitive strengthening activities to keep his mind active.
“I do all kinds of stuff, I do a mind game every day, I play chess, sudoku, I learn something different, a language, a few words of a different language, I learn something to always stretch the brain and my memory came back completely. Right now it appears to be as normal, if I can be called normal but as normal as I know I am. Right now, I don’t have any effects.”
John Bradshaw Layfield turned 52 last night. Evidently, he opted to have a few drinks to celebrate. During the course of his evening, JBL posted several Tweets in regards to Cody Rhodes. The former WWE Champion said he could take either Cody or his “daddy” – the late Dusty Rhodes.
The following morning, JBL acknowledged that he was under the influence of “one too many” adult beverages when he was trash talking Cody and Dusty Rhodes.
JBL then offered an apology for at one point (in a possibly deleted Tweet) saying he’d “kill” Cody. JBL offered up an apology for those comments:
“Was having fun with Cody last night and said I’d kill Cody Rhodes, I obviously didn’t mean that literally. It was a very poor choice of words, I go way back with him and his family and I just was talking smack in a pro wrestling sense. I apologize for that poor choice of words.”
Cody Responds To JBL
Cody didn’t offer up much a response to JBL’s comments:
JBL has been offering up a few explanations this morning:
“I go way back with Dusty, tagged with Murdoch/Dusty’s old partner. I didn’t mean disrespect to Dusty. It’s what happens when elation from a Cowboys win, my birthday, talking smack and booze mix.”
The oft-outspoken John Bradshaw Layfield has never been one to shy away from controversy or an opportunity to share his opinion, especially on a subject he’s so knowledgeable and passionate about.
Speaking recently with Busted Open Radio, the former WWE Champion offered his thoughts on the issue with modern-day heels in the industry.
JBL believes that it’s “easier now than ever [to be a heel], but the guys have got to stay in character. […] we stayed in character 24/7. People would think you’re a horrible person, but you don’t want to see a guy at the airport, and smile, and be friendly.”
He admits that this outlook – one that happens to be shared by Chris Jericho – is an “old school mentality,” before explaining, “People don’t like it anymore, but it’s what we did and you didn’t want them coming to the arena and saying, ‘Hey, I met that guy – he’s actually a really good guy,’ and tell everyone around him because that’s what they’ll do. You want people to think you’re this bad guy. You live this character 24/7.”
A Social (Media) Issue
Attempting to pinpoint contributing factors to the issue, JBL highlighted social media as a major reason for this break in heel dynamics.
“I would see these guys trying to be heels and right after some dastardly deed on Monday Night RAW or SmackDown, they quote a bible verse and say how great it is to help people on social media,” he said.
“You’re killing yourself because these same people who follow you on social media are the same ones that watch you on Monday Night RAW and SmackDown, and they’re the ones out there saying, ‘you know, he’s really a good guy; I like him; he’s a good heel.’ If somebody tells you, ‘you’re a good heel,’ you have failed miserably. If you’re selling t-shirts as a heel, you’re selling them, then you’ve failed miserably. If you have a heel section, then you’ve failed miserably.”
What do you make of JBL’s thoughts? Is there a problem with modern-day heels? Is social media to blame?
John Bradshaw Layfield recently appeared on Fox News to discuss the controversy surrounding WWE’s planned Crown Jewel event. The former WWE Champion didn’t mince words, stating his belief WWE needs to follow through with the planned event as scheduled.
“My personal opinion is that they should go (to Saudi Arabia),” stated JBL. “Look at what we did with Cuba. You isolate a country all you do is impoverish that country. You want to promote change? WWE went to Abu Dhabi, did the first women’s match that had ever happened in the Middle East. The crowd was chanting, in English, ‘This is Change’.”
He continued to blame the Senators for trying to improve their approval ratings.
WWE’s planned Crown Jewel event is scheduled for November 3rd in Saudi Arabia. Recently several US Senators have spoken out regarding the event.
“I would hope that WWE will recognize on its own a conscience and conviction if there is proof that Saudi officials approved and ordered this kind of killing, and I would lean first on the United States government to do its duty so that it can lead private interests like WWE, and the first place to look is to the United States of America,” stated Senator Richard Blumenthal recently.
Posted October 16th, 2018 in WWE, News. Tagged: JBL.
AJ Styles has broken a record during his current reign as WWE Champion.
Back on a November episode of SmackDown Live, “The Phenomenal One” defeated Jinder Mahal to capture the title. He has reigned as “The Champ That Runs The Camp” on Tuesday nights ever since.
Styles has successfully defended his title in various matches against the likes of Shinsuke Nakamura and Rusev. He’s currently preparing for yet another title defense, this time against Samoa Joe at SummerSlam this weekend on pay-per-view (PPV).
It looks like he’ll head into “The Biggest Part Of The Summer” with a record under his belt. Styles has now reigned as WWE Champion for over 281 days. With that stat, he’s now the longest reigning WWE Champion in SmackDown history.
He surpasses future WWE Hall Of Famer JBL in the record books. JBL took to Twitter to react to the news. He praised “The Phenomenal One” for breaking his record and called Styles a world class individual and athlete:
“My record has been broken and I Could not be more proud of ?@AJStylesOrg? -a world class individual and athlete, looking forward to watching this incredible performer Sunday at @WWE Summerslam.”
My record has been broken and I Could not be more proud of ?@AJStylesOrg? -a world class individual and athlete, looking forward to watching this incredible performer Sunday at @WWE Summerslam. pic.twitter.com/VjT33wKsVj
