Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 20:17, 27 May 2006

This article is about the professional wrestler. For the seventeenth century theologian, please see John Layfield (theologian).

John "Bradshaw" Layfield
Born	November 29, 1967 Sweetwater, Texas
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)	John "Bradshaw" Layfield, JBL, Bradshaw, Vampiro Americano, Death Mask, John Hawk, Justin "Hawk" Bradshaw, "Blackjack" Bradshaw
Billed height	6 ft 6 in (198 cm)
Billed weight	297 lb (135 kg)
Billed from	New York City
Trained by	Brad Rheingans
Debut	1992

John Charles Layfield (born November 29, 1967 in Sweetwater, Texas) is an American professional wrestler, performing for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). He is currently better known as John "Bradshaw" Layfield, or "JBL." He is self proclaimed as the "True American Hero" or "Wrestling God".

Prior to his professional wrestling career, Layfield was a successful football player for Abilene Christian University collegiately and then the Los Angeles Raiders professionally. He also had a short stint in the Canadian Football League. Known outside the wrestling ring as a conservative political commentator, Layfield has recently been featured on Fox News and CNBC. He has also written a best-selling book on financial planning called Have More Money Now (ISBN 0743466330). While Layfield continues to perform for WWE, he also hosts a nationally-syndicated weekend talk radio program bearing his name.

Early career

John Layfield was trained initially by Brad Rheingans and first started wrestling in the now-defunct Global Wrestling Federation in Texas in 1992. His first gimmick was as Johnny Hawk, the cousin of the famous Windham brothers. Though the Windhams are also from Sweetwater, Layfield is not actually related to them. He formed the "Texas Mustangs" with the late Bobby Duncum, Jr., and they quickly won the tag team titles but dropped them to Ian & Axl Rotten (Bad Breed). Layfield also won the NWA North American Title, defeating Kevin Von Erich. Two months later, he lost the NWA North American Title to Greg "The Hammer" Valentine.

After three and a half years touring the independent circuit in various forgettable guises, Layfield first appeared in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) (now WWE) as Justin "Hawk" Bradshaw in late 1995. His initial gimmick was that of a sadistic cowboy/mountain man, similar in tone to Stan Hansen. After victories, he would brand his opponents with the symbol "JB." Of course, the brand was in ink, rather than being seared into the flesh. Managed by Uncle Zebekiah, the character fizzled out by the end of the year, perhaps remembered only for a feud with Savio Vega and a match with Fatu which he won in eight seconds. Layfield then quickly paired up with his (storyline) cousin Barry Windham to form "The New Blackjacks," complete with the traditional "Blackjack" gimmicks of handlebar moustaches and short, jet black hair. The heritage was there, as the Blackjacks were a team of Windham's father WWE Hall of Famer Blackjack Mulligan and Layfield's uncle Hall of Famer Blackjack Lanza.

Acolytes Protection Agency

Windham's injuries piled up throughout 1997, so the team disbanded, and Layfield wrestled only occasionally on TV as a generic brawler simply called "Bradshaw," sometimes teaming with fellow Texan Terry Funk. In late 1998, Bradshaw teamed alongside former World Championship Wrestling (WCW) World Champion Faarooq to form the powerhouse tag team Hell's Henchmen, managed by the Jackal. Eventually the Jackal left the WWF, and Bradshaw and Faarooq joined the Undertaker's new Ministry of Darkness alliance under the name The Acolytes, along with other various wrestlers. The Ministry went on to feud with the Corporation. As part of the Ministry, Bradshaw feuded with Ken Shamrock. The Ministry would be defeated by "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, and the Undertaker went on hiatus, so Bradshaw and Faarooq's dark gimmick faded.

The duo turned face to become cigar-smoking, bar-brawlers-for-hire. In jeans and t-shirts, Bradshaw and Faarooq became the Acolytes Protection Agency (APA), with a motto of "We need beer money."

The duo was often seen in the backrooms of arenas with a trademark poker table and later a framed doorway comically in the middle of the often large, open aired hallways, but they would insist that anyone entering the space use the door. Occasionally, if the "room" was destroyed in one arena, it was setup exactly as it was destroyed at the next arena, pushing continuity through time and space for comic effect.

In early 2002, Bradshaw and Faarooq split due to the WWE Draft. During this split, Bradshaw became a multiple-time Hardcore Champion.

In September 2002, Layfield suffered a torn left biceps at a house show event. He was out of action for six months until returning to Ohio Valley Wrestling and then a few weeks later to the active roster of the WWE. He returned on an episode of SmackDown!, which saw him and his old friend Faarooq saving the Undertaker from the hands of Chuck Palumbo and Johnny Stamboli. Layfield returned with a new look, cutting his long hair, dying it blonde, and shaving his facial hair. After that, he and Faarooq competed for the WWE Tag Team Championship.

The APA have had several Tag Team Title reigns, in WWE and Ohio Valley Wrestling.

JBL

The APA gimmick continued on-and-off until early 2004, when Faarooq was fired (in actuality he retired) from WWE after losing a tag team "You're Fired" Match. Then-SmackDown! General Manager Paul Heyman allowed Layfield to stay, saying SmackDown! needed Layfield's business sense.

Layfield changed his gimmick overnight to a posh New York businessman, adding his Bradshaw nickname to his real-life name John Layfield (JBL for short). This gimmick has been known as a recycled gimmick of "The Million-Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase but is partially based on his outside the ring financial success. (See below.) He decided to embrace and flaunt his financial success as detailed in his book Have More Money Now. His new look quickly earned him boos, the fans latching on to the fact that he had "de facto" turned on Faarooq. As part of the gimmick, he regularly rides a white "Longhorn" limo to the ring and wears $2,000 10-gallon hats. His gimmick change was accompanied by a dramatic (and, to many fans, baffling) rise in overall status, with Layfield moving from his traditional spot in the lower midcard to pay-per-view main events within the span of a month. This was due to Brock Lesnar leaving WWE, and the SmackDown! brand's top heels Kurt Angle and Big Show going down to injury.

At Judgment Day 2004, JBL defeated the late Eddie Guerrero via disqualification in a WWE Title match when Guerrero hit Layfield with the WWE title. Guerrero would repeatedly hit Layfield with a steel chair, busting him open.

JBL went on to win the WWE Championship controversially from Guerrero on June 27, 2004 at the WWE Great American Bash pay-per-view, where the initial decision of Guerrero's victory was reversed during the Texas Bull Rope Match by then General Manager Kurt Angle, awarding the match and the title to JBL. However, Angle's decision was correct, as replays showed that JBL had won the match.

A rematch was booked two weeks later in a cage match in Providence, Rhode Island. JBL kicked out of a Frog Splash off the top of the cage. This got JBL over, with him later in his career kicking out of several finishing maneuvers, such as the Last Ride, Big Show's chokeslam, and the 619.

JBL won several squash matches for the next couple of weeks. After finding himself with no contender, JBL announced that he wouldn't be defending the title at the second biggest pay-per-view of the year SummerSlam. However, the Undertaker came out and said that he didn't have any opponent for SummerSlam either, so he decided to challenge JBL. Around this time, JBL hired Orlando Jordan to help him in his battles for the WWE Championship. At SummerSlam, JBL landed several Clotheslines From Hell but couldn't keep the Undertaker down. The match finally ended when Undertaker used the title belt, ending the match in a disqualification. After the match, the Undertaker chokeslammed JBL through the top of JBL's white limousine. New General Manager Theodore Long booked a rematch at No Mercy. JBL hired former Ministry members Gangrel and Viscera to take down the Undertaker, who disposed of the duo in a Handicap Match. The Undertaker also captured Orlando while JBL tried to send a message by beating Hardcore Holly into a bloody mess. At No Mercy, JBL retained the title with some help from John Heidenreich.

Though JBL held the title for many months, every title match was won controversially. On November 14, 2004, JBL defeated Booker T to retain his WWE Championship by hitting Booker in the face with the title belt when the referee was knocked out. JBL got by Guerrero, Booker T, and the Undertaker in a Fatal Four Way at the Armageddon pay-per-view in December after interference by Heidenreich, who incapacitated the Undertaker, allowing JBL to take advantage and hit Booker with the Clothesline From Hell to get the pinfall victory.

During late 2004, JBL continued to feud with Booker T and Eddie Guerrero for the WWE Championship.

The "JBL" character has slowly become more egotistical with time, at first mimicking the actions of a JR Ewing-style businessman running for office (campaign speeches, kissing babies, etc., which fit with the 2004 Election Cycle) but now referring to himself as a "Wrestling God," much to the on-screen disdain of RAW's then-World Champion Triple H.

2005

JBL's luck continued in early 2005, and on January 30 at the Royal Rumble, Layfield snuck past both Big Show and Kurt Angle in a Triple Threat Match when he pinned Angle after the Clothesline From Hell. He once again emerged with his title intact from the WWE's first-ever Barbed-Wire Steel Cage Match at No Way Out on February 20, 2005 against Big Show. JBL won the match when Big Show chokeslammed JBL off the top rope through the ring. JBL managed to crawl out from under the ring apron before Show could make it to the floor, winning the match by escape. On the next edition of SmackDown!, JBL had a "Celebration of Excellence" in which he and his Cabinet celebrated the fact that he was the longest-reigning WWE Champion in ten years (since Kevin Nash).

On April 3, 2005, Layfield lost the WWE Title to John Cena at WrestleMania 21 in Los Angeles. His unbroken nine-month championship reign was billed as the longest in a decade, lasting 280 days. (Cena's Championship reign would last for 280 days as well, and Diesel's aforementioned title reign lasted for 358 days.) JBL later came out the victor in a four-way elimination match against Big Show, Booker T, and Kurt Angle to gain number one contender's status for Cena's title but was once again defeated by Cena at Judgment Day on May 22, 2005, this time in a very bloody "I Quit" Match.

On June 12, 2005, Layfield appeared at the WWE-promoted ECW One Night Stand 2005 pay-per-view as an anti-ECW "crusader." In the course of the night, however, he stiffed Brian Heffron (The Blue Meanie), genuinely reopening legitimate cuts that Heffron had sustained two days earlier at another event. WWE capitalized on the situation by re-signing Heffron to a short-term deal. On the July 7, 2005 episode of SmackDown!, Heffron was reunited with his old Blue World Order associates Nova and Steven Richards, and he defeated Layfield with the help of the World Heavyweight Champion Batista, who had now been drafted to SmackDown! as Cena had been drafted to RAW.

Layfield and Batista then met in a match at The Great American Bash on July 24, 2005 for the World Heavyweight Championship. JBL won the match via disqualification after the champion Batista hit him and his Chief of Staff Orlando Jordan in the head with a steel chair. It was originally planned that Batista would defeat JBL at the pay-per-view. However, Batista's likely SummerSlam opponent Muhammad Hassan was now no longer allowed to appear on television by UPN (the network on which SmackDown! appears), so instead WWE booked JBL to win by disqualification in order to continue the feud.

The following Tuesday taping, JBL faced the Undertaker for the right to be named the number one contender to the World Heavyweight Championship. JBL won due to interference from the Undertaker's rival Randy Orton and would face Batista in a rematch for the title at the SummerSlam pay-per-view on August 21, 2005. On the following week's SmackDown!, during the contract signing, Batista allowed JBL to choose the stipulation for the title rematch. This prompted him to make the encounter a "No Holds Barred" match.

At SummerSlam 2005, Batista and JBL did indeed face each other in a "No Holds Barred" match which saw both wrestlers take full advantage of the stipulation. At one point, Batista even speared JBL through the security barrier at ringside. In the end, Batista hit JBL with two Batista Bombs, one on the ring and another on the steel ring steps, a reminder of how he defeated Triple H two months prior. JBL was pinned, and Batista retained his title. JBL then lost another rematch with Batista on the September 9, 2005 edition of Friday Night SmackDown, this time a Texas Bullrope Match (the same match JBL won the WWE title in), and was therefore ruled out of title contention.

On the September 16, 2005 edition of Friday Night SmackDown!, JBL lost to Rey Mysterio, Jr. after a springboard moonsault and afterwards hired Jillian Hall to "fix" his career. This began a winning streak and feud with Rey Mysterio. At WWE Homecoming, JBL was involved in the SmackDown! vs. RAW brawl to end the show. At No Mercy on October 9, 2005, JBL defeated Rey Mysterio and got revenge from his earlier loss to Rey. JBL then teamed up with Rey Mysterio in the SmackDown! versus RAW rivalry with Chris Masters and Edge. He was named one of the superstars whom fans could vote in to face Edge and Masters at 2005's Taboo Tuesday event. Though he wasn't chosen, he later defeated Chris Benoit on November 10, 2005 with the help of Booker T to become a member of "Team Smackdown!" to face "Team RAW" at Survivor Series on November 27, 2005. JBL lasted throughout most of the Survivor Series match, helping his team to victory. On SmackDown! in December, he helped Booker T defeat Matt Hardy. He later beat Matt Hardy at the Armaggedon PPV. He showed up at the "Tribute to the Troops" as "Bad Santa," where he lost to the good Santa Mick Foley.

2006

On the February 24, 2006 edition of SmackDown!, he suffered a broken hand at the hands of Chris Benoit in a six man tag team match, and WWE.com announced that he underwent successful surgery. (Layfield was really having surgery to remove a non-cancerous cyst.) JBL then challenged Benoit to a match for his WWE United States Championship at WrestleMania 22. On the March 10 edition of SmackDown!, JBL challenged "Stone Cold" Steve Austin to a beer drinking contest at Saturday Night's Main Event due to remarks that Austin had made previously in a WWE.com interview about the cheated in the contest, pouring beer onto himself. When Austin caught him, JBL splashed beer onto Austin and tried to escape, leading Benoit to come out and drag JBL back into the ring for a "Stunner." Chris Benoit also sent a message to JBL just nine days before they met at WrestleMania 22. JBL said that he would take out Benoit himself but wasn’t cleared to wrestle; instead, he sent William Regal to battle the United States Champion in a non-title match. Benoit and Regal did some back and forth mat wrestling early until Benoit sent Regal to the floor. The Rabid Wolverine then missed a baseball slide, allowing Regal to suplex him on the floor amd then deliver a vicious kick that sent Benoit’s head into the ringpost. Back inside the ring, Regal worked over Benoit with various submission moves, but the champion was able to eventually escape a chicken wing by nailing Regal with a Dragon suplex. The champion then applied the Crippler Crossface, and Regal tapped out immediately. Following the match, Benoit stared down JBL & Jillian, who were watching the match from atop their limousine in the entrance aisle.

At WrestleMania 22, JBL pinned Chris Benoit by grabbing the second rope to win his first United States Championship. On the April 14, 2006 SmackDown!, he successfully defended the title against Chris Benoit in a Steel Cage Match. Both men made several attempts to escape the cage by climbing out, but each attempt was thwarted. As the match wore on, Benoit called for the door to be opened for a possible escape. Jillian saw this and tried to close the door. The referee got in the way and distracted her, but she spun around and slammed the door shut. The only problem was that JBL was the one trying to escape. JBL managed to recover, though; and while the referee was distracted, he tapped out to the crossface before escaping it. Then, as Benoit looked to go back on the offensive, JBL was able to land a low blow kick and escape the cage to retain the United States Championship.

On the April 21, 2006 edition of SmackDown!, JBL fired Jillian Hall as his Image Consultant, due to Jillian's actions the week before during the steel cage match and her lack of putting together an appropriate celebration for him, and went on to issue a challenge for the World Heavyweight Championship. Then-champion Rey Mysterio would accept JBL's challenge for the World Heavyweight Championship at Judgment Dayand in the weeks leading up to his title match Mysterio would face off against any opponent of JBL's choosing. Mysterio was defeated by Mark Henry and squashed by The Great Khali in non-title singles matches before facing RAW's Kane in a match, that went to a no contest, leading up to the PPV. However, Mysterio retained his World Title at Judgment Day using a Frog Splash to pin the United States Champion, JBL.

Following Judgment Day, Layfield (legitimately) expressed a desire to retire in the near future but would first want to move to Monday Night RAW and work a program with Triple H and/or Shawn Michaels before leaving. JBL would soon lose his US Title to Bobby Lashley and on the same night lose another attempt at the World Title, stating before hand that if he lost this match he would leave SmackDown!; leaving SmackDown! would give JBL a chance to switch to RAW. However backstage rumors flew that JBL was in such pain that he didn't want to wrestle again. Vince McMahon has announced that he will name a new RAW General Manager on May 29, 2006 and it is rumored that JBL may be put in this role. However, on a May 27, 2006 internet message, JBL stated that he did not have a formal contract with Teddy Long going into the match and that he did not intend to leave SmackDown!

The Cabinet

During JBL's time as WWE Champion, he employed "staff" to work for him. The stable was entitled the "Cabinet." At its peak, the stable contained Orlando Jordan, who was JBL's "Chief-of-Staff." Doug and Danny Basham were his "Co-Secretaries of Defense" until "quitting" the Cabinet on the June 16, 2005 episode of SmackDown! Amy Weber was also a member, being JBL's image consultant, but later left the WWE due to alleged harrassment. The WWE explained Weber's absence by saying that JBL "fired" her after an episode of SmackDown! taped in Japan. That episode saw Weber accidentally shoot JBL with a tranquilizer gun. Jordan is the only member not announced to have left the group, though mention of the term cabinet went on hiatus after SummerSlam 2005. Jordan was recently released by the WWE on May 26th, 2006.

Outside of wrestling

The JBL gimmick can be credited to his real-life rise as a successful Wall Street investor. After the publication of his first book Have More Money Now, he became a stock analyst for Fox News Channel and later joined the CNBC television program Bullseye as the program's only conservative analyst. He has since returned to Fox News Channel as part of its rotation of guest analysts on The Cost Of Freedom Saturday business block.

On February 11, 2005, Layfield married Fox News Channel financial analyst Meredith Whitney. Former tag team partner Ron Simmons was the best-man, quashing internet rumors that the pair had fallen out due to Layfield's alleged inaction and gloating over Simmons' "firing" a year previously. (The firing was a storyline, as Simmons had actually retired; Simmons and Layfield are in fact very close friends.) Other groomsmen at his wedding were Mark Calaway (aka the Undertaker) and the late Eddie Guerrero.

Layfield hosts his own nationally-syndicated talk radio show (The John Bradshaw Layfield Show ). The show broadcasts Saturday mornings and Sunday afternoons on affiliate stations of the "alk Radio Network," features Whitney as his "sidekick," and is devoted to political topics.

JBL also hosts his own show on WWE.com every week, where he gives out his "weekly awards." A new show is usually uploaded on JBL's homepage on Thursday or Friday.

In addition to his radio show and WWE.com show, JBL also has a weekly column on TheStreet.com as a celebrity investor.

He has also recently revived an old family business selling fishing lures. Dubbed "The Original Layfield Lure," it is available through Sports Authority.

JBL was also named in one Abilene Christian University's all-century team, selected for the first team offensive line. This team was chosen to commemorate ACU's centennial celebration in the 2005-2006 academic year.

Controversy

Many observers considered Layfield's future in WWE to be in doubt after an incident that occurred during a WWE house show in Munich, Germany, on June 5, 2004. In an attempt to draw a negative reaction, he gave the crowd several Nazi salutes and goose-stepped around the ring. Such a display, if used to incite riots or for other political purposes, is illegal in Germany. However, since the display was intended as part of the showmanship of wrestling, it was not illegal; and so no action was taken.

On June 8, 2004, CNBC, which had recently hired Layfield to regularly appear on one of its shows after he had become prominent as a financial commentator, terminated its relationship with Layfield for his actions in Munich. However, Layfield's actions did not prevent WWE from putting its championship belt on him. Some have even speculated that it was this incident which encouraged and strengthened the decision to make him WWE champion. Shortly thereafter, he was rehired by Fox News Channel (where he previously did guest appearances) as part of the Saturday morning business block.

At the closing fight in ECW One Night Stand 2005, Layfield got into a legitimate fight with the Blue Meanie, genuinely reopening cuts that Heffron had sustained two days earlier at another event. Layfield and Heffron have had a real-life rivalry for several years, and as a result of the incident, Tracy Smothers, the former ECW wrestler, good friend of the Blue Meanie, and former victim of JBL's bullying, challenged Layfield to a shoot fight anywhere at anytime; Layfield has so far failed to respond to this challenge. However, as a result of the controversy caused by Internet exposure of this incident, Heffron was brought in briefly for a regular WWE run, resulting in the short-lived reformation of the Blue World Order on WWE's SmackDown brand. During this time, Heffron surprisingly pinned Bradshaw cleanly.

Additional facts

• Finishing and signature moves

• Clothesline From Hell (Clothesline)
• Powerbomb
• Last Call (Fallaway slam)
• Super Last Call (Top-rope Fallaway slam)
• Short-arm clothesline
• Swinging neckbreaker
• Big boot
• DDT
• Elbow drop
• Backhand chop
• Bear hug
• Sleeper hold
• Argentine rack
• Eye poke

• Managers

• Uncle Zebekiah
• Skandor Akbar
• The Jackyl
• Jacqueline
• Amy Weber
• Jillian Hall

• Quotes

• "I am a Wrestling God!"
• "I am a TRUE American Heeeero!"

Championships and accomplishments

• World Wrestling Entertainment

• 1-time WWE Champion
• 1-time WWE United States Champion
• 3-time WWF World Tag Team Champions (with Faarooq)
• 18-time WWE Hardcore Champion
• 1-time WWE European Champion
• Grand Slam Champion

• Global Wrestling Federation

• 2-time GWF Tag Team Champion (with Bobby Duncum, Jr., then Black Bart)

• Memphis Championship Wrestling

• 1-time MCW Tag Team Champion (with Faarooq)

• Ohio Valley Wrestling

• 1-time OVW Southern Tag Team Champion (with Faarooq)

• Other titles

• 1-time NWA North American Heavyweight Champion
• 2-time Catch Wrestling Tag Team Champion (with Fit Finlay, then Cannonball Grizzly)

• Pro Wrestling Illustrated

• PWI ranked him # 496 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003.
• PWI ranked him fifth in PWI Top 500 (2005).

Championship succession

External links

• WWE Profile
• OWW Profile

• 1967 births
• American professional wrestlers
• American radio personalities
• Canadian Football League players
• San Antonio Riders players
• Los Angeles Raiders players
• People from Texas
• Living people
• Professional athletes who wrestled professionally
• American football offensive linemen
• Entertainers who played football