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John 'Bradshaw' Layfield |
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John Charles Layfield, born November 29, 1967, in Sweetwater, Texas, is an American professional wrestler. He is currently better known as John 'Bradshaw' Layfield, or JBL for short.
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 CFL. He is also known outside the wrestling ring as a conservative stock market analyst, and has recently been featured on the Fox News and CNBC channels. He has also written a best-selling book on financial planning, Have More Money Now (ISBN 0743466330). While Layfield continues to perform for the 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 started wrestling in the now-defunct Global Wrestling Federation in Texas in 1992. His first gimmick was Johnny Hawk. He was billed as the cousin of the famous Windham brothers, who are also from Sweetwater, but he is not actually related to them in real life. He formed the "Texas Mustangs" with the late Bobby Duncum, Jr. and they quickly won the tag team titles.
Then, after three and a half years touring the independent circuit in various forgettable guises, Layfield first appeared in the 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. Managed by Dutch Mantell, the character fizzled out by the end of the year, perhaps remembered only for a tough feud with Savio Vega. Layfield then quickly paired up with his pretend cousin, Barry Windham, to form "The New Blackjacks.", complete with the traditional 'Blackjack' gimmicks of handlebar moustaches and short, jet black hair.
Windham's injuries piled up throughout 1997, so the team quietly disbanded and Layfield wrestled only occasionally on TV as a generic brawler simply called 'Bradshaw', sometimes teaming with fellow Texan Terry Funk. Then, in late 1998, Layfield was then 'sacrificed' by The Undertaker and became an 'Acolyte', alongside former WCW World Champion Faarooq. The Acolytes, backed up by The Undertaker's 'Ministry of Darkness' and the later 'Corporate Ministry', had moderate success througout 1999.
After The Undertaker later went on hiatus and their 'dark side' gimmick faded, the duo turned face to become cigar-smoking, bar-brawlers-for-hire. In jeans and t-shirts, Bradshaw and Faarooq became the Acolyte Protection Agency (or the APA), with their early motto being "We need beer money."
The repackaged team were initially promoted through a series of vignettes parodying Pulp Fiction and old noir films. The storyline was slightly absurdist and surreal as well, as it regularly featured their 'office': a wooden door frame and door in the middle of a backstage room which was not attached to any walls. Whenever anyone walked around it instead of knocking the boys would yell at them to have manners. In early 2002 the team split due to the 'roster draft', but were reunited the following year. The pair had several Tag Team Title runs, and Bradshaw was also a multiple-time Hardcore Champion during this period.
Current
The 'APA' gimmick then continued on-and-off until early 2004, when Faarooq/Simmons quietly retired (kayfabe) and was swiftly fired from the WWE. Layfield instantly changed his gimmick to a posh New York businessman (John Bradshaw Layfield) on the SmackDown! brand, and also turned heel. He is now the biggest heel on SmackDown!, regularly riding a white 'Longhorn' limo to the ring and wearing $2,000, 10-gallon hats. His gimmick change was accompanied by a dramatic and, to many fans, mystifying rise in overall status, with Layfield moving from his traditional spot in the lower midcard to pay-per-view main events within the space of a month.
Many observers had 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, aka heel heat, he gave the crowd several Nazi salutes and goose-stepped around the ring. Such a display, if used to incite riot or for other political purposes, is illegal in Germany. The German government did not prosecute since the display was intended as part of the showmanship of wrestling.
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.
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) but now referring to himself as "a Wrestling God", much to the on-screen disdain of RAW's then-World Champion, Triple H.
In late 2004, JBL feuded against The Undertaker, Booker T and Eddie Guerrero for the WWE Championship, which he had controversially won from Guerrero on June 27, 2004 at the WWE Great American Bash pay-per-view. On November 14, 2004 he was able to defeat Booker T to retain his WWE Championship, and got by Guerrero, Booker T and The Undertaker in a Fatal Four Way at the Armageddon PPV, in December after interference by Heidenreich.
At the 2005 Royal Rumble, Layfield sneaked past both The Big Show and Kurt Angle in a Triple Threat match, and emerged with his title intact from the WWE's first-ever Barbed-Wire Steel Cage Match at No Way Out in February 2005.
Finally, on April 3, 2005, Layfield lost the strap to John Cena at WrestleMania 21 in Los Angeles. His unbroken nine-month championship reign had been the longest in a decade. JBL later came out the victor in a four-way elimination match against Big Show, Booker T, and Kurt Angle to regain the number one contender's status for Cena's title , but was once again defeated by Cena at Judgment Day in May 2005, this time in an "I Quit" Match. Cena then moved to the 'Raw' brand a week later, taking the title along. In time, Batista would move in the opposite direction, bringing the World Heavyweight Championship with him.
On June 12, 2005, Layfield appeared at the WWE-promoted ECW One Night Stand 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 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, the former ECW wrestler Tracy Smothers challenged Layfield to a shoot fight anywhere at anytime; Layfield has so far failed to respond to this challenge. However, the WWE has since capitalised 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 defeated Layfield with the help of the World Heavyweight Champion, Batista.
Layfield and Batista then met in a match at The Great American Bash on July 24th, 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.
The Tuesday following, 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 will face Batista in a rematch for the title at the SummerSlam pay-per-view on August 21st, 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.
In addition to his late-blooming pro wrestling career, Layfield has been hosting a nationally-syndicated talk radio show (The John Bradshaw Layfield Show) since May 2004. The show broadcasts Saturday mornings and Sunday afternoons on affiliate stations of the Talk Radio Network.
The Cabinet
Layfield currently has a "staff" working for him, it is a stable entitled The Cabinet. His staff has recently dwindled to Orlando Jordan; who is his 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 harassment. The WWE explained Weber's absence by saying that JBL "fired" her, after an episode of "SmackDown!" which aired in Japan. The episode saw Weber accidently shot the tranquilizer gun at JBL.
Financial career
The JBL gimmick can be credited to his real-life rise as a successful Wall Street investor. After the publication of his 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.
Personal Life
On February 11, 2005, Layfield married FOX News Channel financial analyst Meredith Whitney. Former tag-team partner Ron Simmons was the best-man, helping to quash internet rumors that the pair had fallen out due to Layfield's alleged inaction and gloating over Simmons' firing a year previously. They are in fact still very close friends. Today, Whitney appears weekly on Layfield's radio show, but no mention has ever been made of their marriage. Layfield instead calls Whitney his "sidekick."
In wrestling
Previous managers/associates
- Uncle Zebekiah
- Skandor Akbar
- The Jackyl
- Jacqueline
- Amy Weber
- Orlando Jordan
Finishing and signature maneuvers
- '''Clothesline From Hell'''
- Powerbomb
- Last Call (fallaway slam)
- Swinging neckbreaker
- Big boot
- DDT
With Faarooq
- Spike Powerbomb
- Backdrop / neckbreaker combo
- Double Spinebuster
Quotes
- "I am who I say I am, and I am a wrestling...GOD!"
- "I guaran-damn-tee..."
- "What I say, I do, and what I do, I do very, very well"
- "You will bow down at my feet, for i am a wrestling...god!"
- "You look like Tarzan I will make you beg like Jane!"
- "You look like Tarzan I will make you smell like Cheeta!"
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