JBL says he had to work very hard to maintain his heel gimmick in WWE.
WWE Hall of Famer John Bradshaw Layfield was once the most hated man in the company. His solo run began after splitting from APA partner Ron Simmons, abandoning the beer-swilling, barroom brawler persona for the arrogant, wealthy businessman known as JBL.
A brutal feud with Eddie Guerrero led to JBL capturing his first and only world title in WWE. He held the championship for an impressive 280 days, defeating the likes of Booker T, The Undertaker, Kurt Angle, and Big Show in the process.
JBL’s WWE Championship reign came to an end at WrestleMania 21, where he lost to John Cena. He later transitioned to commentary before returning to in-ring action by costing Chris Jericho his WWE Championship opportunity against Randy Orton at Armageddon 2007. Layfield retired from active competition following his shocking WrestleMania 25 loss to Rey Mysterio two years later.
JBL on whether his heel character could have worked as a babyface
During a recent episode of the Something to Wrestle podcast, JBL was asked if he could have pulled off a babyface run by getting over with fans organically during his heel run. Here’s what he had to say:
“He could have been a face easily I believe,” JBL said. “No doubt about it. We had to work very hard to keep it heel at one point. Vince would give me all kinds of advice and a lot of times he would sit there and he’d tell me before I went out for a promo, ‘Do not be entertaining. Just be a heel.’
“Because there was a chance of the crowd starting to change. If you’re entertaining for too long, any old heel becomes a babyface. I think JBL could have been a babyface very easy. We had to be very careful for him not to be. I never wanted to be a babyface.” [H/T WrestleTalk]
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