JBL started off in a tag team with Farooq called the Acolytes Protection Agency (APA) and then went on to have great success as a singles competitor. He won a host of titles and was one of the longest-reigning WWE Champions in SmackDown history.
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If someone out there was wanting to make the prototypical wrestling heel or villain, they would look no further than John Bradshaw Layfield. JBL personified the archetypical WWE heel and made being the villain cool.
The self-proclaimed Wrestling God was an active wrestler for over three decades and went on to achieve great things in the WWE. JBL started off in a tag team with Farooq called the Acolytes Protection Agency (APA) and then went on to have great success as a singles competitor. He won a host of titles and was one of the longest-reigning WWE Champions in SmackDown history. He had some great rivalries throughout his long and storied career. In this article, we take a look at some of them.
This was yet another case of JBL playing the dirty, villainous heel but this time, it was even better. Rey Mysterio was always an underdog in his wrestling career and that played off well in this story with Bradshaw.
After Rey became WWE champion in 2006, he needed to beat bigger men to get over with the crowd and JBL was the perfect candidate. Both men had great matches and Rey beat Bradshaw at almost every opportunity. In fact, at WrestleMania 25, Mysterio would go on to beat JBL in 22 seconds and in the process win the Intercontinental title.
Read more: Samoa Joe vs AJ Styles and other rivalries in WWE
JBL took on Shawn Michaels during the end of his career and this feud personified JBL to a tee. A brash, outspoken and dastardly heel that could evoke a negative fan reaction in seconds. The angle was that Shawn was forced to become JBL’s servant because of a financial crisis. JBL would go on to use Michaels to get all his dirty work done.
Shawn was not able to take this any longer and challenged Bradshaw to an All or Nothing match at No Way Out in 2009. Michaels went on to win the match and managed to set himself free in a move that saw the crowd go wild in support of the good guy.
The feud with Eddie Guerrero cemented JBL’s status as the top heel of the company. JBL challenged Eddie to a match when the latter was WWE champion. During this feud, Bradshaw showcased his dark side and left no stone unturned when he wanted to make a point against Eddie.
There was involvement from the Guerrero family and JBL even resorted to some shady racist behaviour. This resulted in great matches and it also gave the fans a chance to boo someone as cocky as Bradshaw.
