Before Roman Reigns, CM Punk, John Cena, and AJ Styles, among other WWE Superstars who had lengthy world title reigns, there was John "Bradshaw" Layfield. He held the WWE Championship between 2004 and 2005 and, in the process, became one of the most despised heels in the company. He ultimately paved the way for Cena to come along and dethrone him at WrestleMania 21.
JBL's career on-screen took a turn when his long-time tag team partner, Ron Simmons (then Farooq), got fired by Paul Heyman backstage as part of a storyline in March 2004.
In reality, Simmons was planning to retire, recalled JBL on social media recently. The former WWE Champion credited the Hall of Famer for making him a heel before leaving the building. APA's split and the 57-year-old's refusal to join his tag team partner significantly influenced the latter's eventual character change that year.
"Loved being JBL, but if I had been a member of APA till my retirement with Ron, I'd have happily taken it. Ron had just gotten ready to retire, and wow, did he help make me a heel when I didn't leave with him! He made me in every way. Love that man," wrote JBL on Twitter/X.
Check out JBL's post and the backstage segment below:
At The Great American Bash 2004, JBL dethroned Eddie Guerrero to become the WWE Champion. He subsequently feuded with top stars such as The Undertaker, Booker T, Kurt Angle and The Big Show before passing the torch to John Cena on The Grandest Stage of Them All a year later.
John Cena believes both he and JBL needed each other in WWE
John Cena recounted WrestleMania 21 late last year, praising JBL for mentoring him. He admitted to being nervous ahead of his first main event at The Show of Shows. Nevertheless, Cena won the title at 'Mania and had a remarkable reign which capped off with the first-ever Money in the Bank cash-in by Edge.
"Boy, was I extremely nervous for this bout. John [Bradshaw] was a mentor of mine. He certainly had his own style of teaching but was unafraid to give his wisdom, especially to those who are passionate and those who earned it," Cena said.
The 16-time World Champion added:
"I am very grateful to JBL, just as I was to Big Show about what they did for my career. I think both of us needed each other at this point. JBL forming his JBL character out of the APA and of course, the Doctor of Thuganomics becoming invisible and giving people the F-U before it was switched to the Attitude Adjustment. This is a time where it still worked for the three count." [H/T: Inside The Ropes]
JBL and John Cena locked horns many times following their showdown at WrestleMania. At one point, Cena was accused of committing a crime during their rivalry. Some of their bouts were contested under various unique stipulations, including the "I Quit," Falls Count Anywhere, and First Blood matches.
While the Hall of Famer retired from full-time in-ring competition in 2009, The Cenation Leader is still active inside the squared circle.
