Primarily a tag team competitor for the majority of his career, John "Bradshaw" Layfield had never been a particularly good wrestler. A brawler in the mold of Stan Hansen and Bruiser Brody, he was more adept at throwing punches in the midcard than mixing it up with top stars in main event quality matches. When he suddenly underwent a character change from beer-drinking badass to radical right wing good ol' boy who had built his fortune through the stock market and rose to the top of the SmackDown brand, fans everywhere questioned the sanity of the creative team. How could they believe that Layfield was a legitimate main event guy when his biggest wins in recent years had been in Hardcore Championship matches against Steven Richards? The greatness of Eddie Guerrero and the personal connection that fans had with the then-WWE champion made the transition that much easier. Layfield was so hated for the personal, racial and physical attacks he perpetrated on Guerrero that he generated the heat necessary to be a top heel. Champion, however, was another question. It was clear in those early bouts with Guerrero that he was being carried to quality main events. When he moved on to working matches with Undertaker, Booker T and Big Show, it was even more apparent that he was not the quality of worker that a main event champion should be. The decided lack of quality at the top of the card on the SmackDown brand drew harsh criticism from fans who wanted a champion that blended quality matches with extraordinary promo work and a solid character. They did not get that from JBL.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
