The Legend: That JBL once legitimately wrestled a bear. Why People Believe It: Because wrestling is strange and, sometimes, back in the 1970s and 80s, promoters would book wrestler versus bear matches. Of course, the bear would usually be de-clawed and muzzled, to prevent the wrestler, y'know, dying but it's still an impressive feat nonetheless, considering how large bears are. Legends such as Stu Heart and Gene Lebell wrestled bears. In the 1990s, Tracy Smothers, Bob Holly and others. Was JBL another who stepped into the ring with a grizzly? Is It True: According to the man himself, it is in fact true. JBL wrestled a bear while he was in college. According to his book (Have More Money Now), Bradshaw and some buddies went to a bar and they had a bear that patrons could 'wrestle'. JBL, big tough jock that he is, took the challenge. Here's how it went:
Yes I did wrestle a bear in a bar in Abilene, Texas. I was an American-All-Collegiate and a bear was brought into town. And the match was touted as the All-American wrestling the bear. I did not do very well. I got destroyed in a matter of minutes. There were guys there. But the bear just went absolutely berserk. I realized that the bear wasn't wrestling as hard as I was - he was just playing.
I relaxed, he relaxed and I flipped him onto his side and if I were to flip him onto his back I would have gotten $1,500, which was a billion dollars to me back then. I was young and had no money. So as I pushed him onto his side he just absolutely erupted and went berserk. He tore me up, tore up the bar. They had to hit him with a chain and get a choke strap on him. My college roommates tried to pull me off. It was quite a scene by the time they had gotten that bear off me.
Most guys usually get summer jobs to make ends meet while in college. JBL wrestled a bear.
