The Legend: That WWE used JBL as an 'enforcer' - a guy who roughed up unruly or uncooperative talent in the ring and backstage. Why People Believe It: When a lot of fans think about JBL, the first thing they think about is his hazing and bullying of other talent. A lot of the time, this was JBL's own doing. However, some times it has been rumoured that JBL has been instructed to 'put people in their place' by members of management. One time that immediately springs to mind is the APA's rough treatment of The Public Enemy. When the former ECW men informed the APA before a match on Sunday Night Heat that they weren't going to get put through a table but expected Bradshaw and Simmons to, that didn't set well with either. Bradshaw brought this to the attention of the office, who told him to make sure the finish was done properly. They then proceeded to beat the ever-loving s*** out of Rocco Rock and Johnny Grunge. Another incident was when the APA were apparently working stiff with some of the WCW guys during the alliance angle. They were noticeably rough with Chuck Palumbo, Sean O'Haire and Buff Bagwell (although the latter definitely had it coming to him) during the invasion storyline. Finally, one more example of JBL going out of his way to teach disobedient wrestlers a lesson: he beat the tar out of Matt Hardy at Armageddon 2005 after he had politicked his way out of taking an Undertaker chokeslam at the end of Survivor Series. Is It True: Who's to say? JBL was a stiff worker who worked stiff with everyone, whether it was a guy he didn't like or one of his close friends, like Bob Holly or The Undertaker. Speaking of Holly, he admitted in his autobiography that he would be sent out to purposefully work stiff with guys by members of management (including Jim Ross). It's not beyond the realms of possibility that JBL's behaviour was encouraged/demanded by his superiors.
