10 Things WWE Wants You To Forget About JBL
2. The Nazi Salute
Perhaps the most well-publicized incident involving JBL took place in June of 2004, just before he defeated Eddie Guerrero for the WWE Championship. During a house show in Munich, Germany, Layfield raised his arm in a "Heil Hitler" salute and began goose-stepping in an attempt to draw heel heat.
Needless to say, the incident disgusted and disturbed the majority of people in the arena, as well as the majority of people who heard about it. Furthermore, such Nazi displays and iconography are expressly illegal in Germany. Despite that, and the outrage that followed, WWE never punished Layfield (though they'd suspend Chris Jericho for disrespecting the Brazilian flag - also illegal - during a 2012 show in Sao Paolo). In fact, he won the WWE Title weeks later. The only punishment JBL faced was from CNBC, who fired him from his position as an on-air financial analyst.
Though footage of the incident can be viewed online, I have chosen not to include it in this piece out of respect for all of those whom it might hurt.