10 Ways Wrestlers Proved Their Gimmicks Outside WWE

8. JBL Is A Financial Expert

Mark Henry
WWE.com

John Layfield beat WWE to the punch here by around a year.

He released a book called "Have More Money Now" in 2003. It instantly received recognition, and positioned Bradshaw as a financial analyst who could be trusted to give great advice. In typical pro wrasslin' fashion, WWE then used elements of that real-world success in his next gimmick.

JBL was a millionaire businessman who looked down on others for failing to drag themselves out of debt or become a self-made winner like he was. Obviously, WWE embellished the message by making Layfield a modern retelling of Ted DiBiase's oppressive 'Million Dollar Man' character, but they were still mimicking John's life.

Amazingly, Layfield continued to balance playing wrestling heel whilst delivering financial analysis on mainstream news outlets. Anyone who cared to look could see that he definitely knew what he was talking about when it came to money. That only made the character easier to hate when he rubbed your nose in it.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.