10 Wrestlers Who Brought WWE Careers Back From The DEAD
2. JBL
The smug smile of JBL terrorised SmackDown viewers who couldn't wait to see babyfaces wipe it off his face in 2004. Back then, there was nobody better at being heel champion than Layfield. Mere months earlier, he'd been hitting clotheslines and drinking beers during the final months of his APA tag-team alongside Ron Simmons.
WWE almost cut Bradshaw loose.
Neither veteran in the squad was contributing much, and it didn't seem like they had a hope in hell of solo success post-APA anyway. Then, Bradshaw switched up his gimmick to become some modern retelling of the 'Million Dollar Man' mixed with J.R Ewing from Dallas, and that was that.
JBL went from almost leaving WWE to riding high as WWE Champion in a matter of months, and no-one saw it coming. He'd hold that belt for nearly a full year before putting over John Cena and helping create the next big star, and it was some journey.