10 Wrestlers Who Drew The Wrong Kind Of Heel Heat
3. JBL
As one of the most universally loathed men in wrestling, John Bradshaw Layfield has a long history of pushing the envelope a little too far. An alleged backstage bully and boorish on-air presence, he was once a popular midcarder as part of the APA, but has since become a lightning rod for controversy, both on-screen and off.
In 2004, Bradshaw debuted his JBL character through a borderline xenophobic vignette that saw him literally hunting illegal immigrants on the Mexican border. Later that year, JBL caused Eddie Guerrero’s mother to have a heart attack by threatening her at a house show, and was hurried out the building for fear he’d be attacked. In June 2004, he tried to draw heat by flashing Nazi salutes at a German live event, and was banned from reentering the country as a result.
That’s without dipping into the myriad of bullying accusations that have dogged his career. Even during his lengthy run as WWE Champion, fans found it hard to buy into JBL’s heel act, as it seemed like he’d been pushed from the midcard to the main event overnight. Now, any jeers he draws are from people who are utterly sick of the man, though he has survived multiple calls to have him fired.