10 Wrestlers Who Saved Their Careers TWICE With Gimmicks

7. JBL (APA and JBL)

WWE

Ol' Bradshaw was in the same boat as his real-life pal.

As a butt-kicking gun for hire who indulged in gambling, drinking, smoking and more, Bradshaw finally got over with fans. That was a first for him; as Justin Hawk Bradshaw, a member of The New Blackjacks and in the Ministry Of Darkness, he was just sorta' there. The APA breathed new life into his career.

Things looked bleak for the guy when Simmons retired and WWE tried to turn Bradshaw into a modern-day retelling of Stan Hansen all over again. They even teamed him up with Steve Austin occasionally and had him feud with the nWo and Scott Hall in early 2002. None of it worked. Fans weren't sold on Bradshaw as a headliner.

JBL changed that.

The 'Million Dollar Man'-meets-JR Ewing stylings of Layfield's new gimmick were easy to hate. He was a blowhard, a xenophobe and the kind of privileged snob who used his affluence as an excuse for treating others like dirt. The gimmick, along with Eddie Guerrero's hard work getting JBL over, rescued Bradshaw's run.

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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.