10 Wrestlers Who Saved Their Careers TWICE With Gimmicks

7. JBL (APA and JBL)

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.