10 Wrestling Facts We Didn't Know Last Week (Feb 3)
5. JBL Thought His Career Was Over Right Before A Main Event Push
Imagine if Konnor of The Ascension suddenly went from mid-card tag team wrestler to top heel headliner in just a few months. Impossible, right? Don't be so hasty, because that's exactly what happened to John 'Bradshaw' Layfield in 2004.
Bradshaw was faced with the prospect of his longtime tag partner retiring; without Ron Simmons or The APA, the future World Champion believed he was staring at the end of his WWE career. Things turned out very differently for Layfield.
Kurt Angle was struck down by injury, post-WrestleMania XX, and other main event talent on SmackDown like Brock Lesnar had left the company completely. This left Vince McMahon reeling, and the boss decided to turn a directionless tag wrestler into the blue brand's hottest heel.
This was a story told by JBL himself to ESPN UK, and the Texan admitted he didn't foresee such success, even preparing himself to be cast aside following his decade-long run in WWE.
Right before he changed up his character and started feuding with Eddie Guerrero over the WWE Title that Summer, the current SmackDown announcer thought he was a shoe-in to be released in 2004.