9 Pitches For WWE Ruthless Aggression Season 3
3. The Main Event Rise Of JBL
Right place, right time. That’s the commonly held, often somewhat dismissive, summation of the former APA man’s rise to the main event. Layfield was a big, experienced guy at a time when the company was short on heels and champion Eddie Guerrero was after some time off, and so he made the unexpected transition from midcarder to defending champion at WrestleMania.
It’s easy to be dismissive about JBL’s championship run: it was, and remains, an incongruous choice; his matches could be on the dull side; and he’s just not an easy person to support, with the myriad accusations of bullying and all.
Reviewing his work, though, it should be acknowledged that he was a highly effective heel, willing to go close to the bone to get the fans to boo him (which they were eager to do). He had some quality bouts, too, including two bloodbaths against Guerrero and John Cena which remain shocking.
JBL would doubtless be eager to recount in detail his time at the top; age has calmed the guy and he’s an engaging and intelligent talker at his best. It’s a fascinating period for the company, if not always an entirely enjoyable one, and it would be great to hear just how we got here.