Ranking All 50 WWE World Heavyweight Champions - From Worst To Best

25. John Bradshaw Layfield

WWE Champions
WWE.com

AJ Styles doing away with John Bradshaw Layfield's ludicrous "Longest reigning Champion in SmackDown history patter" hasn't just been cathartic for those that can't bear to hear him trot the line out commentary.

Though JBL grew into the role on the microphone towards the bitter end, he almost never wrestled up to the improved character. A serviceable star in a barren time, Bradshaw profited on circumstance but did more to maximise his minutes than many others in similar spots.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett