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Post by autisticgeordie on Jan 5, 2020 7:56:39 GMT -5
OK, just to say, I don't think anyone'll disagree that JBL, as a human being, is an obnoxious, bullying asshole who's mindset of hazing people and taking liberties goes back to a time in wrestling that I hope we never go back to.
But, as a character, JBL was entertaining as f***, he had no qualms with making himself look like the dumbass or being the one with egg on his face, even as WWE Champion, but it never felt like you couldn't take him seriously considering he was a near 300lbs brawler who always seemed like a freight train in a business suit and a cowboy hat.
If you compare JBL's WWE title reign to someone like HHH during the Reign of Terror, Bradshaw's title run was, by far, more entertaining and his matches were probably better, too. Of course, I'd bet that HHH is a better human being than Bradshaw (burying people not-withstanding) but JBL was a perfect example of doing the Jinder Mahal style of title run of putting this mid-card guy (or less than that in Jinder's case) and putting them to the top.
You have to give credit to JBL for coming out of nowhere and producing a fantastically entertaining and obnoxious heel character, like, you'd tune in to see what JBL was up to and you'd also hope that he'd get his lights punched out or he'd get his commupance. It's just a shame that Layfield, as a person, is as horrible of a human being as his JBL character.
Also, slightly off topic, but the Clothesline From Hell is one of my favourite finishers of all time and Bradshaw did it better than anyone not named Stan Hansen.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 5, 2020 10:09:58 GMT -5
Knowing what a piece of trash he was somewhat muddies things looking back, but JBL kept me watching at a time when my interest in pro wrestling was all but gone. Loved his character and reign.
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Post by Ryback on a Pole! on Jan 5, 2020 10:16:33 GMT -5
His character was great, but it's a shame he was a giant bore in the ring. I guess it can be argued, "he's a heel--he's not supposed to have a fun style" but, I've never got that argument. Yeah, I don't expect a heel to be busting out moonsaults but at least don't be boring--Neville had the best face/heel moveset transition. Cut out the high-flying moves yet still wrestled an entertaining style. I miss Neville... what were we talking about again?
Oh yeah, JBL. Great character. And like OP said, often looked a fool but was still a huge threat.
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Post by autisticgeordie on Jan 5, 2020 10:33:16 GMT -5
His character was great, but it's a shame he was a giant bore in the ring. I guess it can be argued, "he's a heel--he's not supposed to have a fun style" but, I've never got that argument. Yeah, I don't expect a heel to be busting out moonsaults but at least don't be boring--Neville had the best face/heel moveset transition. Cut out the high-flying moves yet still wrestled an entertaining style. I miss Neville... what were we talking about again? Oh yeah, JBL. Great character. And like OP said, often looked a fool but was still a huge threat. We all miss Neville, but there's this dude called PAC who reminds me of Neville for some reason?
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A damn road sign
Samurai Cop
"What the hell am I? A school crossing?"
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Post by A damn road sign on Jan 5, 2020 10:42:31 GMT -5
JBL was great, period. One of my favourite characters and WWE title reigns in modern day history. Y’all just spoilt with ‘cool heels’ who do all the fancy moves that pop the cool kids. JBL was a bruising heel brawler who got the job done.
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Post by I'm Team Bayley and Indi on Jan 5, 2020 10:46:20 GMT -5
he wasn't perceived as fantastic at the time
One week he was an Acolyte then the next week he was a Million Dollar Man clone, then he ended Eddie Guerrero's reign, and his reign just went on and on, I think people liked him more once he wasn't champion
it's like the 1999 Big Boss Man as the most evil man on the planet, it's remembered fondly but disliked for the most part at the time.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 5, 2020 11:05:42 GMT -5
I was a big fan at the time, and re-watching some of that reign, I might even enjoy it more now. There’s room for all types of heels in sports entertainment/pro wrestling, but my favorite type will always be the guy that lets himself look stupid from time to time. JBL was not cool. He was smart, but not always the smartest. He would win in ways that would embarrass a normal human being, but it wouldn’t bother him a bit.
Just a great character in my eyes. That period of like 04-05 had three of my favorite heel characters in JBL, Christian, and Eddie after he turned against Rey.
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Post by Bang Bang Bart on Jan 5, 2020 11:46:17 GMT -5
I imagine that a lot of JBL's heel antics (like the infamous segment where he's at the US/Mexico border attacking border crossers) would certainly not fly today.
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Post by nickcave on Jan 5, 2020 12:01:50 GMT -5
One of the best heels in the past twenty years, probably was able to do such a good job because it was closer to his real personality than we would like to admit though
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Post by koreycaskets on Jan 5, 2020 13:47:25 GMT -5
I was pissed they got RAW and SMACKDOWN people to invade ECW at One Night Stand,but that "I'm a Wrestling god" promo was amazing.
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Post by Some Guy on Jan 5, 2020 13:51:38 GMT -5
I really don't understand the love for his title reign. The matches were incredibly dull and it took Smackdown from the Smackdown Six wrestling era that worked through the Kurt/Brock/Eddie title reigns (Big Show's lasted a month and barely mattered) to a complete bore of a show that didn't really recover again until 2009. Yeah he got "heat" but it wasn't worth ruining Smackdown in the process.
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Bub (BLM)
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Fed. Up.
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Post by Bub (BLM) on Jan 5, 2020 14:54:43 GMT -5
Corbin 2004 if you ask me.
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Post by Tea & Crumpets on Jan 5, 2020 16:37:11 GMT -5
I look back on it as impressive heel character work (Especially that time on Raw where he just kept on setting off ALL THE PYRO IN THE WORLD every time he raised an arm), but at the time JBL contributed massively to killing my interest in wrestling from must-watch to casual/sporadic. As a young teen he was just dull. Evolution HHH I hated and itched to see beat, JBL I just was pissed off that he'd beaten Eddie for the title and then ran through everyone up until Cena- I wasn't even much of a Cena fan and my little interest in him collapsed by the summer, but I was happy just to see someone get the belt off JBL. In hindsight he has some entertaining bastardry, but if it's only worth watching 16 years later by comparison....it's not worth watching.
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Post by arrogantmodel on Jan 5, 2020 16:56:23 GMT -5
I imagine that a lot of JBL's heel antics (like the infamous segment where he's at the US/Mexico border attacking border crossers) would certainly not fly today. Yeah, I don't know about that. A lot of people would probably cheer for it. Times we live in. 😕
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Christian
Team Rocket
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Post by Christian on Jan 5, 2020 17:17:26 GMT -5
"Hey John...On a personal note...from all of us just to you...since you want to shoot cowboy-the only reason you were WWE Champion for a year, is because Triple H didn’t want to work Tuesdays!"
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Post by Nic Nemeth on Jan 6, 2020 0:59:52 GMT -5
If I had to choose between 2003 Triple H and 2004 JBL, I would choose JBL.
At the time, it was shocking to see a tag team midcarder in the main-event but looking back on it, he was one of the best heels in WWE and his reign was impressive for how much he got away with. I actually have more memories from his one reign than some champion's from the last decade with their reigns.
The blood from his match with Eddie, winning the title on a technicality, beating up Spike Dudley in an easy title defense, the Shannon Moore promos, the random addition of OJ/Bashams, how scared he was against Taker, being beaten up by Josh Matthews and Booker, his match where he took ten German suplexes from Kurt Angle, beating Big Show via chokeslam through the cage, and of course losing via 5 moves to Cena.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2020 3:49:24 GMT -5
I didn't know the stories when I was younger, but man I thought JBL was a brilliant heel. Probably one of the best I've seen next to Vince, HHH and DiBiase. There was absolutely nothing likable about him. And thats the way it should be.
There is too many "cool heels" these days. Guys who are more focused on getting over than being hated.
If I was a heel in wrestling, I'd be absolutely dispicable and thats what JBL was.
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Post by Clash, Never a Meter Maid on Jan 6, 2020 4:17:19 GMT -5
JBL not always, but sometimes, WAS a cool heel character. Especially when he’d get the heat on opponents and beat the hell out of them.
The whole point of a “cool heel” is that they strut around and then eventually get their comeuppance. Ric Flair was a cool heel until he got frustrated with opponents, begged off, got slammed off the top rope and yelled at fans to shut up. Hollywood Hogan to me is a textbook cool heel, walking around like a big shot with Dennis Rodman and whatnot before acting like the biggest coward ever against guys like Sting and the Giant. That’s basically what the Wrestling God was.
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héad.casé
Hank Scorpio
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Post by héad.casé on Jan 6, 2020 5:24:14 GMT -5
I liked JBL. I'll always remember the first promo he did after winning the title on SmackDown where he walked to the ring glad handing like a politician and rubbing sanitiser over his hands afterwards. That was hilarious.
Also the time where he had that Barbed Wire Cage Match with Big Show where he got chokeslammed through the ring and crawled out from under the apron to win the match by escape. Such a chicken shit way to win a Cage Match but I thought it was a clever finish.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2020 5:37:54 GMT -5
Upper midcard main event 'gatekeeper' JBL was great around 2007-2009, entertaining angles with Cena, HBK, Punk and Batista (the latter a bit earlier before his first 'retirement') but as champion he got the Jinder disbelief that he hadn't been built up enough and even for a heel his clean wins were so sparse that it was difficult to take him seriously, I think it was because Eddie didn't want the pressure anymore, they needed someone to hold it for Cena and weren't going to sacrifice Taker or Angle to a still green Cena and Booker had WCW stink (in Vince's eyes at least), JBL being a company man and a Vince brown noser was a reasonable choice at the time but there's a reason he never got a second reign.
Actually enjoyed his know it all Texan loudmouth character on commentary during both runs "WE GOT ARSELVES A FLYING USO MAGGLE!" memes aside, in fact when the Mauro news broke what I felt most was disappointment as JBL seemed to be so much more relaxed and enjoying himself both on commentary and the WWE's fledgling social media scene that I thought he'd finally grown up, sadly not the case but it's never too late maybe it gave him a wake up call, we haven't heard any troubling tales for a while.
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