TSC Evaluation #73: John Bradshaw Layfield

[The Prince of All Saiyans]

for me I think it was just everyone was used to APA layfield and it was just who's this fvckin' guy

the transition just was too soon tho really it was actually a good turn

 

[2CT]

APA was one of my fave tag teams but the JBL run was especially at how it cut off Eddie's face title run

i'm feeling a high 6 at best for dude, he was a B+ player who they tried to portray as an A when he did the JBL gimmick change

 

[Lost His Smile]

I was so used to APA Bradshaw that by the time I checked back into wrestling when he was JBL I was like . I just didn't get it or cared.

Then I checked out his Summer Slam match with Taker in Toronto . Crowd wasn't having it.

He gets a 7 for his clothesline.

 

[Cartier Murphy]

In the APA, he was great and that pairing really worked well as two big bruisers fukking people up. As JBL, the character and promo work was there even if the ring work lacked, but rewatching his WWE title run, outside of the initial feud with Eddy Guerrero, the whole thing was . His other matches and feuds were alright but forgettable. That feud remained the strong point of his whole singles career, really. Everything before (which mostly consisted of him biting Stan Hansen’s act HEAVY) and after was whatever. I can point to him winning the US title as a cool idea since it made sense to the character, but otherwise

Also gotta mention how bad his commentary is. In his original run from 06-07 he was great. Since he’s become an all time WOAT. So all round, I give him a 5.

 

[8WON6]

I gave him a 6 because I'm looking at pre JBL as well and he just wasn't shyt before then. As JBL though, I really enjoyed the character. He was a great heel that legit had people . Had people in their feelings over the ragedy ass Blue Meanie.

 

[GOATpernick]

A 6 for Billy Gunn's selling of the clothesline from hell

 

[mrken12]

Ayo @mrken12 got some more requests: Ken Shamrock, Umaga, Taka Michinoku, Al Snow, Tajiri, Shane Douglas, Chris Benoit, Lita, Trish Stratus

I think we could get up to #100 without diluting the discussion too much

I can't do a Benoit one. For Shamrock it might be difficult because he had a short run. All of the other choices could work though.

 

[Cuckkleberry Finn]

decent as a member of APA/acolytes (ron simmons was obviously the workhorse but they were a good enforcer/hoss tag team). his heel run was arguably effective and a weird example of a successful repackage. but i gotta take points off because his 'best' matches were only because of his opponents and points off because he was a SHYT commentator. if he never had a strong booking in a weak era for heels, i wouldnt think twice about him. his personality was grating and not in a 'he's sposed to be a bad guy' way. also thought his stiffing of blue meanie was fukkin stupid. not hof material to me, but give it a few years and theyll have his dumbass waving a cowboy hat around and giving a speech.

 

[Dreamzeedream]

A 6... A solid hand, great as brawler but later on in his career he was booked too strong. Sucks as an announcer, actually I'm going to give him a 5 because he seems like a piece of shyt bully and he got put in his place by Joey styles

How?

 

[Dreamzeedream]

One of the last, if not the last heel that I couldn' stand

 

[Arrogance.]

6.

His best promo was nothing but pyro and ballyhoo.


His best two matches as world champ ended with him getting chokeslammed through a ring or the roof of a limousine. Impressive heat generator, in an isolated vacuum, but he wasn't the heel you enjoyed hating, just the loud a$$hole who yelled a lot about his own greatness while chichenshytting his way through every match he had.

I will give him credit for bumping, selling for his opponents, making them look good in his feuds, and for eschewing t-shirt sales to prevent him from being anything but a heel in every building he stepped into. I will dock him points for bumfukking wrestlers to haze them, getting the beats from Joey Styles, goose stepping in Germany to generate heel heat (seriously, come the fukk on ) and that time he decided that the Blue Meanie needed another concussion as soon as possible. Take away his title run and you effectively erase 45% of the importance of his career, which is insane, since it was a 280 day reign that could have done more good than harm for the WWE's bottom line if the strap had been on ANYONE ELSE.

It's complicated for me, because while he could bump when he wanted to and threw a legit clothesline, I never watched a Bradshaw/JBL match and went "wow, that was technically sound" or anything. The JBL character itself was great. Everything else was . Take away the pyro promo and he might be at a 4 for me. Make him a left winger in real life and he might be a solid 8. As is, 6.

 

[Da_Eggman]

Solid 6

Hated when he became champ but looking back he got himself over and was a great heel

Complete scumbag as a human being thou

 

[Da_Eggman]

How?

He went from mid carder to champion for a year

 

[Black White Sox Hat]

Gave him a 6.

Probably deserves a 7 for accomplishments.

But i remember hating his boring matches.

To the point i would change the channel.6.

 

[Nero Christ]

I'd give him a negative 10 for cutting Eddie's reign short and him never getting the title back but since I can't he gets a 1 .