by Alfonso "Fonzo" Castillo  
Exclusive to OnlineOnslaught.com

For many fans, the upset title change was the most bizarre highlight of a very bizarre night of wrestling. Pat yourself on the back if you called it, because few would have thought that Layfield, who just four months ago was an out-of –shape half of a mediocre tag team, would ever earn the sport’s top singles prize, much less do it so soon after receiving his singles push.

So what exactly was behind the decision to put the strap on Layfield’s waist? Was it, as many have speculated, Vince McMahon’s way of appeasing Bradshaw after an unfair character assassination? Was it WWE’s way of cashing in on their latest “crossover” star, who was even interviewed on the Howard Stern show a week before his title win? Or was it just a case of WWE recognizing the talent and potential in  JBL?

We try to answer all those questions in the latest installment of The Title Wave, examining the 76th WWE Champion, John Bradshaw Layfield.

The Title Victory

Bradshaw got his first crack at the WWE Title and Eddie Guerrero at last month’s Judgment Day, where he defeated the champion by disqualification in one of the bloodiest, goriest contests in the company’s history. With the score far from settled, Bradshaw and Guerrero signed on the dotted line for a rematch at The Great American Bash, and Bradshaw chose the stipulation for the match. His choice was the Texas Bullrope Match – a favorite of the former NWA/WCW, but a match rarely, if ever, featured on WWE. For the victor to get his hand raised, he would have to touch all four corners in succession, while having his wrist tied to his opponent’s by a bullrope.

The 21-minute brawl was light on actual wrestling or any technique, but had good intensity and the blood content that seemed to be the selling point for this rematch. And while the bullrope did make for some unique spots – most notably Bradshaw’s tossing Guerrero through the ringside table – it also served to hinder each worker’s offense, especially Guerrero’s.

Not surprisingly, the finish was as old as time - the same ending usually reserved for this sort of match. Bradshaw went corner to corner touching each turnbuckle, not realizing Guerrero was also touching each corner right behind him. As Bradshaw approached the forth corner, Guerrero dove over him, and touched the turnbuckle for the apparent victory. But Smackdown! GM Kurt Angle came in and called for a replay of the finish, which clearly showed Bradshaw touched the corner first, when Guerrero pushed him into it. Angle announced Layfield’s as the winner and new champion and Guerrero, unable to deny the video evidence, reluctantly accepted the decision as the right one.

A bloody Bradshaw briefly celebrated in the ring, holding his new belt aloft in one hand, while the bullrope was still tied to the other.

The Title Reign

SMACKDOWN! SPOILER WARNING

Bradshaw made his first appearance as the new WWE champion at Tuesday’s night’s Smackdown! taping in Fayetteville, opening the show with a grand in-ring ceremony. He gloated about winning the title and later that night faced his first challenger, Spike Dudley.

Dudley gave some offense, but in the end was overmatched by the champion.

His only other action since victory Sunday came at a Winston-Salem house show Monday night, where he teamed with the Dudley Boyz to take on Guerrero and Undertaker. According to reports, Layfield took the loss for his team, thanks to a Tombstone from ‘Taker.

The Road to the Title

Before becoming an integral part of his career-making match Sunday night, the bullrope was a regular fixture’s in Layfield’s repertoire during his earliest days in WWE. After getting some grooming on the independent scene as John Hawk, Layfield debuted in the World Wrestling Federation in the spring of 1996 as Justin “Hawk” Bradshaw, a knockoff on the legendary Stan “The Lariat” Hansen – the tobacco chewing, foul mouthed, Texan with a viscous mean streak. He was accompanied by Uncle Zeb – journeyman wrestler Dutch Mantel, now booker for TNA.

Bradshaw made his pay per view debuted wrestling Savio Vega in the memorable 1996 Mind Games pay per view, and also took part in a Survivor Series elimination match that year. But the gimmick – like many in the mid-1990s WWF – was clearly going nowhere. So in March of 1997, Layfield debuted as one-half of the New Blackjacks tag team, with partner Barry Windham, in the opening match of WrestleMania 13. This would be the first we’d see of the jet-black haired Bradshaw, but this gimmick, too, didn’t last long. After more than a year of finding his way in the WWE mid-card as a solo wrestler, Bradshaw found a partner in Ron “Faarooq” Simmons, who was coming off a semi-successful run as the head of the Nation of Domination.

The two joined together to form The Acolytes – among the first members’ of the Undertaker’s evil Ministry of Darkness. But in the late-90s age of reality-based gimmicks, the duo soon realized that they were just not cut out to be pentagram-wearing, Satan-worshipping disciples of death. And so we saw less of the Acolytes making human sacrifices, and more of them swilling beer.

Before long, Bradshaw and Simmons evolved into the popular tag team act of the APA – The Acolytes Protection Agency. Scenes of the two playing poker in their makeshift office in the back of arenas was a regular fixture on weekly WWE television. The APA reached modest success, winning the tag team titles three times during their run.

Bradshaw’s first return to the single’s scene came with the inception of the WWE brand split, in which his partner Simmons was sent to Smackdown! and Bradshaw remained on RAW. He received a considerable babyface singles push and was in line to be one of the RAW brand’s new stars – even feuding with members of the short-lived WWE version of the NWO – in 2002. But with Simmons sinking on Smackdown!, and Bradshaw not taking off as well as some would have hoped, before long the APA was reunited.

The team would have their last big match as part of a four-way tag team challenge at WrestleMania XX. Just weeks later, Simmons was fired from WWE – both in a TV angle and in real life – and Bradshaw, once again, was sent to go at it alone. He debuted a couple of weeks later as John “Bradshaw” Layfield – a power-hungry, ultra-conservative millionaire Texan, somewhat based on President George Bush, that was meant to capitalize on Layfield’s mainstream exposure as a part-time financial analyst on CNBC and the author of a financial book, “Make More Money Now.”

Almost undisputedly the home of the best workers in WWE just months earlier, by April Smackdown! found its active roster vastly depleted – having lost, within months, Chris Benoit, Brock Lesnar, Kurt Angle, and Big Show, just to name a few. Desperate to create some new top-tier stars on the brand, WWE rushed Bradshaw into a feud with champion Eddie Guerrero – literally having him attack Guerrero on the night he debuted his new character.

It was a second chance at greatness for a longtime underachiever in the WWE ranks, and the beginning of an unlikely chapter in the history of the WWE championship.

The Breakdown

In a way, Bradshaw’s skyrocket push to the very top of the Smackdown! brand may be one of the worst things to happen to his career, although I’m sure he has no complaints, and I don’t blame him. But as is always the case, shoving an unproven wrestler down the throats of fans so quickly serves often only to breed contempt and doubt among wrestling fans.

Some might say that Bradshaw had already paid his dues in WWE, having worked for the company for a full eight years before finally getting the big push. Heck, Brock Lesnar won the title after being in WWE six months. But it’s hard for fans to count Bradshaw’s spotty tenure in WWE as sufficient seasoning for such a major push. By his own admission, Layfield spent much of the last several years more concerned with drinking beer than with putting on a good match.

The truth is, Bradshaw has performed reasonably well since his big push – delivering strong heel promos, really making the most of his character and giving it a lot more depth and dimension than Smackdown’s other new gimmicks, and delivering back-to-back above average pay per view matches against Guerrero. Did it help that he had a world class athlete on the other side of the ring? Sure it did, but you have to give Bradshaw credit for carrying his end, getting in better physical shape than he ever has been, and working hard to put on his two best performances to date.

But that was all lost on many fans, who only saw one half of the APA get pushed above solid workers like Rey Mysterio, Rob Van Dam and Booker T. In that way, WWE did a disservice to Bradshaw, because his legitimacy as WWE champion will be questioned throughout his reign. Had Layfield taken some babysteps first - taken part in some solid mid-card feuds, maybe have a run with the U.S. title – before moving into the WWE title scene six months to a year down the line, fans would have a much easier time swallowing him as Smackdown’s top player.

But there is another big reason fans have been lukewarm to Bradshaw – the guy comes off as a real jerk. Between stories of him bullying around young wrestlers in the locker room, interviews in which he writes off Internet wrestling fans as fat, gay losers, his extreme right-wing political rhetoric, which isn’t too far from some of the hateful rants his “character” spouts off on TV, and that stunt he pulled in Germany – Bradshaw hasn’t done a whole lot to earn any sympathy votes from fans. In many ways, he represents the stereotype of a wrestler that WWE has so desperately tried to shatter over the years – a big, dumb, jock, with a quick temper, and not a whole lot of class. WWE might see that reputation as a potential gold mine in building a heel character, but there is something to be said for building respect among fans – even for your top heel acts – not disdain.

Taking all that into consideration, Vince McMahon was still willing to take the enormous step of putting the industry’s most prestigious accolade on a new face. Was he just cashing in on Bradshaw’s recent media attention? Did he feel bad for having Bradshaw take the bullet for the company and felt it was the least he could do to repay him? Does he really believe in the guy?

The answer is probably some combination of all of the above. I don’t think McMahon felt he owed Bradshaw anything following the Germany incident, but he probably was impressed with the way Layfield handled himself amid the media scrutiny. Word is, even after being fired from CNBC, Layfield was able to laugh it off, never taking himself too seriously or throwing a tantrum. And certainly, with Bradshaw making headlines all over the media, and with right-wing conservatives under attack, McMahon saw an opening to create his next big crossover attraction.

But let’s not completely discount another possibility – Maybe Layfield isn’t such a bad choice. I think few people would dispute that Guerrero has the making of a better champion than Layfield, but it’s hard to blame WWE writers for looking to create a new top-tier star on the roster, even if it meant temporarily derailing Guerrero’s momentum.

Nothing can do as much for a wrestler’s career than to have a run with a world title, regardless of how long or short that run is. For the rest of your career, you carry the distinction of “former WWE champion.” It’s an instant credibility boost, even for some below-average workers (Big Show, Kane, etc.) And while workers like RVD and Booker T may appear to be better fits for the top prize, the fact is that WWE would not really be making any new stars by putting the strap around either of their waists. Both of those have already built their credibility as world title contenders, and while putting the belt on them might solidify that credibility, an argument could be made that WWE was better off putting the belt on someone outside the usual cluster of “under-utilized” upper mid-carders.

That’s not to say that WWE should put the title on someone without the makings of a world champion, but rather someone whose talent and ability may not be readily apparent. That man may be Bradshaw, who over the years has shown the glimpses of the stuff that stars are made of– intensity in the ring, believability in his promos and the desire to prove himself when given the chance. And like it or not, it doesn’t hurt that the guy’s 6’6”, 290 lbs.

After all, look around the Smackdown! roster. Outside of Booker and RVD, and perhaps, in the future, John Cena, there isn’t exactly an abundance of heavyweight talent. Yes, WWE should look to remedy that by getting behind some of their younger talent, scouting OVW and the indies for blue chippers, and, if need be, making a few trades with the star-studded RAW brand. But in the meantime, investing in Layfield as the company has may be a short-term way of mixing things up and establishing a new star.

I’m not sure I believe it, but nonetheless, it’s an argument to be made.

Championship Grade: C

As he just won the title a few days ago, the jury is still out on what Layfield is going to make of this opportunity. I’m willing to go give him credit for really working hard to make the most of this rebirth in his career. And I certainly think Bradshaw has some of the raw tools to become a viable main eventer, and even a solid worker. But he does have a lot of strikes against him. He seemed downright uninspired for much of the last eight years, and he’s shown he can be his own worst enemy with some of his out-of-the-ring antics. But if he works hard to accentuate the positives, and eliminate the negatives, I think JBL could surprise a lot of us.

The Outlook

MORE SPOILERS

The Honeymoon may be over sooner than you might think for Bradshaw. After defeating Spike this past Tuesday, Eddie Guerrero came out and announced he would get his rematch in two weeks in a steel cage match. It could mean that JBL’s title reign will be a short one.

But my guess is that Layfield, through some fluke, will hold on to the belt through the rematch, and at least until SummerSlam, where he’ll undoubtedly take part in the highest profile match of his career – a world title defense on the second biggest show of the year. There is some talk of the match being a Triple Threat against Guerrero and Undertaker – two legitimate threats to JBL’s title.

My guess is that SummerSlam will, indeed, be Layfield’s final night with the title, but the mission will have already been accomplished for WWE. Had Bradshaw’s first dance in the main event scene ended with Guerrero dominating their feud, and retaining the title, Layfield would have quickly been dismissed as the latest “interim” world title challenger, and returned to mid-card oblivion. As it is, even once WWE takes the belt off of him, Bradshaw has already solidified his spot in the main event scene, and will likely get another run with the gold down the line.

Consider this, not including current RAW champion Chris Benoit nor Guerrero, of every WWE world champion in the last ten years, only three (Diesel, Kane, and Goldberg) held the title just once. There’s a statistic Layfield can appreciate.

Championship Options

So with the Smackdown! roster pool more depleted than anytime in history, who are some possible candidates to wear the brand’s top prize? I think it’s safe to say, Eddie Guerrero proved he was the real deal during his nearly five month reign with the title, putting on exciting matches despite the lack of qualified challengers, and winning the fans’ respect and adoration. He carried himself as a true champion at every corner, and will almost certainly get another run with the belt in the near future.

The Undertaker is a perennial candidate for the world title spot, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him wearing the belt by the summer. And while WWE may see this option as a safe bet, it’s hard to justify. ‘Taker doesn’t need the title to be at the top of the cards, and WWE certainly wouldn’t be doing itself any favors by falling back on ol’ reliable when the company is so desperately in need of some new main event talent. I thought WWE was finally onto something when the company started featuring him as an “infrequent” special attraction, but after the last few weeks of TV – and especially after the Bash – it seems clear that ‘Taker is back into the full swing of things, and may be back in the title picture before long.

WWE might be looking at John Cena as the company’s next main event star, but considering his stalled progress as a mid card attraction, I’d say that it much too premature to even think of putting the WWE title on the Doctor of Thuganomics. Cena’s character is already dangerously close to becoming downright stale, and until he gets a major facelift, I don’t see fans taking him very seriously at the top of the cards. What’s more, Cena seems at times more concerned with practicing his raps than his ring work, which also needs a lot of polishing. But I don’t discount the options of Cena making a run for the title in about a year or so.

Booker T is undoubtedly worth of a main event push, and has the world champion resume, but people who are looking for Booker as the answer to SD!’s woes are not taking into account his age, questionable health, and even more questionable dedication to his job, which he has expressed repeatedly a desire to walk away from in the near future.

A dark horse candidate for the top spot is Rey Mysterio. Yes, his small size will always be a factor and might threaten the credibility of some of his opponents, but WWE shouldn’t dismiss his enormous fan following and superior wrestling ability. I for one would rather see him play the role of giant killer in the main event scene, than wrestling Jamie Noble for the umpteenth time in a meaningless mid card match.

Rob Van Dam may be the best candidate for the next top-tier push. He’s put in the years, clearly has the fan following, and has shown sparks of greatness when he’s been in high-profile matches, both in ECW and in WWE. Strangely, as the years have passed, Van Dam has become less of a world title contender, thanks in part to inept booking, and in part to RVD’s refusal to play the political game. But with a few consistent weeks of writers getting behind him, fans will have no trouble buying RVD in the top spot.

For now, that spot belongs to JBL. And while the notion of WWE making such a big investment in such an unproven wrestler and one who seems apt to putting his foot in mouth with the same zest as laying down the Clothesline from Hell, may seem questionable, I for one am willing to give it a chance. If there’s one thing JBL knows, it’s how to make the most out of an investment.
 

E-MAIL FONZO  
BROWSE THE TITLE WAVE ARCHIVES

Alfonso Castillo has been a wrestling fan since he was six-years old. He has been writing the "Fonzo's Title Wave" column since 1999. The host of the Showdown radio audio program on www.Showdown.net currently lives in Queens, NY and works as a reporter for a New York metropolitan area newspaper.

All contents are Copyright 1995-2014 by OOWrestling.com.  All rights reserved.
This website is not affiliated with WWE or any other professional wrestling organization.  Privacy Statement.