Show: Wrestling Epicenter
Guest: John Bradshaw Layfield
Date: September 15, 2005
Your Hosts: Chuck D, James Walsh, & "The Queen of Extreme" Francine
John Bradshaw Layfield is one of professional wrestling's most diverse performers. Be it his success in the ring as a former WWE Heavyweight champion or his success on the US stock market, JBL can be considered a success in virtually any avenue he ventures through.
Recently, JBL took the time out of his busy road schedule to sit down with Chuck D and James Walsh on "The Blaze" 1260 AM to discuss a myriad of topics ranging from earlier WWE days teaming with the likes of Barry "The Stalker" Windham all the way through his post-wrestling plans. This interview has been archived and is available to be downloaded in streaming audio right now at http://www.wrestlingepicenter.com.
Also on this show, "The Queen of Extreme" of http://www.MissyHyattandFrancineTV.com as well as D-Von Dudley stop by to discuss the current goings on in professional wrestling. There also is a surprise appearance by "Bill Cosby."
JBL
-- "Words can't describe it. It's one of the greatest honors of my entire life," says JBL when asked about teaming with another former guest on the show, "Farooq" Ron Simmons. He goes on to add, "I've never had more fun than being apart of the APA."
-- The APA got started when JBL and Ron Simmons were sitting and having a few beers and telling some stories. Vince and Shane McMahon walked in on this and the partnership was brought to television.
-- Since his beer drinking, card playing, and paid protection days with the APA, JBL has come into his own as the current character that he is. When asked about the transition and if the character is who he is, JBL says "It's a little magnified but it's exactly what I am. I've moved to New York. I've been blessed to be successful on the stock market. It's who I am and that's what makes it so easy to do. I grew up a fan of JR Ewing from the TV show Dallas so I always wanted to be this character. I'm having a ball."
-- Hulk Hogan recently sat down with Chuck and James and in that interview, he mentioned that a lot of the younger guys don't "get it" in terms of reading the fans and reacting to what the fans do. Does JBL agree? "Absolutely, it isn't their fault," explains JBL. He feels the lack of working in front of 20 people and working in front of 20,000 people right off the bat hinders their ability to learn the live theater aspect of the business. "They learn the wrestling moves but they don't learn wrestling. It's almost a dying art what someone like Hulk Hogan can do."
-- "You simply have got to feel. You have to feel what they want and you have to include them in your match. You can't go in there with a set choreographed wrestling match. You have to react. But to do that, you're going to make a lot of mistakes. You try to tell these guys, it's okay. You'll learn. But, if you don't do that, you'll never learn the business."
-- Have guys like Batista and John Cena grasped the above concept? "They have grasped it and I think that's one of the reasons they're in the positions they're in," says JBL.
-- "There's a show in the works right now," says JBL about perhaps branching out and doing a more political talk TV show down the line. Currently JBL hosts a weekly talk show in 150 markets on the subject and plans to explore political talk radio and TV once his days in the ring are over. "That's my plan. If you don't have a plan, you don't have much," says JBL.
-- About the ECW One Night Stand incident with the Blue Meanie, "That was no big deal. He got busted open with a punch. I got busted open with a punch last week by Batista. Those things happens. He's not a bad guy, he's a good guy. I like the Blue Meanie. This is a grown up sport played by grown ups. It's not balae."
-- "You know I heard Tracy was upset with me but I have no idea why. Tracy Smothers and I, we wrestled whenever he came in, I have no idea what his gimmick was in the WWE. I've known him for 10 or 15 years. We've always been friends but I've heard for some reason, he's upset with me. I have no idea what that's about."
-- Does JBL consider SmackDown's move from Thursday to Friday night a positive? "We have to spin it as a positive. I think it can be a positive. We don't have CSI or Friends to compete with. It's pretty much wide open on Friday night," says JBL.
-- Does JBL feel the cut version of SmackDown that aired last Friday was hurt by only being an hour? "It is a determent. We promoted this show forever. I can't believe they would make this a one our show. I know everything that is going on with the hurricane relief but this is the one show that makes money for UPN and I can't understand how they wouldn't find another way to do this."
-- "When I started in this business, I always wanted this run and I always thought it could happen. I was a tag team wrestler for 8 or 9 years in the WWE and was getting up in age and didn't think I'd ever get that run. I just didn't think it was possible. It was something that came out of the blue. I'm loving every minute of it. Maybe that's why I'm enjoying it so much, because I worked so hard at it."
-- JBL thought he was ready when he first got to the WWE in 1995 but looking back, he realizes now he wasn't ready. But now that he has that run, "sometimes I look up at the crowd and I think this is really cool."
-- "Eddie Guerrero could wrestle with a broom stick and have a great match. I have more respect for Eddie Guerrero than I think anybody ever in this wrestling business. He's the greatest wrestler I've ever seen."
-- "John Cena, he's really surprising to me. He's one of the hardest workers I've ever seen. He works hard at everything he does. He works hard at his hip hop music, which I hate by the way."
-- JBL feels Barry Windham is one of the most smooth wrestlers he's ever seen in the ring. He sees a lot of Barry in Randy Orton and feels Randy Orton may be able to take that to the next level.
-- JBL feels Vince McMahon is, though a common answer, a genius. He also puts him over as one of the hardest workers he's ever met not just in wrestling but in life.
-- You can catch JBL every Friday night on UPN as a part of WWE SmackDown!
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