For The Record 10.26.08: JBL’s Awkward Raw Stint

Now of course an argument can be made that JBL was a poor choice to lead Smackdown as the WWE Champion. But if Vince McMahon wanted his belt on a stable veteran, Layfield was an ideal candidate. Coming off the heels of a sudden Brock Lesnar departure, Smackdown was gutted of both its top heel and its core. Lesnar was given everything. In a mere two years he got clean wins over The Rock, The Undertaker, Hulk Hogan, and Kurt Angle. He also secured the WWE Championship on three separate occasions and reigned supreme in a Wrestlemania main event. But with very little notice, WWE’s biggest investment in a generation walked away. So with a limited array of main event heels on Smackdown, McMahon had to make some decisions. He opted to push to the upper tier a man who was categorically different than Lesnar by just about every measure. APA’s John Layfield, a loyal WWE mid-carder, was to be the lucky recipient of McMahon’s favor.

Though many may disagree, John Layfield was a great choice to push as a main eventer. If WWE wanted a trustworthy grappler at the top of the card, Layfield (not the kayfabe character, but the person) was solid choice. Don’t forget, Layfield was a nine year WWE veteran in 2004. He entered as Justin “Hawk” Bradshaw in 1995 and wrestled under some rather undesirable gimmicks. In the process though, he wrestled during the Attitude Era and played a role (as ALL WWF superstars at that time did) in defeating WCW. And believe me, McMahon will always be thankful to those men who helped him survive the Monday Night Wars. In the post Draft years, Layfield tried his hand as a singles competitor, still donning the long hair and competing in the Hardcore division before reforming APA with Faarooq. After spending more time in a tag team that had run its course, Layfield waited his turn. And when there was a major vacancy in the main event scene, Layfield being at the right place at the right time was finally given his break. Layfield had endured a lot and earned his spot. McMahon, at a time when he was just recently burned by a young talent, rightly looked upon Layfield as a horse he could trust.

Almost immediately upon “JBL’s” debut, he was placed in the main event scene with the WWE Champion, Eddie Guerrero. After challenging Guerrero at Judgment Day in what would become a bloodfest, JBL walked away with a DQ victory but no title. One month later, at The Great American Bash, JBL won the coveted WWE Title. What followed was a long, some might say drawn out, 280 championship reign. He was a serviceable champion, if unspectacular. He kept Smackdown afloat long enough for John Cena to hone his craft and score an historically significant victory at Wrestlemania 21. If I may use a baseball analogy: JBL ate up innings. If Brock Lesnar was the starting pitcher, JBL was the long reliever.

Though his title reign was far from memorable, he used the championship to build up his gimmick. JBL was an arrogant Wall Street mogul who jammed his success and affluence down our throats. In addition to being a classic heel on the mike, his Honty Tonk Man style of retaining the championship through nefarious means added even more heat.

In the infancy and through the early development of the JBL character, we associated him with the WWE Championship. He always carried it around, gloated about his reign, and chided failed challengers for coming up short. The WWE Championship was a major part of his identity. We didn’t know JBL apart from the title. But of course, his reign ended at Wrestlemania 21. It was then that we were introduced to a post world title JBL.

Upon JBL’s title loss, he still retained main event status. He was in the world title picture for a while with John Cena and Batista, but would never taste world championship gold again. After a while the JBL character became a bit lost and began to meander. He would still be a major part of the Smackdown brand, but without a title to define him, he ran the risk of becoming a glorified floater.

But at Wrestlemania 22, JBL defeated Chris Benoit for the United States Championship. For several weeks JBL found his bearings as champion. The United States title was perfect for him. He was the faux embodiment of the American dream, wrought with conceit and narcissism. The championship made his character complete and a lengthy title reign would have done wonders for his viability. Unfortunately, shortly after his US Title reign began, he opted for retirement due to an injured back.

Following his retirement, JBL would make his presence known as a color commentator. In that role JBL utilized his greatest talent, the gift of the gab, and formed an impressive commentary duo with Michael Cole. He put over superstars and analyzed matches with the wit and wisdom of Jesse Ventura. And yet at times he retained the sensibility of an active superstar providing guest commentary.

The color commentator role was tailor made for a person like John Layfield. If he stayed in the booth for the remainder of his WWE on-screen days, he would have been able to hang his hat on the fact that was a champion of wrestling and commentary. But of course, in late 2007, Layfield made the odd and some might say inexplicable decision to return to the ring. And since that time, the JBL character has found himself in a strange position.

One of JBL’s problems is the Raw title situation. While he’s been put in main events and world title matches this past year, WWE is yet to hand him the Big Gold Belt. It is evident that JBL will not be the World Heavyweight Champion any time soon. So with his odds of winning Raw’s world championship becoming more distant by the week, one would think the Intercontinential Championship might keep him occupied. But that can’t happen if Santino Marella is to break the Honky Tonk Man’s record. And while the Marella storyline is wildly entertaining, JBL would have also been a perfect candidate for the “record-breaking” storyline. But woulda, coulda, shoulda aside, JBL has no legitimate shot at holding a Raw singles title in the near future. So with no championship reign in sight, the JBL character has and will float around aimlessly. It is not a situation that favors his gimmick. The longer he remains on Raw with no title prospects, the more irrelevant he will become.

Put simply, he is on the wrong brand. Belonging to Smackdown is as important to the JBL character as holding a title. For over three years JBL was Smackdown’s most visible heel. He held championships, main evented, and provided color commentary. Even during times of character malaise, he was still the fabric and voice of the blue brand. And yet, Smackdown has turned the page and become a superior show. The addition of Triple H, Jeff Hardy, Mr. Kennedy, Umaga, Jim Ross, and Tazz has completely changed its dynamics. Some might legitimately argue that the brand has never been so stacked. Smackdown certainly does not need JBL, but JBL needs Smackdown. Would JBL’s presence in the Smackdown main event scene be a step backwards for the blue brand? That’s a tough one, because if utilized correctly, JBL can be pretty darn fun to watch. But the argument that a JBL main event presence and potential world title reign would harken fans back to the dark days of Smackdown also has resonance.

So, keeping all of the above in mind, there is one wrinkle to this discussion that must be mentioned before I speculate on the future of the JBL character. Layfield (and I don’t mean the kayfabe character) would not return to the ring unless he had world title aspirations. Are we to honestly believe that Layfield would come out of retirement to flop around like a fish out of water? No, it would make his return both purposeless and foolish. His current in-ring WWE stint would be incomplete without a world title reign. Chris Jericho’s return, in much the same vein, would have been incomplete without at least one world title reign. Please don’t mistake that comment to mean I am comparing the abilities of Layfield and Jericho. I am merely saying that when former egocentric world champions make returns to the ring, they usually have deeper motives than scratching the wrestling itch. Layfield wants to do more than brag about money and put over top faces. He wants to be champion, and if he was given any indication that his world title prospects were over, I believe Layfield would once again hang up the boots.

The questions remains: What does the future hold for the JBL character? Allow me to speculate. First of all, I sense that Layfield’s return to the ring is not for the long term. With all of the weight put on his already ailing back, I don’t see him going another two to three years. Heck, he even turned down a world title reign in 2006 because of his back. So, it probably wouldn’t be unreasonable to assume that he will retire during or before 2010. Yet I have a feeling, based purely on speculation, that Layfield will be granted one more world title reign. Therefore, my prediction is this: JBL will find his way to Smackdown and win one last world championship before Wrestlemania 26.

I sincerely doubt that he was brought out of retirement to do what he is doing at the present time. The JBL character is desperate for a championship. Without one, he’s incomplete.

It is probably not a stretch to assume that McMahon and Layfield are good friends. Both men strike me as cigar smoking, Whiskey drinking, back-slapping Wall Street big wigs who would share a lot in common. Layfield has also stuck with McMahon through thick and thin; his legacy will thusly be protected. That’s one of the perks of being friends with the promoter.