JBL Recalls Feeling So Overwhelmed He Almost Quit WWE

WWE Hall of Famer John Bradshaw Layfield shared an insightful story about his early experiences in WWE, reflecting on the immense pressure of joining the world’s biggest wrestling promotion.

During an episode of his podcast, “Stories with Brisco and Bradshaw,” JBL recalled how the scale of WWE’s production initially left him questioning his career path. JBL, who joined WWE in 1995, described feeling overwhelmed by the company’s sheer size, especially coming from smaller wrestling territories.

A lot of people get overwhelmed by WWE, especially back then, maybe more so because we had the territories back then, but once you get to WWE, you had 14, 15 TV trucks. It was just a different level of professional wrestling, and a lot of guys got overwhelmed by it. I certainly did.

The wrestling veteran also shared a pivotal moment during his first WrestleMania, WrestleMania XII, where he wasn’t competing but witnessed one of the most iconic matches in wrestling history. JBL vividly recalled watching the legendary Iron Man match between Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart from backstage.

I remember watching Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart in that incredible Iron Man match at the Pond, my first WrestleMania, I wasn’t on the show, but I was backstage watching, and I remember just watching Shawn rappel from the ceiling and had that incredible match.

The spectacle and high-calibre performances left JBL contemplating whether he truly belonged in WWE.

I remember thinking, ‘I probably should go back to Japan.’ It was really overwhelming.

What Did JBL Say About His Last Run In WWE?

JBL spoke about how his last run with WWE influenced his decision to return to wrestling, Bradshaw said that he was not satisfied with how his last outing with WWE where he managed Baron Corbin went and wished that his 23-second match with Rey Mysterio at WrestleMania 23 was his actual last appearance in the wrestling world.

H/t to ITRWrestling.com