WWE Feelings On JBL Appearing In Other Promotions Revealed
John Bradshaw Layfield built his legacy in WWE as JBL and now he’s appearing in other promotions, so what does WWE feel about it?
As a former WWE Champion who also spent many years working for the company as an announcer, it was not a surprise that John Bradshaw Layfield (aka JBL) was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as part of the 2020 Class that was inducted in 2021.
At the TNA Emergence PLE this past Friday, Nic Nemeth was celebrating his big win over Josh Alexander which saw Nemeth retain the TNA World Title in a grueling 60-minute Ironman Match.
After the match was over, John Bradshaw Layfield then walked down to the ring and it was without his classic WWE theme song. When Layfield got into the ring, he went up to Nemeth and said something to him although the cameras did not pick up what was said. After that, Layfield left while Nemeth continued to celebrate to end the show.
That appearance from JBL at TNA Emergence was unknown and wasn’t spoiled beforehand.
Recently, JBL has also made other appearances at non-WWE wrestling shows like AAA (with Nic Nemeth), GCW, and OVW.
How Does WWE Feel About JBL Appearing In Other Wrestling Promotions?
It has been reported by PWInsider that Layfield is under a WWE Legends deal, which means that he is free to work for other promotions as long as he’s not using the JBL gimmick that WWE owns. It also means he can appear in other places if WWE doesn’t book him for their shows.
When Layfield has appeared in other promotions he has been referred to as John Layfield (his real name) and not as John Bradshaw Layfield or JBL, which are WWE trademarks.
During his appearances in other promotions, Layfield is not dressed like the JBL character, who often wears a suit.
While John Bradshaw Layfield makes appearances on WWE television occasionally, his last regular role was as Baron Corbin’s manager from October 2022 to February 2023. However, the angle wasn’t working very well, so the plug was pulled on it and Layfield was removed from television.