WWE Legend JBL Recalls His Most Brutal Wrestling Match

WWE Hall of Famer John Bradshaw Layfield has revealed that the toughest opponent he ever faced in the ring was not another wrestler, but a fully grown bear.

Speaking on the Something to Wrestle podcast, JBL recounted how a boast during his college football days led to an unexpected and brutal showdown with the animal. Known for his confidence, he often teased younger players, but one particular claim backfired when he insisted he could take on a bear in a wrestling match.

His teammates decided to put his words to the test and entered him into a bear wrestling contest at a local bar. True to his nature, JBL accepted the challenge, but the outcome was far from what he had imagined.

“Thank God it wasn’t brown bear mating season. I’ve got a scar on my hand where the bear had bitten me, blood was coming down, it was a disaster. That bear annihilated me. It was like National Geographic, the bear was wrestling as hard as I was.”

The event offered a $1,500 prize—an enormous sum for a college student at the time.

“To a college kid, that’s the equivalent of like $4 billion,”

JBL joked. Describing the match, he likened it to an unusual form of dancing.

“I grabbed him, I threw him, and I got him on his side but didn’t get him on his back. That bear exploded, knocked me across the dance floor, and started beating me to death. It threw me under a table. I thought, ‘This is like something out of a zoo or When Animals Attack.’”

Despite his reputation for toughness, JBL admitted he had no chance against the bear.

“That damn bear just freaking annihilated me.”

Which Aspect Of Wrestling Contract Negotiations Did JBL Say Vince McMahon Hated?

JBL spoke about how Vince McMahon hated dealing with agents for contract negotiations with wrestlers. JBL said that he once had an agent who handled his media appearances for CNBC and Fox, and how McMahon was horrified upon meeting the agent, and questioned why the former WWE Champion had an agent.

H/t to ITRWrestling.com