The Evolution of Bradshaw

[Guest WrestleLore]

Simple question on this... For those who haven't started watching wrestling unti WM14 here is the span of his career so far in the WWF/E

 

You got the Blackjack Knockoff gimmick with Barry Windiam where he always laughing

 

you got the more Pissed off Justin Hawk Bradshaw gimmick where he seems to have a problem with old Texans trying to retire for the 28th time in their career (alla Terry Funk)

 

You got the silent strong arm Acolyte gimmick a servant of the Undertaker

 

which warps into..

 

a Hired gun with Faarooq as the APA and evidently must always recount every single texan Sport accomplishment whenever he crosses into his states line.

 

too Hardcore Texan during the final days of the Hardcore title.

 

Too the current J.R/Dallas & Million Dollar Man combo gimmick in John Bradshaw Layfield. Where he was put into the position of being the top heel of Smackdown and even held the title a good portion of time for this day and age.

 

So Has Bradshaw finally arrived in the Smark mind? Has this man finally made himself a main eventer, he has had at least 8 years of paying dues and clawing up and falling down the ranks be it singles or tag.

 

What do you think?

[naiwf 0]

I'd say no. You could have put virtually anybody with decent mic skills and size in his position and done more with him. His in ring skills just don't scream Main Event to me, and never will. Paying dues should be rewarded with a steady paycheck, not a monster push you never did anything concrete to deserve. Instead of building the character, and then pushing it, they went the other way and that's not a recipe for success no matter who is playing the character/what character it is.

[The Czech Republic 0]

You got the Hawk and the Blackjack in the wrong order, Trivia

[Twisted Intestine 0]

Why do we discuss the same topics over and over?

[spman 0]

I've actually heard that John Hawk was a pretty good worker in his days in Global and in Texas Indies. Supposedly he had some wild brawls with Ahmed Johnson in both mens early days.

[Kahran Ramsus 0]

He has earned his spot, but it was a long time before yesterday. He started really taking off sometime last fall. Honestly, he is one of the few reasons I even watch it anymore. He is far and away the best heel in the promotion with only the recently turned Eddy Guerrero approaching him. Especially since Kurt Angle was killed off with the horrible rape angle.

 

I will go out of my way to watch the JBL segments, and I no longer do that for any other wrestler in the promotion, save Chris Benoit who has been my favourite wrestler for 8 years.

 

He has more than earned his spot.

[JN News 0]

No. He cannot wreste a damn lick. So therefore, no.

[Guest Fook]

Neither could Hogan. I'm not saying JBL's even in the same league as Hogan in terms of drawing power, but wrestling skill is not the only prerequisite for being in main events. Hell, more often than not it's not even considered. Nor should it be. The main event belongs to guys the company feels can draw. Right now Bradshaw is a good a choice as any.

[Guest Nater]

His work has been consistently dropping off.

His promo work may be improved, but is still uninteresting. Kurt and Eddie sneeze more coherently.

He bring nothing and thus gets nothing!

[Jericho2000Mark 0]

No. His reign drew horribly(setting record PPV lows) and ended with no fanfare. There was no demand to see him hold the Title at any point, his mic skills are nothing to phone home about(he basically rambles on about how rich and white he is and not much else) and he's more protected in the ring than anyone else in the company. His supporters are markish smarks who think it's cool to like him because it goes against the grain, the same kind of people who mark out for Viscera and Heidenreich...

[what 0]

No. His reign drew horribly(setting record PPV lows) and ended with no fanfare. There was no demand to see him hold the Title at any point, his mic skills are nothing to phone home about(he basically rambles on about how rich and white he is and not much else) and he's more protected in the ring than anyone else in the company. His supporters are markish smarks who think it's cool to like him because it goes against the grain, the same kind of people who mark out for Viscera and Heidenreich...

Let me guess. You only like guys who can be funny on the mic like Jericho? And if they're not funny on the mic (jokes about other wrestlers and such), they're not good on the mic.

[snuffbox 0]

I think hes earned it. Hes far more interesting than HHH...

[Jericho2000Mark 0]

No. His reign drew horribly(setting record PPV lows) and ended with no fanfare. There was no demand to see him hold the Title at any point, his mic skills are nothing to phone home about(he basically rambles on about how rich and white he is and not much else) and he's more protected in the ring than anyone else in the company. His supporters are markish smarks who think it's cool to like him because it goes against the grain, the same kind of people who mark out for Viscera and Heidenreich...

Let me guess. You only like guys who can be funny on the mic like Jericho? And if they're not funny on the mic (jokes about other wrestlers and such), they're not good on the mic.

And what are Bradshaw's promos? Totally serious? His promos are ONLY funny...

 

Jericho CAN cut some great serious promos, see his fueds with Rock and HBK.

 

I think hes earned it.  Hes far more interesting than HHH...

 

The only people who are less interesting than Triple H these days are The Bashams and Mark Jindrak...

[Guest JerichosHi-Lite]

Neither could Hogan. I'm not saying JBL's even in the same league as Hogan in terms of drawing power, but wrestling skill is not the only prerequisite for being in main events.

But in Hogan's day, wrestling in itself wasn't a prerequisite. The cartoon era was more about gimmicks than it ever was about wrestling, so Hogan didn't need to be able to wrestle well whereas in this day and age, JBL does

[King Cucaracha 0]

Guys, Jericho hasn't been funny for years. Last time I can remember him being funny was when Piper was around. Since then he's been as bad as Cena, in terms of relying on catchphrases and cringe-worthy insults, like the stuff with Trish or 'Shelton is a little bitch'.

 

(he basically rambles on about how rich and white he is and not much else)

 

How many months ago was the Guerrero feud? Because that's how many months it's been since he used that.

 

JBL's a great promo guy not just because of what he says, but how he says it. When he speaks, you can actually believe he means what he's saying. He looks and sounds natural out there. It helps that he's had a job presenting on television, sure...but the fact is, he's got his character near perfect now.

 

And to the usual 'oh, JBL can't wrestle'...he's had more than enough decent to good to the odd great match to justify being on top. I don't care that he's been carried to some. I don't care that he's 'more protected than anyone on the roster'. Who cares? So long as his matches are good, by whatever means, nobody should care. It's just another excuse to dislike the guy.

[Guest WrestleLore]

You got the Hawk and the Blackjack in the wrong order, Trivia

hmm then he must have been justin hawk Before his 97 stint as Blackjack Bradshaw and then back as Justin Hawk in 98.

[King Cucaracha 0]

^ Yeah. He had a feud with Savio Vega in 96.

[Guest hhheld_down]

I think hes earned it. Hes far more interesting than HHH...

i know 5 years olds more interesting than HHH so that doesnt say alot, and while i admit i do like JBL now, but only for his antics and promos. i admit in a brawl he is really good but as a wrestler he puts me to sleep. i dont think he earned his ME spot though, hes just another wrestler pushed too fast.

[Team Angle Pusher 0]

No. He cannot wreste a damn lick. So therefore, no.

So you hate Cena, Undertaker, Randy Orton, Batista etc...because JBL is better then them in the ring any time. He cuts good serious promos, really good.

 

And to who said Jericho hasn't een funny anymore. I still always laugh when he does the "come on assclown" thingy or with Dupree I spit water over the TV, I think at the Royal Rumble: "come on Frenchy!". Lame but awesome

[JN News 0]

You guys do know that Bradshaw only got this push by blowing Vince, don't you.

[Kahran Ramsus 0]

No. His reign drew horribly(setting record PPV lows) and ended with no fanfare.

 

That's why his worst PPV drew better than HHH/HBK at Taboo Tuesday. HBK can be spared somewhat because he wasn't announced ahead of time, but what's HHH's excuse?

 

I agree on his reign ending, but that was a bad booking decision. If JBL survived at Mania, then lost the title in the I Quit match, it would have ended up much better.

 

So you hate Cena, Undertaker, Randy Orton, Batista etc...because JBL is better then them in the ring any time. He cuts good serious promos, really good.

 

Not so sure about Undertaker, because he can/could really go when he wanted to. He's not as good as he used to be, but he still knows how to wrestle a match. Taker/Angle would be better than Orton/Angle by a longshot. JBL has had very good matches in the past year, certainly more than the other guys you have mentioned, so I will agree on your point that JBL is underrated in the ring.

 

I don't care that he's 'more protected than anyone on the roster'.

 

He's not. Many times he has been made to look bad (usually in the purpose of getting someone else over, but he hasn't been the strongest champion in memory), but just take a look at the split PPVs where his matches always get the shaft. At Royal Rumble, JBL/Angle/Show was the best match of the undercard, yet Heidenreich/Taker got more time and the awful Orton/HHH match got double the time. Also, JBL often has to have massive interference to retain, but HHH gets all the cheap heat tricks in the book (like at Wrestlemania). HHH is the most protected wrestler on the roster, period.

[Jericho2000Mark 0]

No. His reign drew horribly(setting record PPV lows) and ended with no fanfare.

 

That's why his worst PPV drew better than HHH/HBK at Taboo Tuesday. HBK can be spared somewhat because he wasn't announced ahead of time, but what's HHH's excuse?

 

I agree on his reign ending, but that was a bad booking decision. If JBL survived at Mania, then lost the title in the I Quit match, it would have ended up much better.

 

So you hate Cena, Undertaker, Randy Orton, Batista etc...because JBL is better then them in the ring any time. He cuts good serious promos, really good.

 

Not so sure about Undertaker, because he can/could really go when he wanted to. He's not as good as he used to be, but he still knows how to wrestle a match. Taker/Angle would be better than Orton/Angle by a longshot. JBL has had very good matches in the past year, certainly more than the other guys you have mentioned, so I will agree on your point that JBL is underrated in the ring.

 

I don't care that he's 'more protected than anyone on the roster'.

 

He's not. Many times he has been made to look bad (usually in the purpose of getting someone else over, but he hasn't been the strongest champion in memory), but just take a look at the split PPVs where his matches always get the shaft. At Royal Rumble, JBL/Angle/Show was the best match of the undercard, yet Heidenreich/Taker got more time and the awful Orton/HHH match got double the time. Also, JBL often has to have massive interference to retain, but HHH gets all the cheap heat tricks in the book (like at Wrestlemania). HHH is the most protected wrestler on the roster, period.

Well Tuesday has a history(if a very, very brief one) of wrestling PPV's not drawing particulary well on that day. No fixed main event ahead of time probably contributed as well.

 

Good point about Triple H being the most protected, I think you may be right.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

To clear up the confusion, "Justin Hawk Bradshaw" made his WWF debut in late '95 or early '96 (I'm not sure of the exact date). He dressed like a fairly generic cowboy in red tights and was a heel managed by "Uncle Zebekiah" (aka Dutch Mantell). He carried a bullrope and branding iron which he used to "brand" opponents after he beat them. I think he turned on Zebekiah eventually, though I don't remember exactly.

 

After that he transitioned to the New Blackjacks tag team with Barry Windham. He was usually called "Blackjack Bradshaw" during that time. The WWF didn't really do much with the team, though I think I remember a brief feud with the Godwinns. Then Windham turned on him, joining the NWA faction, so Bradshaw turned face. Around that time they started just refering to him as "Bradshaw" (similar to Bill Goldberg being "Goldberg"). He still dressed like a Blackjack for a while, and teamed briefly with TAKA Michinoku, and then Terry Funk, who he turned on.

 

From there he quickly was recruited by the Jackyl and formed the Acolytes with Farooq. Most of you should remember the rest, like the Acolytes turning face and becoming the APA, Bradshaw's reign as Hardcore Champion, etc.

[Matt Young 0]

I'm like a lot of people. I used to loathe Bradshaw and I was literally sick to my stomach when he beat Eddie for the title, but around Survivor Series, I started warming up to the guy. Since then, I have accepted him as a main eventer, and eventually as WWE Champion. His improvement (overall, not specifically in-ring) has bene astronomical.

 

I still wish he would have used a kayak again in Sunday's I Quit match.

[Guest wolverine1007]

I give Bradshaw alot of credit myself, because he was able to go from winning the APA Barroom brawl in 2003 to winning the WWE title in 2004, completly recreating himself in the process. I also find it funny that there seem to be as many people who think he lost the title too son now as there were people who didn't think he should have won the title at all.

[Art Sandusky 0]

The reason that this character is doing so well for itself is that, tada, it's an exaggeration of the real life person. If we could just get that with more people now.

[Jericho2000Mark 0]

The reason that this character is doing so well for itself is that, tada, it's an exaggeration of the real life person. If we could just get that with more people now.

Then maybe Shawn Michaels wouldn't be so boring anymore.

[King Cucaracha 0]

You guys do know that Bradshaw only got this push by blowing Vince, don't you.

Great input.

 

 

The only reason he's getting the push is because McMahon sees a lot of himself and his character in the JBL character, that much is true.

[Murmuring Beast 0]

Bradshaw and Big Show are the most entertaining guys on Smackdown.

[Kahran Ramsus 0]

Don't forget Carlito. Eddy Guerrero's been good lately too.