WWE legend says Vince McMahon based villainous character on himself
JBL has recalled how WWE Chairman Vince McMahon lived vicariously through his villainous on-screen character.
In 2004, JBL reinvented himself as an obnoxious millionaire who traveled to arenas in a limousine and claimed to be a “Wrestling God.” His character often drew comparisons to Vince McMahon, who previously based Ted DiBiase’s “Million Dollar Man” gimmick on himself.
Speaking on Stories with Brisco and Bradshaw, the WWE Hall of Famer said McMahon would have played the JBL character himself if he wrestled full-time.
“Ted DiBiase said the same thing. He said Vince was writing for himself. I knew when I’d go there to Vince, he was basically writing for himself. Like, ‘If I could be a heel and I could do this 300 nights a year, this is what I would do,’” JBL said.
JBL performed as Bradshaw in WWE for almost a decade before his character underwent a drastic transformation. He won the WWE Championship from Eddie Guerrero at The Great American Bash in 2004 and went on to hold the title for 280 days.
Bully Ray praised JBL for following Vince McMahon’s instructions
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Bully Ray, known as Bubba Ray Dudley in WWE, appeared on the latest episode of Gerald Brisco and JBL’s podcast.
He gave JBL credit for understanding exactly what Vince McMahon wanted from his character.
“Exactly, and you were smart enough to realize that [that Vince McMahon lived vicariously through JBL’s character], and you said, ‘Okay, boss, pour it on me. I’m gonna go out.’ And look at everybody that got made being in the ring with you, so it’s about embracing that heat and not being afraid of it,” Bully Ray said.
Bully Ray added that AEW star MJF is one of the few current-day wrestlers who is not afraid to genuinely be disliked by fans.
Please credit Stories with Brisco and Bradshaw and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.