Trivia / John "Bradshaw" Layfield

• Approval of God: The Miz in 2010 cut a promo Leaning on the Fourth Wall about backstage bullying and getting kicked out of the locker room. In real life, it was Chris Benoit, but he was being Unpersoned by WWE and they asked Miz to change it to JBL - since he had bullied him a lot as well. JBL gave his approval of the promo, praising how improved he was on the microphone.
• Breakup Breakout: After The APA's second breakup in 2004, Bradshaw reinvented himself as John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL). Of course, JBL would have fared better anyway because Faarooq was retiring, but the JBL character perhaps did better than expected.
• Cast the Expert: As a commentator, JBL was a wealth of old-school wrestling knowledge and it shows in the match he called a "physical masterpiece": William Regal vs. a returning Chris Benoit (at No Mercy 2006). It's like you had a wrestling clinic inside the ring and an all-points lecture guiding you through every hold and strike.
• Creator Backlash: Bradshaw competed in "That Jackie Gayda Match" alongside Trish Stratus on an episode of Raw in 2002. In an issue of WWE Magazine (published in 2006), he called it the worst match he'd ever participated in.
  "The worst thing I've ever been associated with, I was so embarrassed, I wanted to quit the business." — JBL, WWE Magazine, 2006
• Dyeing for Your Art: As Bradshaw he grew his naturally blonde hair long and dyed it black, and grew a beard to go along with it. To many who had first seen him as Bradshaw, it was a major shock when he returned to his natural look when the APA reunited and for JBL.
• Friendship on the Set: Amy Weber had a few months in the company as JBL's 'Image Consultant', leaving after a Japanese tour where she was bullied by Randy Orton and Edge. In a 2020 video detailing her time in WWE, she said that JBL was "always really good to me".
• Real Life Writes the Hairstyle: He had to cut his hair short when his Wall Street investments went up, and he was required to be there more often and look professional. He used this as a way to change characters to the JBL gimmick.
• Real Life Writes the Plot: He returned as commentator in 2012 after Jerry Lawler suffered a heart attack at the Raw commentary booth, and JBL filled in for him at that Sunday's Night of Champions. This also led to Michael Cole having a subtle Heel–Face Turn, due to the public sympathy for him having to keep commentating while his partner was being rushed to the hospital, and JBL able to play the heel role easily.
• Role-Ending Misdemeanor: JBL was fired from his real life CNBC gig in 2004 for doing the Nazi salute and goosestepping at a WWE house show in Munich, Germany, in an attempt at Cheap Heat. Please note that anything Nazi-related, including Nazi gestures, is illegal in Germany.
• What Could Have Been: A former WWE writer said JBL was supposed to win the World Heavyweight Championship from Rey Mysterio in 2006, but injuries kept him from winning the belt.