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The legendary John Bradshaw Layfield, popularly known as JBL, recently hailed WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time.
JBL had one of the best heel runs in the company between 2004-05 as the WWE Champion. He held the prestigious championship for 280 days. Ahead of his title defense at Royal Rumble 2005, JBL faced Angle in a Last Man Standing Match on SmackDown.
The closing stages of the match saw Angle hit JBL with a steel chair before both men collapsed. The bout ended in no contest as neither of the competitors was able to get back on their feet before the count of ten. A clip of this sequence resurfaced recently.
JBL reacted to the video and hailed the former Olympic Gold-medalist. He said that Angle had told him how the latter had tried to get up before collapsing again. He also said that the five-time World Champion was as good as anyone in history.
JBL later went on to successfully defend his championship against Angle and Big Show at the Royal Rumble in a Triple Threat match.
Former WWE star Maven defended JBL
Despite all of his in-ring accolades, JBL has often been accused of being a locker-room "bully."
However, in a recent video on his YouTube channel, former WWE star Maven defended the former world champion. He said that JBL was loud, which often rubbed people the wrong way, and insisted that he was one of the nicest guys.
“Now the dirt sheets will always say that JBL was a bully backstage. To be honest with you, JBL is just loud. JBL is boisterous. JBL is jovial. John’s not afraid to tell you what he wants and he’s not afraid to tell you how he’s gonna get to what he wants. A lot of people might view that as being a bully. Trust me, one of the nicest guys in the world.” [ Fightful ]
JBL was last seen on WWE television in early 2023 with Baron Corbin. It remains to be seen when he will next show up on the company's programming.
Do you agree with JBL's statement regarding Kurt Angle? Let us know in the comments section below.
