JBL addresses real-life heat rumor between WWE factions

John Bradshaw Layfield (JBL) made his name in the mid-to-late 1990s when several WWE factions emerged both on-screen and off-screen. In a recent podcast episode, the 58-year-old clarified a long-standing rumor about issues in the locker room during that time.

Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Sean Waltman, Shawn Michaels, and Triple H were part of a backstage group known as The Kliq. The Undertaker's Bone Street Krew (BSK) and Bret Hart's Hart Foundation also hung out separately behind the scenes.

On Something to Wrestle, JBL dismissed speculation that the groups had real-life problems with each other:

"For instance, the Harts and the Canadians, they had more in common than, say, The BSK, so The BSK would hang out together, the Canadian group would hang out together, but there wasn't a lot of contentiousness between. I think over time people have rewritten that into history of, 'Oh, there was all this problem in the locker room.' I was in the locker room. There wasn't problems in the locker room." [27:56 – 28:14]

JBL wrestled for WWE from 1995 to 2009 before retiring from in-ring competition. The 2020 Hall of Fame inductee also worked for several years as a commentator.

JBL on the reality of WWE locker-room friendships

While most WWE stars hung out with the same friendship groups, wrestlers also spoke to members of other factions backstage and during overseas tours.

Contrary to popular belief, JBL reiterated that behind-the-scenes relationships were not as exciting as some fans think:

"Guys just hung out together, but when we went overseas or went in groups, you would see all the groups intermingling. It wasn't like, 'This is our treehouse. You're not allowed in it.' It wasn't like that. It was just a group of guys that had more commonality with each other and would ride together." [28:15 – 28:30]

In the same episode, JBL recalled how former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon wanted a six-foot-nine star to replace Hulk Hogan.

Please credit Something to Wrestle and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.

About the author

Danny Hart is a journalist who has been reporting on pro wrestling (WWE) at Sportskeeda since 2017. He grew up as a massive fan of football/soccer and wrestling, leading him to pursue a career in sports journalism.

Before assuming his current role, Hart worked as a football writer at Goal.com between 2009 and 2016. He prides himself on writing original content that is fact-based and highly accurate. Hart thoroughly proofreads his work before submitting it and relies only on credible sources for information.

Hart’s favorite pro wrestler is The Undertaker. He admires the 2022 WWE Hall of Famer’s ability to reinvent his character and remain relevant across his decades-long career. If given the keys to WWE’s creative department, he would bring back The Phenom for a farewell bout against AJ Styles in a stadium full of fans. Not only that, but he would love to have the multi-time world champion’s greatest rivals seated at ringside for the spectacle.

When not watching and covering sports, Hart enjoys long-distance running, playing video games, and listening to audiobooks and podcasts.

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Edited by Danny Hart