The Greatest Heels in WWE History - No. 6

One of the most distinct features of JBL’s character was the irony and hypocrisy he brought into his promos. His ability to keep the smile on his face intact despite the crowd booing out loud helped him generate a lot of heat. It was as if he wasn’t very bothered about what was happening around him as he was engrossed in his own pride. JBL carried his character really well and his cowboy hat and millionaire attire helped add unique flavour to it.

When JBL beat the late Eddie Gurrero for the WWE Title, most WWE fans were furious at the decision WWE took. People who knew exactly how the business worked were outraged at this shocking move as JBL’s in-ring talent wasn’t exactly what one would call champion-like. But still WWE persisted with the push and this lead to what one would call one of the greatest WWE title reigns of the post-attitude era. JBL’s attitude of win-at-all-costs meant that he went to any extreme to remain on the winning side. He holds an impressive resume as a champion having successfully defended his title against the likes of Undertaker, Booker T, Big Show and a few other top wrestlers.

It was these victories that propelled JBL as a huge heel and any man defeating him then would turn out to be an instant hero. JBL along with the help of his cabinet that had the likes of Orlando Jordan played a huge role in maintaining his annoying character. His catchphrase “I am a wrestling GOD” was considered by many an insult to professional wrestling as a whole. I am sure JBL and WWE never took his catchphrase to heart, but knew that this would create a furor among the fans.

Another factor that contributed hugely to the heat he generated was his promos. The way he targeted the minorities and illegal immigrants in the country made him a very loathsome man. He got carried away so much by his character once that he went to the extent of mocking Germany using their Nazi background. This irritated a lot of people and he was condemned and later made to apologize for his actions.

Finally towards the end of his career as JBL, he accounted for putting over a wrestler who today is considered the greatest face of WWE at present. His feud with John Cena was the latter’s most important ones in his rise to stardom. Had Cena not faced JBL, I doubt he could ever have received the support that he did from fans. The crowd absolutely loved the fact that someone had finally come to end his revolting title run (Well, they regret that now). But still no matter how much one hated JBL’s push as the WWE Champion, his one act of putting over John Cena justified and silenced all those who hated his ability.

Many of you might not consider him to be worthy of being in this list, but the fact that he had the ability to generate heat naturally by simply removing his cowboy hat and smiling in the center of the ring makes his entry into the list a must.

He lived up to his lines “What I say, I do and what I do.. I do it very well” and whenever JBL entered Jim Ross could calmly say “business is about to pick up”.

Read other articles in the series here: Greatest Heels in WWE History