What’s the bigger career achievement: winning the WWE Championship or main eventing WrestleMania? For WWE Hall of Famer John “Bradshaw” Layfield (JBL), the answer is clear.
On the “Something To Wrestle” podcast, host Conrad Thompson posed the question, comparing the prestige of being crowned champion versus headlining the company’s biggest show of the year. JBL didn’t hesitate.
“Main Eventing Wrestlemania,” JBL stated definitively. He explained that while winning the WWE Title against Eddie Guerrero in 2004 was a monumental moment, the significance truly sank in during the lead-up to his WrestleMania 21 main event against John Cena.
“We were in Norfolk when I won the World title,” JBL recalled. “I don’t know if it had sunk in yet. You know, after you hold it for that, you know, a long time you realize, you know, the importance of it.”
He contrasted that with the feeling before walking out at WrestleMania 21 in Los Angeles. “By the end, it had time to sink in,” he said, referencing the nearly year-long title reign. “I remember… right before I walked out before Wrestlemania with Cena… I realized that this was a big moment… this was the culmination of my entire childhood, of my entire adult work, working life… I’m going to walk out with a title Main eventing Wrestlemania.”
JBL emphasized the responsibility that came with the main event spot, particularly in passing the torch. “I knew how important my role was at that point,” he explained. “I’ve got to do everything I can to put all my equity into this title belt so that I can give it to somebody, and that equity transfers to that person… I knew how important it was that I did my role well, because I had to give that to John Cena.”
He also firmly dismissed the notion that championship belts are mere “props.” “I don’t think that’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard,” JBL asserted. “It’s like saying, Oh, I’m a CEO. Well, that name is just a prop. No, it’s not. Means you run the company. When you got that title, means you’re the man. You get paid a lot more… it is a significant difference in what you get paid and also how you’re treated.”
Ultimately, for JBL, the combination of the build-up, the significance of the event, and the responsibility associated with the final match made headlining WrestleMania the greater peak. “I think it was more cool to the headline WrestleMania, because I knew going into it, this is the biggest show they have. It’s the biggest match they have… And it’s all not on me, but a lot of it’s on me to give as much as I can to John.”
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit AdFreeShows.com with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
