Wrestling regularly between September 1992 and April 2009, John ‘Bradshaw’ Layfield – commonly referred to as JBL – had a celebrated WWE career that peaked with his impeccable WWE Championship reign. Running rampant over the SmackDown brand in the mid-2000s, ‘The Wrestling God’ held the top prize in sports entertainment for 280 days.
Though he officially retired at WrestleMania 25, JBL has remained affiliated with WWE ever since, which has seen him take on multiple roles as a commentator and analyst. However, as of the latest episode of WWE Raw in Oklahoma City, it appears he’s now trying his hand at being a manager.
JBL Says Baron Corbin Is A Star Who’d Be Champion In Any Generation
Baron Corbin hasn’t been seen on WWE television in nearly two months, and the last time he appeared, he was seen being escorted out of the SmackDown parking lot by JBL’s limousine. Though he once found fortune as Happy Corbin, the former United States Champion had no storyline direction once his feud with Madcap Moss was complete.
As reported earlier today by PWInsider, the Wrestling God made an appearance on the October 17th episode of Monday Night Raw. The sounds of his theme rang throughout the Paycom Center, and he made a full entrance before addressing the crowd in Oklahoma City. The proud Texan apologized for making a monumental announcement in Oklahoma, building on the huge rivalry between the two states and referencing University of Texas’ blowout defeat of Oklahoma University a few weeks ago in football.
JBL continued, calling out Rey Mysterio for being a terrible father and saying that Mysterio’s trade to SmackDown led to a new acquisition to Monday Night Raw. He then introduced Baron Corbin, who is no longer called Happy Corbin despite continuing to use the money-based theme music. JBL said that Corbin is twice the size of Rey Mysterio, and then called out Dolph Ziggler, saying that if he were around in the Attitude Era, he wouldn’t have made the cut. He called Corbin a star who would be a champion in any generation.
He then made a bold statement, bestowing his old nickname upon Baron Corbin in a passing of the torch.
“Today starts the Monday Night Raw emergence of the modern day Wrestling God!”
BREAKING: As revealed by WWE Hall of Famer @JCLayfield, @BaronCorbinWWE is now a part of the #WWERaw roster as a result of the trade with #SmackDown for @reymysterio. pic.twitter.com/PG4yZxXuTH
— WWE (@WWE) October 18, 2022
Immediately after his introduction, Baron Corbin faced off against Dolph Ziggler in a singles match. JBL served on commentary for the bout, ridiculing performers who spent their time on the independent scene prior to coming to WWE. Full results from the October 17th episode can be found here.