JBL explains why Ron Simmons beat up WWE opponent

John Bradshaw Layfield (JBL) says Ron Simmons once beat up Scotty 2 Hotty after he attempted to use The Worm during a match.

Scotty 2 Hotty used to hop around the ring on one leg while WWE fans spelled out the word ‘W-O-R-M.’ He then performed the worm dance motion before striking his grounded opponent in the chest.

Speaking on Corey Graves’ After The Bell podcast, JBL recalled how Simmons had no idea what his opponent was doing when he began the sequence:

“We were in Canada when Scotty 2 Hotty did The Worm the first time. Ron thought he was screwing up the match and Ron put the boots to him and damn near killed The Worm! He beat the s*** out of the guy! Scotty comes back, he goes, ‘Ron, I’m trying to do this thing called The Worm.’ Ron goes, ‘Why didn’t you tell me?!’”

The Worm became one of the most popular moves of WWE’s Attitude Era. Current RAW star Otis performed a variation of the move, the Caterpillar, during his run as a babyface.

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JBL explains how WWE live events helped certain moves become popular

Superstars often have to stick to scripts and time constraints when they appear in matches or segments on television. At untelevised live events, however, the atmosphere is usually different and superstars have the freedom to be more creative.

Discussing the origin of The Worm, JBL said live events are the perfect environment to debut new moves:

“The next night, Ron called it for him. He said, ‘Do The Worm.’ We wanted to see it. We didn’t know what it was. He does it, we just thought it would be a stupid thing. The crowd went crazy. You try stuff like that at house shows. You never know what’s gonna work out.”

Much like Scotty 2 Hotty’s Worm, JBL added that The Rock’s People’s Elbow is one of the worst moves in wrestling history. He initially tested out the crowd-pleasing move at live events, and the positive reactions led to it becoming part of his move set on television.

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Please credit After The Bell and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.