JBL says WWE punished him for leaving before Steve Austin match

Stone Cold Steve Austin was one of WWE's marquee names in the late 1990s and early 2000s. In a recent podcast episode, John Bradshaw Layfield (JBL) recalled how he once missed out on an opportunity to face The Texas Rattlesnake.

Austin was due to close a WWE show against Billy Gunn, but his opponent could not compete due to an injury. Management wanted JBL to replace Gunn. However, he had already performed that night and left the building early.

On the Something to Wrestle podcast, JBL said WWE's higher-ups booked him to lose Hardcore matches as a punishment:

"There was a time they were gonna put me in a match with Steve and I left the building early. Oh f**k. Billy got hurt or something. Oh my God, they put me out there two weeks straight with the same guy and just did a Hardcore match and had me get beat. They were so [mad]." [54:18 – 54:33]

JBL wrestled as Bradshaw at the height of Steve Austin's popularity in the Attitude Era. During that time, the 2020 WWE Hall of Famer mostly worked alongside fellow APA member Faarooq.

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JBL elaborates on why he missed Steve Austin match

WWE wrestlers often spent 300+ days per year on the road during the Attitude Era. As a result, some roster members opted to leave arenas as soon as their match or segment ended.

Looking back, JBL wishes he stayed that night and replaced Billy Gunn as Steve Austin's opponent:

"Guys used to leave early because we had different shows. They had somebody they needed for the main event. They were gonna put me in there. Stupid [leaving early]. I got punished for about a month for it. Longer than that because I didn't get the opportunity." [54:33 – 54:45]

JBL also addressed the possibility of Bianca Belair and CM Punk turning heel despite being fan favorites right now.

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