Vince McMahon fired "special" WWE star after he said "classless" word in promo, JBL recalls

John Bradshaw Layfield (JBL) wrestled for Vince McMahon's WWE between 1995 and 2009 before becoming a commentator. The Hall of Famer recently recalled how McMahon fired Brad Maddox after the former WWE talent swore during a promo.

Maddox left WWE in 2015 after seven years with the company. On November 24, 2015, he called the audience "pr*cks" before losing to R-Truth in a non-televised match at a Main Event taping.

JBL told Something to Wrestle host Conrad Thompson that McMahon thought the word "pr*ck" was "classless." He added that the former WWE Chairman had high hopes for Maddox before the incident:

"That's what Brad Maddox got fired for," JBL said. "Remember Brad Maddox? He was talented as he could be. I remember Vince seeing him backstage one time, and I'm sitting by Vince and he was doing a promo, and he [Vince McMahon] goes, 'Man, that kid is special.' Vince really liked him. And I don't know exactly what he got fired for, but he said pr*ck in the promo. Vince thought that was the most classless word ever." [41:08 – 41:30]

Maddox is best remembered for his role as RAW General Manager in 2013 and 2014. He also performed as a crooked referee at Hell in a Cell 2012 to help CM Punk retain the WWE Championship against Ryback.

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JBL explains why Vince McMahon reprimanded him

Several years before the Brad Maddox controversy, JBL used the word "pr*ck" during a feud with two-time Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels.

According to the former WWE Champion, McMahon was afraid sponsors would raise concerns if the word aired on television:

"I once called Shawn Michaels that in a promo," JBL continued. "I said, 'You're a selfish pr*ck,' or something. I didn't realize how bad Vince hated it. I came back and he's like, 'We got sponsors here.' The first time he ever ripped me on language, and I didn't realize that that was the word he hated so bad until the Brad Maddox thing happened." [41:30 – 41:50]

In the same episode, JBL explained why fans were wrong to jump to conclusions about his role in Mauro Ranallo's WWE departure.

Do you think Vince McMahon was right to fire Brad Maddox? Hit the discuss button and let us know.

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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.