The Blue Meanie Opens Up About Burying The Hatchet With JBL

Blue Meanie is no stranger to making money off of personal animosity.

Meanie recently spoke to Wrestling Inc.'s Nick Hausman and broached the topic of the recent animosity in the AEW locker room. Meanie says that he can relate to former AEW World Champion CM Punk "on this whole issue of exploding" and wanting to air out grievances. Meanie recalled his own backstage drama while he was in WWE.

"It's been well known that me and JBL had our issues from '98 to 2000 when I worked there," Meanie said, "and when I left I spoke my mind, and then it came to a head at One Night Stand in 2005."

Meanie is referring to an infamous incident where JBL bloodied Meanie's face during a brawl between WWE Superstars and former ECW stars. Meanie explained how he and JBL later mended fences and blended fiction with reality.

"Well, WWE brought me out to Sacramento. Me and JBL talked our issues out and we turned a really ugly shoot into a work, and we both made some money off it."

Meanie and JBL had a No Disqualification Match on the July 7, 2005 edition of "SmackDown", and Meanie was able to spin that into more appearances for WWE, even getting a match at the 2005 Great American Bash.

"That's the power of just being able to stand across from the person you have an issue with and just say it," Meanie said, "but that's in 2005."

Meanie noted that in 2022 people still throw JBL's name at Meanie to get a rise out of him, and it can get grating.

"Look, we've posted pictures together, I've been on the man's podcast, yet I don't know how much more proof I need to say, hey, we're cool now. We get along, there's no issue," Meanie said, calling the issues "dead & buried," and even noting that JBL almost got Meanie into the Royal Rumble.

Meanie says these experiences with trolls make him understand why someone like CM Punk would get to the point where he'd need to address his issues in public, though he thinks the issues should be kept out of the public light.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Wrestling Inc. with a h/t for the transcription.