JBL Discusses Commentating, The VFL, Leaving WWE & More
Former WWE performer JBL appeared on Fight Network Radio this past Friday to promote the Vyper Fight League event last Friday in Louisville, Kentucky.
JBL says he has always been a fan of MMA stating it shoot fighting was very limited when he grew with the exception of the one big fight between Muhammad Ali and Antonio Inoki in 1976. He said he became a big fan by training with Brad Rheingans and follows MMA very closely.
JBL says the VFL is hoping to build a regional network, he says Dana White does a tremendous job and doesn't think Dana White even knows who they are. He said there are some great fight clubs in Kentucky and Tennessee with some strong talent on the local market. He wants to give a market for these guys to get experience and eventually go out and make money.
Mauro Ranallo discusses fans that don't care for the synergy between pro wrestling and MMA. JBL says that the die hard MMA fan wants to disassociate with anything to do with pro wrestling, which would mean no ramp, spotlights, music, the interviews and everything that makes it entertainment. He says that Michael Jordan was the greatest basketball player of all time with the greatest team and still a Bulls game had tons of entertainment aspects to their presentation at a live event.
On his WWE departure he said he had wanted to leave after 'WrestleMania 25' because of the anniversary in Texas and had thought about it for quite some time. He said he wanted to be able to walk away from the sport and didn't want to embarrass himself stating that he used every 'smoke and mirror' tactic to hide his inadequacies. He discusses his mic work and was able to channel it better later in his career but always had the gift of gab.
On becoming a color commentator he stated it occurred because of his back injury and there was an opening with Tazz moving to ECW in 2006 on commentary. He stated Vince McMahon never screamed at him and JBL said Vince was very helpful to him on commentary and when he got chewed out he deserved it.
JBL states that Jack Swagger and Shelton Benjamin could transition over to MMA. He said back a few years guys like Steve Blackman, Bart Gunn and Charlie Haas could have but Haas has some neck injuries now and had probably missed the window to enter MMA competitively. JBL said he would have loved to do MMA and trained with Ken Shamrock and Guy Mezger prior to the 1998 'Brawl for All' and loved it but said he wasn't young enough and tough enough to do it and wouldn't have been very good at MMA.
JBL states that companies such as Elite XC didn't last because a lot of these companies didn't know what they were doing and came in expecting to compete with the UFC right out of the gate and throw out so much cash without a clue.
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