Black Widow
06-26-2008, 05:06 PM
When WWE wrestler John Bradshaw Layfield steps into the ring Saturday at the Taylor County Coliseum, he will do so nearly 20 years after leaving West Texas to begin life as a professional athlete.
Forgive him if he hasn't checked in for a while. Playing pro football, then starring as a pro wrestler and giving financial advice on Fox News Channel can eat up a man's time. And Abilene and Sweetwater are a little off the beaten path for someone in his lines of work.
"I just never had time off to come back home," he said.
Layfield, whose given name is John Charles Layfield, will wrestle Saturday under the name "JBL" as a part of "WWE Presents Raw, Smackdown and ECW Live." Scheduled to appear are Triple H, Batista, Big Show, Chris Jericho and Kane among others.
Born and raised in Sweetwater, Layfield played football as an offensive lineman at ACU in the late 1980s, and was good enough to be voted to the college's all-century team on the offensive line.
Layfield was briefly a member of the Los Angeles Raiders organization in the NFL before playing for San Antonio in the now-defunct World League of American Football.
Though his football career was cut short due to injuries, Layfield seized the chance to begin a career as a professional wrestler, one he had hoped to pursue for a long time. He remembers attending pro wrestling matches featuring Abilene's Don "the Lawman" Slayton, the Von Erichs and Terry Funk.
"That building that we are wrestling in is the same building I used to go see Don 'The Lawman' Slayton in and think to myself, 'I would really like to be one of these guys someday,'" Layfield said. "And to have that happen and get to come back it's just, for me, it's pretty cool."
He had to pay his dues in Japan, Europe and Mexico first, but he said he always knew he would become a professional wrestler for the WWE.
"And I always had that, I hate to call it a dream because I don't like dreamers, but I really had that goal of getting there," Layfield said.
Before leaving ACU, Layfield had traveled very little, and admits he figured West Texas was the prettiest place on Earth.
Now, Layfield has traveled the world, is a 17-time WWE Hardcore champion, three-time World Tag Team champion and one time European, United States and WWE champion (the latter of which he held from June 2004 to March 2005).
He owns houses in east Texas and New York City, but still prefers his West Texas roots.
"I like it out there (in West Texas). There's hard working people -- not that people don't work hard in New York," Layfield explained. "It's a different lifestyle, a different culture. Not that they aren't good people, but I am more at home in West Texas."
Those who do not watch wrestling may recognize Layfield from his work as a stock market investor, author of "Have More Money Now" and analyst on Fox News Channel and Fox Business Channel. He also hosts a weekly radio program, "The John Bradshaw Layfield Show," which can be heard at 8 a.m. Saturdays on Abilene's KWKC-AM (1340), or online at www.WWE.com.
He got interested in money management after losing some of his wealth. Layfield learned how to manage his resources instead of trusting others to do it for him.
Layfield says he and his wife, stock analyst Meredith Whitney, are workaholics.
"I literally have got three full-time jobs and I am doing what I want to do," he said.
Layfield is able to juggle his many jobs by compartmentalizing everything.
"When I am on WWE, that is what I do. When I am on Fox, that is what I do. And otherwise, I am running my own business services. I don't try to do two things at once," he said.
The thing Layfield is looking forward to most when he arrives in Abilene on Friday night (before leaving Sunday morning for an event in Dallas) is just seeing home.
"It's so unique. There's so many memories from Abilene through Sweetwater," he said. "You know, you go up and down certain streets and you remember when you were a kid doing this or were in college doing this and Abilene Christian has changed a lot. It's just awesome to come home."
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Forgive him if he hasn't checked in for a while. Playing pro football, then starring as a pro wrestler and giving financial advice on Fox News Channel can eat up a man's time. And Abilene and Sweetwater are a little off the beaten path for someone in his lines of work.
"I just never had time off to come back home," he said.
Layfield, whose given name is John Charles Layfield, will wrestle Saturday under the name "JBL" as a part of "WWE Presents Raw, Smackdown and ECW Live." Scheduled to appear are Triple H, Batista, Big Show, Chris Jericho and Kane among others.
Born and raised in Sweetwater, Layfield played football as an offensive lineman at ACU in the late 1980s, and was good enough to be voted to the college's all-century team on the offensive line.
Layfield was briefly a member of the Los Angeles Raiders organization in the NFL before playing for San Antonio in the now-defunct World League of American Football.
Though his football career was cut short due to injuries, Layfield seized the chance to begin a career as a professional wrestler, one he had hoped to pursue for a long time. He remembers attending pro wrestling matches featuring Abilene's Don "the Lawman" Slayton, the Von Erichs and Terry Funk.
"That building that we are wrestling in is the same building I used to go see Don 'The Lawman' Slayton in and think to myself, 'I would really like to be one of these guys someday,'" Layfield said. "And to have that happen and get to come back it's just, for me, it's pretty cool."
He had to pay his dues in Japan, Europe and Mexico first, but he said he always knew he would become a professional wrestler for the WWE.
"And I always had that, I hate to call it a dream because I don't like dreamers, but I really had that goal of getting there," Layfield said.
Before leaving ACU, Layfield had traveled very little, and admits he figured West Texas was the prettiest place on Earth.
Now, Layfield has traveled the world, is a 17-time WWE Hardcore champion, three-time World Tag Team champion and one time European, United States and WWE champion (the latter of which he held from June 2004 to March 2005).
He owns houses in east Texas and New York City, but still prefers his West Texas roots.
"I like it out there (in West Texas). There's hard working people -- not that people don't work hard in New York," Layfield explained. "It's a different lifestyle, a different culture. Not that they aren't good people, but I am more at home in West Texas."
Those who do not watch wrestling may recognize Layfield from his work as a stock market investor, author of "Have More Money Now" and analyst on Fox News Channel and Fox Business Channel. He also hosts a weekly radio program, "The John Bradshaw Layfield Show," which can be heard at 8 a.m. Saturdays on Abilene's KWKC-AM (1340), or online at www.WWE.com.
He got interested in money management after losing some of his wealth. Layfield learned how to manage his resources instead of trusting others to do it for him.
Layfield says he and his wife, stock analyst Meredith Whitney, are workaholics.
"I literally have got three full-time jobs and I am doing what I want to do," he said.
Layfield is able to juggle his many jobs by compartmentalizing everything.
"When I am on WWE, that is what I do. When I am on Fox, that is what I do. And otherwise, I am running my own business services. I don't try to do two things at once," he said.
The thing Layfield is looking forward to most when he arrives in Abilene on Friday night (before leaving Sunday morning for an event in Dallas) is just seeing home.
"It's so unique. There's so many memories from Abilene through Sweetwater," he said. "You know, you go up and down certain streets and you remember when you were a kid doing this or were in college doing this and Abilene Christian has changed a lot. It's just awesome to come home."
reporternews.com