JBL is no stranger to cutting promos, but during his career as a professional football player, the superstar channeled his inner Hulk Hogan for a postgame interview.
The Philadelphia Inquirer editor / Straight Shooters podcast host Vaughn M. Johnson recently unearthed footage of JBL — real name John Layfield — when he was playing football in the World League of American Football (which later became NFL Europe). Layfield played for the San Antonio Riders in the 1991 season.
During a sideline interview, Layfield was referred to as “the Hulk man.” Layfield then launched into a spot-on Hulk Hogan impersonation, complete with telling a story about traveling thousands of miles by foot, shark, and more.
Just a year after this interview took place, Layfield would then begin his professional wrestling career in the Global Wrestling Federation. Three years later, he would debut in the WWE as John Hawk, before becoming JBL a decade later in 2004.
Check out the “Hulk-man” interview (and the full game) below:
It’s clear that JBL was inspired by Hulk Hogan. The self-proclaimed Wrestling God also went on to inspire one of today’s stars as well.
Big Bill (W. Morrissey/Big Cass) was on a recent episode of AEW Unrestricted and credited JBL as one of his influences.
“Man, I tried to really emulate Brock [Lesnar] in terms of the intensity, Undertaker with the intensity. But in terms of being a heel, JBL is a guy, there’s something about JBL, that 2004 2005 JBL where he’s just such an asshole,” Big Bill said. “So I do kind of emulate him quite a bit.
Read More: Big Bill Credits JBL And The Shawshank Redemption As Some Of His Heel Influences
