JBL recalls the time he almost got into a fight with Vampiro.
During a recent episode of Stories With Brisco And Bradshaw, guest Missy Hyatt asked John “Bradshaw” Layfield how he ended up being booked as the American Vampiro (Vampiro Americano) back in 1993 in Mexico. Layfield then explained how he was ribbed and didn’t know it.
“Here’s the part I didn’t know, I didn’t know that Vampiro had gotten into some heat with Elizondo who ran Monterey, CMLL. And apparently, he had punched one of his stooges, which I had no problem punching a stooge, so believe me, I’m sure it was justified. I have no idea what happened,” Layfield said. “So they cut him off at that point from working in Monterey and he was, I believe, the champion at the time. So they took the championship from him in his absence and they brought me down as the American Vampire. They’d seen me working a border show, with Carrie by the way, and they wanted me to come down and be the American Vampiro.
“Well, I thought I was going down like The Dark Patriot to The Patriot. I thought Vampiro was in on it. I thought I was coming down as the heel vampire. I had no idea I was coming down as Elizondo trying to stick it to Vampiro. I had no idea.”
Layfield confirmed that Vampiro was furious because not only did they give him Vampiro’s title, but they went to his seamstress and picked up his new ring attire.
“I don’t know that he’s not in on it. I think he’s the one who gave me the stuff,” Layfield recalled. “So I’m sitting there, I worked the loop, and we’re bringing in the vampire to work against me. I’m the heel vampire. He sold Monterey out. He was as hot as Hogan down there. He was as over as a person could be. So we’re working in Monterey, the Plaza del Toros. He sold the place out. This is the first time the two vampires are going to meet. I’m sitting in the dressing room and for the first time I meet him. I think he’s been in on the whole thing. I thought it was probably his idea to bring me down. I didn’t know I was a thorn in his flesh that Elizondo’s bringing me down to mess with him. So I’m sitting there across from him in this tiny room and he’s just eye-balling me. I could tell there’s heat and I can’t figure out why.
“So, we go talk over the match and he’s still eye-balling me. Finally I said, ‘Do we have heat?’ And he said, ‘You’re wearing my shit.’ I said, ‘Well, yeah, that’s the idea. I’m wearing your stuff and I’m gonna drop the title to you, drop the name to you.’ He goes, ‘You’re wearing my shit!’ He’s looking at me like he’s about punch me and I had no idea why he’s mad at me. I’m clueless. All of a sudden he relaxes and goes, ‘You’re not in on it, are you?’ ‘In on what?’ And then he tells me the whole story.
“Think about this, I’ve got his title on. I’ve got his stuff on that he ordered, and I’m sitting in front of him in a dressing room. He’s gotta be thinking, ‘This is the craziest person on the planet.’ So finally we he figured out what it was, I just laughed and said, ‘This is the greatest story ever.’ And he did too. At that point he thought it was funny.”
Layfield explained how he ran into him years later in an elevator and he didn’t recognize Vampiro right away because he had his head shaved. “Right away, he goes, ‘You’re not gonna say hi to me?’ And you know how you don’t look at people in the elevator? I said, ‘I’m sorry?’ He goes, ‘You’re wearing my shit.’ ‘Oh my god, it’s Vampiro!’ Yeah, so I was a horrible vampire, but I got to be in front of a lot of sold-out arenas because I was wrestling a very good vampire.”
Layfield then said it was a pleasure to work with Vampiro before Missy Hyatt questioned how Layfield was able to portray American Vampiro considering Elizondo liked male stripper types. “That I don’t know,” Layfield responded. “I’ll take that as a compliment, though, if I look anything like a male stripper… Maybe I’m like a cover boy for Farm Almanac or something.”
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If you use any quotes from this article, please credit Stories With Brisco And Bradshaw with a h/t to WrestleZone for the transcription.
