John “Bradshaw” Layfield and Ron Simmons, best known for their time together in WWE as the Acolyte Protection Agency [APA], have looked back on one match where they thought their time in the company may have come to an end.
Formed during The Attitude Era, JBL and Simmons, previously known as Bradshaw and Farooq, respectively, garnered a reputation as one of the hardest-hitting duos in the company. Bradshaw’s finisher, the clothesline from hell, was especially devastating when executed perfectly and sold by the right opponent. However, during one match, a notable name insisted that they took the move full force.
Speaking with Chris Van Vliet, Bradshaw was asked if there was ever a time when he hit an especially stiff clothesline. Bradshaw then recalled a match involving Shane McMahon at SummerSlam where McMahon insisted he was hit harder than anyone before him. Despite their reservations, Shane insisted. After Bradshaw hit the move on the boss’ son, Farooq thought they would be fired then and there:
JBL: “Oh yeah, Shane McMahon, almost killed him. Shane told me you got to hit me harder than you’ve ever hit anybody in your life. Ron goes, ‘Don’t do it, don’t do it!’ So, I mean, we’re at SummerSlam. Shane’s running around. He’s running full speed. I’m like, you got to be kidding me! I hit him so freaking hard. I never hit anybody like that in my life. But he told me, he was threatening me. ‘All right, you got to hit me. You got to hit me. You got to hit me.’ It’s all he kept telling me all day was you got to hit me the hardest clothesline I ever hit. I hit him, and as soon as I did, Ron goes ‘We’re fired.’”
Ron: “I just told him, ‘Go back there and start packing. I’m just gonna go back in and start packing my sh*t.’ The only thing I just recall seeing was this part of Shane’s right here disappearing so fast. I was just standing there shaking my head like it’s been a good run. It’s been a good run, man. Nice knowing you.”
“Shane’s Nuts!”: APA Member JBL On What Happened After WWE Match
Even though there was a concern about what happened in the ring, there was no heat backstage regarding the incident. JBL then recalled how Shane reacted to the spot:
JBL: “Oh, Shane thought it was the greatest thing ever! Shane’s nuts. Shane thought it’s the greatest thing ever. ‘Oh, that’s awesome! That’s awesome! It’s so good.’”
Featured image: WWE
