WWE Turning Point: Analyzing Historical Impact of Bradshaw Becoming JBL

Some may remember JBL from his days as Justin "Hawk" Bradshaw or from his days as one half of The Acolytes and the APA. Others may only know him as one of WWE's current commentators.

But around a decade ago, WWE made a very important move in its history by transforming Bradshaw into John Bradshaw Layfield.

No longer was he a beer-swilling brawler who teamed with Faarooq to wreak havoc on the WWE. He had traded all of that in for a suit and tie and a white cowboy hat.

Bradshaw would become known as John Bradshaw Layfield, or JBL. It was a bold move by WWE, and one that seemed destined to fail.

JBL was always known for his toughness, for being one of the best brawlers in the business. Now he's coming to the ring in a limousine and talking up his stock market prowess. How were fans going to react to this?

It didn't take long for JBL to land himself in the main event.

Shortly after becoming the snobby character that was everything he wasn't for most of his WWE career, JBL found himself challenging for the WWE Championship.

JBL defeated Eddie Guerrero by disqualification in his first match for the title at Judgment Day. A rematch was scheduled for Great American Bash. This time, it would be contested in a Texas Bull Rope match.

Though it was a controversial ending, JBL would claim the title.

After toiling around the midcard and being part of a tag team for his entire WWE career, JBL had reached the top of the mountain in a matter of months under his new persona.

JBL's feud with Guerrero provided some classic WWE moments. He would turn that into another big rivalry with The Undertaker.

Though he needed help to beat Undertaker, JBL escaped with his title. He also had a lot of momentum on his side.

JBL would use this to hold onto the title for several more months. Despite the odds always being stacked against him, he hung onto the belt. This included winning some Triple Threat and Fatal 4-Way matches.

JBL would surround himself with a group of Superstars who would become known as "The Cabinet". Orlando Jordan and the Basham Brothers would align themselves with JBL, making it even harder for someone to dethrone him.

Soon, JBL would tout his title reign as the best in over a decade. He would hold the title for 280 days before dropping it.

At WrestleMania 21, JBL would land a spot in one of the main events. This was the first time he would earn such an honor, and it was a first for his opponent—John Cena.

This match would go down as the most important of JBL's career. He had been tasked with helping to build up the company's next potential star.

Cena would win the match and become WWE Champion. A star was born that night, but JBL helped make it happen.

JBL would never hold the WWE title again, but his run as champion should be remembered for one of the best in the last 10 years.

Historically, the JBL character must be considered among the best heels ever. He was golden on the microphone. His promos were excellent, and he did his job—getting the crowd to hate him—extremely well.

JBL had a memorable title run, especially when you consider what he had done to that point in his career.

On top of that, his success in that role helped make Cena the Superstar he is today. Forget whether their match at WrestleMania 21 was good or not, Cena defeating the man who had held the title for as long as he did—a guy who held off Guerrero, Undertaker and Big Show—made him look so much stronger.

WWE did something it rarely does. It went outside the box and found a guy to push to the top. Though it had a deep roster at the time, WWE found someone else and gave the fans something different.

Since the beginning of 2011, only eight different men have held the WWE Championship. Two of those Superstars don't compete full-time (The Rock, Brock Lesnar), and one man (Rey Mysterio) lost the title the same night he won it.

In 2014, WWE needs to find its JBL. The company needs to think outside the box and find someone who can be fresh in the main event.

It may have been a risk to put JBL in the role he was in, but it was a risk that paid off. WWE should strongly consider making bold moves like this much more often.