Layfield rose to prominence in WWE during its Attitude Era under the ring name Bradshaw, during which time he became a three-time WWF Tag Team Champion with Ron Simmons as part of the Acolytes Protection Agency (APA) or simply the Acolytes, a feared pair of strong and tough mercenaries who, aside from occasionally wrestling and doing "work" for "clients" spent most of their time sitting around in their "office" playing cards, drinking beer, fighting people backstage and then going out to bars and getting into bar fights.

In 2004, Simmons retired and the APA separated, and Layfield was rebranded as the heel character JBL— a rough-mannered, brawling, blustering, bad-tempered and bigmouthed Texas elite businessman, driven into the arena by limousine.

Layfield did play in the World League of American Football, starting all ten games of the 1991 season at right tackle for the San Antonio Riders, wearing jersey number 61.

Hawk won his second GWF Tag Team Championship with Black Bart on December 25, 1993, from Steve Dane and Chaz Taylor, eventually losing them to The Fabulous Freebirds (Jimmy Garvin and Terry Gordy) on June 3, 1994.

[2][11] His initial gimmick was that of a rough and tumble Texas cowboy (similar in terms of appearance and character to Stan Hansen),[12] with Uncle Zebakiah as his manager.

On the May 31, 1999, episode of Raw Is War, the Acolytes (still with the Corporate Ministry) won their first WWF Tag Team Championship by defeating Kane and X-Pac.

[23] On the July 5 episode of Raw Is War, they dropped the titles to the Hardy Boyz (Matt and Jeff)[24] before defeating the Hardyz and their manager Michael "P.S."

The duo was often seen in the backrooms of arenas with a poker table and later a framed doorway comically in the middle of the often large, open aired hallways, which they insisted anyone who came to speak to them use.

The Acolytes earned a shot at the WWF Tag Title at the Royal Rumble against the New Age Outlaws (Road Dogg and Billy Gunn), but lost the match.

Bradshaw was drafted to Raw where his gimmick had an increased emphasis on his Texas roots, which included him carrying a cowbell to the ring and teaming up with fellow Texan Stone Cold Steve Austin.

Bradshaw returned on the June 19, 2003, episode of SmackDown!, which saw him and Faarooq saving the Undertaker from the hands of Chuck Palumbo and Johnny Stamboli, reuniting the APA in the process.

[38] At Vengeance on July 27, Bradshaw won a bar room brawl match which featured Faarooq and a variety of mid-card superstars and other WWE employees.

After the on air character of Faarooq disappeared from WWE television, Bradshaw proceeded to take on a J. R. Ewing esque gimmick, complete with a suit, cowboy hat, and tie.

He began his first main event push as Kurt Angle and Big Show were injured and Brock Lesnar left the company, with someone needed to face the current WWE Champion Eddie Guerrero.

[52] His first promo was on the border between Texas and Mexico, where he hunted for incoming illegal immigrants to win a "Great American Award," which granted the winner number one contendership to the WWE Championship.

"[61] At its peak, the stable contained Orlando Jordan, who was JBL's "Chief-of-Staff" and Doug and Danny Basham, who were his "Co-Secretaries of Defense" until quitting the Cabinet on the June 16, 2005, episode of SmackDown!.

A broken back suffered in a match in England, compounded by a herniated and bulged disc, finally made me realize my career as a professional wrestler was over.

After failing to secure JBL for the World Heavyweight Championship against John Cena at the Royal Rumble on January 25, 2009, Michaels agreed to take part in an "All or Nothing" match at No Way Out on February 15.

[6] Layfield made his return to WWE on the March 7, 2011, episode of Raw as Michael Cole's choice for special guest referee for his match against Jerry Lawler at WrestleMania XXVII on April 3.

He cut a promo claiming he was starting his "journey back to the main event at WrestleMania," before being interrupted by Stone Cold Steve Austin just as he was about to sign the contract.

On March 31, 2012, Layfield inducted his former tag team partner and real life best friend Ron Simmons into the 2012 WWE Hall of Fame.

Layfield later re-signed with WWE and returned to the SmackDown broadcast team on a full-time basis, alongside Josh Mathews and eventually Michael Cole.

However, JBL was quickly eliminated by Roman Reigns while trying to hand his jacket to Michael Cole and resumed his role as commentator for the rest of the broadcast.

On September 1, 2017, JBL announced that he was stepping away from the SmackDown Live commentary team to focus on humanitarian work in and out of WWE, mainly as a Beyond Sport Global Ambassador.

[51] In March 2009, Layfield Energy became the main sponsor and advertiser of Ohio Valley Wrestling, a former WWE developmental promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky.

[131] Feeling confined living in New York City, he spent the summer of 2009 in Bermuda at his wife's encouragement, and the couple soon bought a full-time home there.

The organization is an offshoot of Beyond Sport, a South African nonprofit that uses running for similar purposes; Layfield was introduced to that group's founder when he and his wife visited the country for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

[134] During a WWE house show in Munich, Germany, early in June 2004, in an attempt to draw heel heat, he gave the crowd several Nazi salutes while goose-stepping around the ring.

"[148] Dayton Daily News described that "YouTube has dozens of interviews where former performers discuss harassment, bullying and taking real blows from Layfield while wrestling him in supposedly choreographed matches.

"[149] Le Journal de Montréal listed Mark Henry, Matt Hardy, René Duprée, Daivari, and Ivory, among others, as wrestlers who in interviews described Layfield as a bully.