JBL causes controversy in Munich

[Blue Demon]

http://www.wrestleview.com/news2004/1086546008.shtml

- Yesterday during the WWE SmackDown brand House Show in Munich, Germany when John Bradshaw Layfield teamed up with Booker T to take on The Undertaker & Eddie Guerrero, JBL reportedly flashed "Nazi" signs to gain some heat from the crowd in attendance.

Since the incident took place, numerous reports became available on the internet with various details concerning the situation. From what is known, JBL threw up the "Nazi" symbol at two separate times, angering many fans at the show. One fan even got thrown out of the arena when he wanted to attack JBL in the ring for doing so. For those unaware, flashing the symbol is illegal in Germany and even foreigners can be punished under German law for such an activity.

The general opinion of JBL at this time was that it was a sad attempt to gain heat from the crowd when he simply couldn't do it based on his character alone. It should also be noted that the Bavarian Governer's Chief of Staff and children were present at the show.




THat's just wrong.

[Joe Kerr]

That just shows that some wrestlers are just to desperate to get there character over.

[The CyNick]

See what happens when you dont bother to learn about other cultures. I dont think the WWE has any right to punish Bradshaw in any way for this because they did something similar to the Japanese with the Hirohito gimmick. Maybe all the WWE employees should take some classes in doing business around the world, then they'll know not to do these stupid things.

Although how funny would it have been if Bradshaw would have been arrested and held in Germany?

[The Ravishing One]

:nono:

[Dazz]

Yeah that is a shit way of gaining heat, he should be able to do it some otherway. What a moron.

[loopydate]

Although how funny would it have been if Bradshaw would have been arrested and held in Germany?
Hey, if their laws demand it.

[Innovator]

what a dumbass

[Rob]

Lowest way to get heat. Just shows what a dickhead and racist the guy is. Like we didn't know already though.

[Mr. JL]

[url]
For those unaware, flashing the symbol is illegal in Germany and even foreigners can be punished under German law for such an activity.

lets just hope this happens so we don't have to see JBL anymore

[OssMan]

What a fucking moron.

[My Final Heaven]

I can already see Bradshaw's response to this in my mind...

"Bah gawd! A'hm Jay-Bee-Ell dammit! Ah cun do whutever ah want! A'hm tha reason tha ratin's ur so hah! Them there ger-mans ur wimps! AH'M THA ONE THAT STUFFED EM IN THAR LOCKERS AN' MADE EM DO MAH HOMEWORK DAMMIT!"

:lol: Every fan that's older than 12 knows that Bradshaw's nothing but a joke.

[Mr. JL]

I can already see Bradshaw's response to this in my mind...

"Bah gawd! A'hm Jay-Bee-Ell dammit! Ah cun do whutever ah want! A'hm tha reason tha ratin's ur so hah! Them there ger-mans ur wimps! AH'M THA ONE THAT STUFFED EM IN THAR LOCKERS AN' MADE EM DO MAH HOMEWORK DAMMIT!"

:lol:
lol.... "Them, there"

[LK]

God what a ****ing moron.

[MVP]

Maybe all the WWE employees should take some classes in doing business around the world, then they'll know not to do these stupid things.
Lesson 1: Wrestling's fake; The Holocaust wasn't.

There will be a test on that sentence next week.

[Vega]

Bradshaw should be shot.

[Mayo]

"So with Bradshaw saluting Hitler, and HHH and his new nazi symbol, is this the beginning of a new regime? Will this outsider faction cause an enormous uprising all across the WWE? Tune in next week for raucous action on Smackdown!"

Vince: Dammit, I did it again! I'm such a genius.

[Rob]

Bradshaw should be shot.

Well if someone can find me a shooter and a big old deserted area of land... :shifty:

[John la Rock]

What a fucking moron.

[Nowhere Man]

"So with Bradshaw saluting Hitler, and HHH and his new nazi symbol, is this the beginning of a new regime? Will this outsider faction cause an enormous uprising all across the WWE? Tune in next week for raucous action on Smackdown!"

Vince: Dammit, I did it again! I'm such a genius.

:lol: Vince McMahon, owner of the Fourth Reich. Can't you see "I'm Vince McMahon, dammit" becoming the next "Sieg Heil?"

[Head]

Throw the fucker in jail. Seriously.

[VonErich Lives]

Lowest way to get heat. Just shows what a dickhead and racist the guy is. Like we didn't know already though.

Rob, just wondering, do you have some info on him being an actual racist outside of this "heel charecter"?

I'm just wondering, cause you normally have inside info, but a lot of people tend to confuse a charecter with real life and wanted to clear this up.

[Edge]

What a cowardly act of getting heel heat. I guess that just shows you how high JBL's inelligence levle is. What a low life son of a bitch.

[FourFifty]

Damn it, after this post my "fu</i>ck Bradshaw" post will be over shadowed!

[Kane Knight]

Okay, the wording of the articles a little confusing. Are we talking the stiff arm "heil" salute that is so famous, or the swastika symbol, or what?

There are many "symbols" of the Nazi party, though it sounds like they're talking the stiff arm (Whcih, BTW, isn't really a symbol).

In any event, most of these relics are banned in Germany. Fossils of a past of genocide and hatred. I wonder if Triple H's shirts are legal there.

[Wondermouse]

It was the salute.

Triple H's shirt is a different matter. The Iron Cross is still used today by the German Air Force, and it's a take on a Motorhead logo.

[Mr. JL]

Okay, the wording of the articles a little confusing. Are we talking the stiff arm "heil" salute that is so famous, or the swastika symbol, or what?

There are many "symbols" of the Nazi party, though it sounds like they're talking the stiff arm (Whcih, BTW, isn't really a symbol).

In any event, most of these relics are banned in Germany. Fossils of a past of genocide and hatred. I wonder if Triple H's shirts are legal there.
Can someone please enlighten me as to what exactly a "swastika" symbol is?

[Mayo]

http://history1900s.about.com/library/graphics/swastikart2.gif

There ya go.

[Nowhere Man]

Can someone please enlighten me as to what exactly a "swastika" symbol is?

You're kidding me. Watch the History Channel for about 5 minutes, and you're bound to see a Swastika somewhere.

It was the insignia of the Nazi Party.

[Shadow]

JBL throwing out Nazi salutes? Why am I not surprised. Do we even have to get a deserted area of land? We could simply shoot him during Smackdown while he's in the back. That would get SD! some ratings for a week.

[Fryza]

Throw the fucker in jail. Seriously.

And let him wander around the shower rooms freely during shower time?! What the hell are you thinking?

On a serious note, Bradshaw is a pathetic asshole.

[Mr. JL]

You're kidding me. Watch the History Channel for about 5 minutes, and you're bound to see a Swastika somewhere.

It was the insignia of the Nazi Party.
WOW! I feel like an idiot now (and right fully so I guess). I've seen that symbol half a billion times by now. I just never knew "swastika" was the name for it.

[El Santo]

So... Did he wave around a Nazi flag or did he make a Nazi hand gesture? Because making a swastika with your hands would be pretty damn near impossible, I'd think.

I'm going with the "Zeig Heil" salute.

Also, if Germany is banning all those Nazi logos, they really should stop using the Iron Cross for their Air Force. Just looking at all those shiny new fighters with their black crosses makes me subconsciously think it's an army of impenetrable evil. No knock on the German Air Force, of course... they just need to design something new.

[Wondermouse]

It was the salute.

The iron cross was never a Nazi Symbol, it was a German military symbol since Bismarck, I believe.

[El Santo]

Whoops! Missed that. That's what I get for skimming this post too fast. Thanks, Wondernouse.

[Wondermouse]

No prob.

BTW, I find it funny that your custom title refers to Eddie given your namesake's history with the Guerrero family.

[El Santo]

Yeah, weird coincidence that. I only recently found pictures of the El Santo/Gory Guerrero tag team and the Hijo del Santo/Eddie Guerrero tag, and I was pleasantly surprised myself. ;)

[Kane Knight]

JBL throwing out Nazi salutes? Why am I not surprised.
Because he's a Republican and a financial expert? Prolly liked Hitler's economic plan...

[Kane Knight]

The iron cross was never a Nazi Symbol, it was a German military symbol since Bismarck, I believe.
Yeah, but it is most commonly associated with the Nazis. Keep in mind that the concept of the Aryan existed before the Nazis, as did the swastika (though not exactly the Nazi one), and the Nazi salute is a variation on an earlier salute.

come to think of it, even the attempted extermination of the Jews wasn't exactly a new idea. Damn, those Nazis were some uncreative fuckers.

[Shadow]

Now I know where all those Nazi war criminals are hiding. They're the WWE writers!

[Goldbird]

It's just like doing a house show in china and saying "CHINGCHANGCHONG......." :shifty:

[HardyStonerfan]

The swastika is acctually a symbol of peace, originally used by Indians.

[Fox]

What a fuck.

Next thing you know, JBL's gonna be pulling that shit here in America, and try to eliminate all the ethnicities.

"We already got that sumbitch Goldberg outta the Dubya-Dubya-E, now we gotsta get them damn chinks and mex-er-cans outta herre."

Must be why he hit Eddie so hard with that chair at Judgment Day.

[Boondock Saint]

Dumb shit

[HardyStonerfan]

Oh, and JBL is worse the I can describe. I lost some very close people cause of some of that DUMB ASS Shit. I Had several relatives..Greats mostly who were killed cause of those belifes..so..I hope he Rots.

[HeartBreakMan2k]

The swastika is acctually a symbol of peace, originally used by Indians.

It was actually used long before that as a symbol of hope and faith.

[cream]

I bet he blames it all on the internet fans.

[Blue Demon]

Here's an update.

As previously reported by Adam Martin, John Bradshaw Layfield caused major controversy in Munich, Germany when he flashed Nazi mannerisms in an attempt to gain heat from the crowd during his bout with Eddie Guerrero. Many people within the WWE feel that JBL indeed crossed the boundaries of decency and good taste, even by wrestling standards. Many fans have reportedly wrote in to various places, irate over JBL's actions and are threatening to write to CNBC to get Bradshaw removed from his spot there, and even contacting the Germany Ministry of Foreign Affairs to report him.

[big_bluto]

Here's an update.

As previously reported by Adam Martin, John Bradshaw Layfield caused major controversy in Munich, Germany when he flashed Nazi mannerisms in an attempt to gain heat from the crowd during his bout with Eddie Guerrero. Many people within the WWE feel that JBL indeed crossed the boundaries of decency and good taste, even by wrestling standards. Many fans have reportedly wrote in to various places, irate over JBL's actions and are threatening to write to CNBC to get Bradshaw removed from his spot there, and even contacting the Germany Ministry of Foreign Affairs to report him.
I hope that they do!
There's a fine line between provoking a reaction and provoking outrage.
WWE needs to learn where it is.
What next? Beating up pregnant women, or have they already done that?

[I-Hate-You]

Apparently, they have a picture of Bradshaw doing this.

They are also reporting him to CNBC. :lol:

[I-Hate-You]

Nevermind now.

The pic is gone.

[Disturbed316]

How do you know he wasn't just waving to someone?

[Corkscrewed]

Because fans there saw it, and it must have been pretty obvious.

I hope he gets fired from all his jobs and extradited to Germany to face charges, gets convicted, and spends some time in jail. What a dumbass. THIS is your #1 contender???

[The Naitch]

Goldberg vs Bradshaw

[Rob]

Rob, just wondering, do you have some info on him being an actual racist outside of this "heel charecter"?

I'm just wondering, cause you normally have inside info, but a lot of people tend to confuse a charecter with real life and wanted to clear this up.

Aside from all his public comments on the French, Iraqui's, Arabs and muslims in general, I've got nothing. I think that's enough to justify it though.

[LK]

Originally Posted by Sascha
Here's an update.

As previously reported by Adam Martin, John Bradshaw Layfield caused major controversy in Munich, Germany when he flashed Nazi mannerisms in an attempt to gain heat from the crowd during his bout with Eddie Guerrero. Many people within the WWE feel that JBL indeed crossed the boundaries of decency and good taste, even by wrestling standards. Many fans have reportedly wrote in to various places, irate over JBL's actions and are threatening to write to CNBC to get Bradshaw removed from his spot there, and even contacting the Germany Ministry of Foreign Affairs to report him.

Good. If this is illegal in Germany then he should face the punishment for doing it. God the man is such a ****ing idiot. Hope the WWE drop his push after he gets killed by Eddie at the Great American Bash. I hope he doesn't get fired because he doesn't even deserve a pay off. Hopefuly he will go back to where he belongs, the lower midcard and become a jobber. ****ing moron.

[The Mackem]

He's an embarassment really. His comments on the French were bad enough but this doesn't help. Desperate times...

[VonErich Lives]

So, would anyones opinion on JBL change if it comes out that Vince told him to do it?

[Nowhere Man]

How much do you want to bet Vince doesn't even lift a finger to reprimand him on this?

RVD shows up late once, and gets kicked off the show and replaced with Hardcore Holly and Billy Gunn. Bradshaw nearly incites a riot and breaks a national law, and just you watch him go scot-free (unless he gets reported by the German authorities) In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if they gave him the Title, what with WWE's apparent love of racist angles (Booker T vs Hunter, Eddie vs JBL, the Gang Warz, etc)

[Gerard]

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/gerald.marley/fg/bradshaw_says_hail_hitler.jpg

*ah can see mah maw from here, HEY MAW!! durr hyuk hyuk*

:wtf:

[Mayo]

So, would anyones opinion on JBL change if it comes out that Vince told him to do it?

Yes my opinion would change, but just a bit because JBL is still quite an ignorant and crass individual. It would really be Vince's fault in this case, and still a case of really cheap heat. Vince created JBL, and he thinks its such a great creation, and it really wouldn't surprise me if Vince was the mastermind.
:nono:

[BasicThuganomics]

And let him wander around the shower rooms freely during shower time?! What the hell are you thinking?



Hey, it's 2004! DON'T JUDGE!

[Kane Knight]

So, would anyones opinion on JBL change if it comes out that Vince told him to do it?
Yes.

Not hugely, however.

Regardless of whose ideas it was, it was a bad idea, and Bradshaw still executed it. I somehow doubt he even executed it after objections.

As an aside, why is the all-American Bradshaw giving the Nazi salute in the first place? I mean, I know wrestingdoesn't always make the most sense, but come on...This is a headscratcher even compared to some of the dumbest moments in the WWE...

[Blue Demon]

http://www.wrestleview.com/news2004/1087212997.shtml


Insensitive beyond words.

Cheap heat.

Beyond any common decency.

Those are just a few of the phrases used expressing opinions on the actions depicted in the picture above from Moonsault.de, as John "Bradshaw" Layfield ceased to use any form of reasonable judgement by attempting to get heel heat by giving a Nazi salute as well as goosestepping to a crowd in Munich, Germany, at a time when many around the West were remembering the 60th anniversary of the D-Day invasion that led to the liberation of Europe.

It's notable that such actions have been against German law since World War II as part of post-war laws enacted against Third Reich imagery and symbols, including the possession of swastikas and making the stiff-armed Nazi salute.

It's also notable that Munich was the birthplace of the Nazi Party.

After the incident became public, CNBC received thousands of calls and emails from fans demanding that the company take some action. The actions cost Layfield his job as a financial analyst on CNBC. He had been hired last month by CNBC after serving for some time as a financial analyst for Fox News Channel. In a statement, a CNBC spokesman said Layfield was fired because, "We find his behavior to be offensive, inappropriate and not befitting anyone associated with our network."

That is certainly an understatement.

WWE also responded to the incident through a statement on its web site, and to those e-mailing WWE regarding the incident:

"WWE and John Layfield deeply regret Mr. Layfield's actions in the ring at our event in Munich and apologize if it has offended or upset our fans. Mr. Layfield has been reprimanded for his actions."

Oddly enough, the apology was removed from WWE.com only hours after it was posted. One possible reason was indicated by Dave Scherer, who reported on PWinsider.com that Vince McMahon was alleged to be less upset at Layfield for doing it than being was upset at CNBC "for reacting so heavy-handedly to what Layfield did." It has also been suggested that the statement on WWE.com was an attempt to keep CNBC from firing Layfield, and was removed after it was clear such a statement would make no difference.

Last Wednesday, the Associated Press ran a short four paragraph story on the situation, covering the basic of the story. That item put the story in newspapers all over America the next day.

A WWE representative attempted to explain the situation away to Washington Post writer Lisa de Moraes saying that "...What he did in the ring was not probably the best thing to have done...We all understood why he did it and know that his intentions were good ones in terms of trying to make it the best experience for the fans and his fellow professional Eddie Guerrero -- to get the fans even more with [Guerrero], which is what John was supposed to do as the bad guy."

There are also organized groups of fans that are started e-mail campaigns to such major media outlets as MSNBC, Reuters, CNN, FOX NEWS, Los Angeles Times, and USA Today, about this situation. Others are e-mailing UPN as the carrier of the WWE Smackdown show on which Layfield appears.

Now there are some people who will likely suggest that American wrestling featured "Nazi heels" galore over the years ranging from Waldo Von Erich (and even Fritz Von Erich in his early career), Baron Von Raschke, and Karl Von Hess, to name just a few. They'll ask why a significant number of wrestling fans were so upset.

It's simple.

That was then. This is now....

It's important to again remember that the incident occurred in Germany, where such a gesture is illegal under any circumstances. It wouldn't be hard to imagine that there were fans in the stands that evening in Munich that had lost loved ones to Hitler's Nazi regime, whether in the Holocaust or elsewhere in the nightmare of World War II.

John Layfield himself attempted to explain the incident in the aforementioned Washington Post article claiming "They hung me out to dry..."I was playing a character. It's the same as Vin Diesel playing a Nazi." Layfield insisted he was not an anti-Semite and, in essence said he did it to get heel heat during the match with Eddie Guerrero that night in Munich.

Layfield further stated that "I'm a bad guy [on WWE]. I'm supposed to incite the crowd. I've done [the Nazi gestures] for decades. I really didn't think anything of it -- I know how bad it is, I've lived [in Germany]. I've been to Dachau, seen those places where they exterminated millions of Jews...I draw the line between me and my character. That's like saying Anthony Hopkins really enjoys cannibalism."

So how can someone who's been to Dachau act in such a way?

How can he go in front of people who may have had loved ones die at Dachau, or Auschwitz, or Treblinka...or anywhere in the cities, the towns, the fields of Europe...and use some of the most hated symbolic gestures of the 20th century?

What's worse...how can Vince McMahon and WWE, as they are apparently doing, just look the other way?

Yes, I know it's the job of a wrestling promotion to get a heel over as a heel.

But there are places you simply don't go. This was one of them.

Until next time...



sorry to bump a really old thread but I thought this was a good article.

[Kane Knight]

Greatarticle.

I'm tempted to start contacting WWE sponsors about this. I wonder if any of them would pull their adverts over this fiasco.

[Jacko]

I'm not a fan of Germans :@

Neither am I fan of Bradshaw..

They should both do everyone a favour and capoot.