JBL’s legendary WWE Championship run is remembered not just for his dominance, but for the fierce, villainous persona he brought to the ring. Recently, the wrestling veteran opened up about a deliberate choice he made during his reign: refusing to sell merchandise.
While speaking on the Something to Wrestle with podcast, JBL explained that although heels sold merchandise during his era, he chose to stay away from it. He recalled seeing a shirt design featuring himself with the New York skyline, which he immediately disliked.
“I called Vince [McMahon] right away, and I said, ‘What are you doing?’” JBL recounted. “I told him about the shirt, and he didn’t even know it was out there. I told him, ‘Vince, I can’t have some kid in the front row wearing a JBL shirt and it looks like I have a fan somewhere. That kills me.’ He agreed and had it pulled immediately.”
JBL believes that selling merchandise would have compromised his character. He felt that having fans wearing his gear would have softened his “heel heat,” potentially shortening his historic title reign. He noted that he actually made more money by maintaining his ruthless persona and avoiding merchandise sales.
JBL held the WWE Championship for nearly 280 days before losing it to John Cena at WrestleMania 21 in 2005.
