John Bradshaw Layfield continues to make waves in the wrestling world, prompting speculation that a comeback may be on the horizon.
On Saturday, the WWE Hall of Famer made a surprise appearance at night one of GCW’s Homecoming in Atlantic City, NJ. In the main event, Mance Warner defeated Blake Christian, Joey Janela, and Matt Cardona to retain the GCW World Championship, thanks to an assist from JBL.
In the closing moments of the match, Effy interfered, attempting to keep Warner from retaining his title. That’s when JBL, dressed in a duster and cowboy hat, showed up and attacked Effy. He knocked Effy down with one punch before hitting him with two Clotheslines from Hell. That allowed Warner the opportunity needed to climb the ladder and grab the belt to win the match.
JBL’s stunning appearance in GCW comes more than a month after Raj Dhesi (formerly Jinder Mahal in WWE) showed up in July. Like Dhesi, JBL also targeted Effy. Last week, JBL was at AAA’s Triplemanía XXXII. There, he accompanied Nic Nemeth to the ring, where Nemeth lost his AAA Mega Championship to Alberto El Patrón. Though he didn’t factor into the finish, JBL shook El Patrón’s hand after the match in a sign of solidarity with Alberto & Konnan’s new heel faction.
JBL’s recent actions have sparked rumors about his wrestling future. In August, he posted several mysterious updates on social media. Those posts on X showed a custom-made cowboy hat, boots, new jeans, and the duster — clothing he’s been wearing during his recent appearances. His last message ended with, “If only I had somewhere to wear them.” On August 18, JBL wrote, “Every business needs one. I am The Keeper, Guardian of professional wrestling.”
At 57, JBL is clearly up to something, though the full extent of his plans remains a mystery. Layfield’s last singles match was in 2009 when he lost the WWE Intercontinental Title to Rey Mysterio at WrestleMania XXV. His final match came in the 2014 Royal Rumble, where he was eliminated by Roman Reigns in under a minute.
