On the latest episode of Something to Wrestle With, WWE Hall of Famer JBL opened up about how close he has come to making an in-ring return on several occasions since his 2009 retirement.
JBL revealed that one idea he pitched directly to Vince McMahon almost came to life during his time hosting the JBL and Cole Show. The storyline would have seen him team with Heath Slater, who at the time played his nephew, “Clem.” “I wanted to do a spot where I came back and tag teamed with Heath… I talked to Vince about it. He really thought about it hard, and he almost did it,” JBL said. “The first thing he says is ‘interesting,’ and I could tell that he wasn’t shooting it down, but he ended up killing it.”
More recently, JBL disclosed that he was scheduled to work a match with TNA Wrestling this past summer. However, a disagreement with the creative team led him to walk away from the opportunity. “The guy who was in the creative at the time, we had a disagreement about what he wanted, and I didn’t think it made sense, and so I walked,” he explained.
He also confirmed that there were discussions about his involvement in the original All In event in 2018, though nothing ultimately materialized. “I flirted with just some different stuff about doing some things with some of the guys that were putting a lot of stuff together. It never worked out, because they kind of went on with Tony Khan and did some stuff and went a different direction.”
Despite flirting with multiple comebacks over the past decade, JBL hasn’t had a formal match since his 21-second loss to Rey Mysterio at WrestleMania 25. He has made brief appearances since then, including entering the 2014 Royal Rumble, but his full-time in-ring career remains closed—at least for now.
