WWE Hall of Famer JBL recently opened up about a moment late in his wrestling career that still weighs heavily on his mind — turning down a high-risk move proposed by John Cena. Speaking on the latest episode of the Something to Wrestle With podcast, JBL shared candid thoughts about the physical toll of wrestling and the decision that signaled it was time to walk away from in-ring competition.
“There were a few [moves I said no to] throughout my career. The only one that I regret was later in my career, and I got hurt a lot,” JBL admitted. “Cena wanted to put Orlando [Jordan] on his shoulders and me on top and do the double AA to us. And I knew I’d get hurt because I’d been hurt so many times recently with that… I thought physically, I can’t take it, and I had to tell John, ‘I think I’m gonna get hurt.’”
Though understandable from a health standpoint, JBL said the moment left him feeling disappointed. “To this day, I regret that. It’s not a shitty thing to do, but it just felt shitty, you know,” he explained. “I wanted to do it. I just knew I physically couldn’t. And that’s when I realized, you know what, it’s about time for me to get out of here.”
JBL officially retired from in-ring competition following WrestleMania 25 in 2009, bringing a decorated career to a close that included reigns as WWE Champion and Intercontinental Champion.
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(h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription)
