JBL names the worst match in WWE history, says Vince McMahon apologized

John Bradshaw Layfield (JBL) wrestled for WWE from 1995 to 2009. In a recent podcast episode, he recalled how former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon apologized after booking him in a disastrous match.

On July 8, 2002, JBL teamed up with Trish Stratus to defeat Christopher Nowinski and Jackie Gayda on RAW. The three-minute match was full of uncoordinated moves and awkward moments, with Gayda and Nowinski's inexperience clear for all to see.

On the Something to Wrestle podcast, JBL revealed that McMahon expressed sympathy when he returned backstage.

"It was the worst match probably in the history of wrestling. It was so bad that Trish mentioned it in her Hall of Fame speech and looked at me and laughed, and we both almost cried still. It was so bad when I came back that Vince looked up at me and he goes, 'I'm sorry.' It was that bad. I thought he was gonna fire me. He just had pity on me, like, 'You poor, lost little rescue pet.'"

The finish saw Stratus pin Gayda after a botched top-rope Bulldog. Following the match, commentator Jim Ross called the bout "ugly." Fellow announcer Jerry Lawler also poked fun, claiming he had "seen better catfights."

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JBL explains why WWE RAW match was so bad

John Bradshaw Layfield barely spoke to the other talents before the show due to commitments outside of WWE.

As a result, he was unsure what to do when his rookie opponents appeared to lose track midway through the match.

"They thought they had the match figured out in their head, and all of a sudden it just turned to s**t," JBL continued. "Nobody knew how to fix it. I didn't know where they were going because I'd been gone on appearances all day, and all of a sudden it just fell apart. I mean, just absolutely fell apart. The Philadelphia crowd was laughing. It was horrible. I'm telling you, I'm not exaggerating here. It was the worst thing I've ever been a part of, and Trish will tell you the same thing."

Layfield also addressed whether plans for John Cena's farewell tour could change after his Wrestlepalooza match against Brock Lesnar.

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Please credit Something to Wrestle and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.

Edited by Danny Hart