JBL Reveals Why He Walked Away from WWE Commentary

JBL has always been a straight shooter, and on the latest episode of Something To Wrestle With, the wrestling legend didn’t hold back about why he stepped away from his role as a WWE commentator. Spoiler: It wasn’t about the job—it was about the grind of travel.

“I didn’t like the travel,” JBL admitted, clarifying it wasn’t the commentary itself that pushed him out. “I was living in Bermuda, and I was traveling two flights almost every week, sometimes all the way to the West Coast. I loved the commentary. If I could have done commentary in my house, I’d have done it forever. But the main thing was, it was just the travel. I got tired of getting on a plane every week. I have 6.3 million miles on American Airlines alone. And I’m just sick of getting on— to this day, getting on planes wore me out.”

As for the commentary world JBL left behind, he’s got nothing but respect for those who’ve filled his shoes. “Now they’ve got, you know, great commentators out there. And there’s not a spot for me, and there shouldn’t be because these guys are fantastic.”

JBL also dropped some insight into working under Vince McMahon, addressing long-standing rumors that Vince intentionally made talent or commentators look bad. “Vince doesn’t bring in talent to bury people. There may be some isolated cases, but I was there for so much of it. He wants the fans to feel like they’re part of the show. And to feel like you’re part of the show, sometimes the announcer does do stupid things. I would sit there and go, ‘Who is that?’ I know who it is. I can see him right in front of me, but I want the fan to come to that realization first.”

As for any alleged vendettas Vince may have had against former rivals, JBL said it’s possible but rare. “I don’t doubt there’s times he had a vendetta against somebody that was at a different company, and he brought them in just to bury him. Don’t blame him; I’d have done the same thing.”

JBL’s time at the commentary desk may be over, but his candid reflections remind us of the grind behind the glitz and glamour of WWE. Whether you agree with his decision to step away or not, one thing is clear: the man has miles—literally—and stories to back up his legendary career.

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