JBL vs. Blue Meanie ECW Incident That Went Too Far

At ECW One Night Stand 2005, a moment that was meant to celebrate a beloved wrestling promotion became the night everything fell apart. During the final brawl, JBL crossed a line that no WWE executive could ignore – and Blue Meanie paid the price. What started as backstage heat turned into a physical altercation that left one wrestler visibly injured and both performers facing consequences neither anticipated. Here’s what really happened that night, and how it all came together in the months that followed.

How JBL and Blue Meanie’s Backstage Heat Led to an ECW One Night Stand 2005 Confrontation

Four years after the original ECW folded in 2001, WWE had a reunion pay-per-view entitled ECW One Night Stand 2005. The card featured a slew of ECW Originals, and it was a night to remember for the ECW diehards. Ironically, though, on a show that heavily featured ECW stars, it was a WWE star who created the headlines.

On the Talk is Jericho podcast, Blue Meanie explained the reasons behind JBL’s heat with him, which led to the incident:

“I did an interview when I left WWE. I said, ‘I had a great time in WWE. I saw the world. I got paid to see the world on Vince McMahon’s dime.’ I thanked WWE. I was like, ‘The only thing is, JBL was kind of an ***.’

During my whole tenure there [in WWE] from ’98 to 2000, it was like, I don’t want to say, like, hazing, but bullying. Whether it would be shots in a match or we’d be on a plane, and he’s telling a story about some fat ****, you know he’s referencing you.”

Word had gotten out to JBL that The Blue Meanie mentioned he was a bully. This obviously lit a fire in Bradshaw’s eyes, and when it was time to brawl at the end of the pay-per-view, JBL took this as an opportunity to pay him back. Meanie goes into detail about what transpired:

“I felt this punch right on my scar [a recent injury from wrestling], and I went, ‘What the?’ I turned around; there was JBL. He started throwing shots. He did the hockey thing, pulling my shirt over my face [and] began throwing live rounds. He [had] a fistful of rings, so I was like, ‘I ain’t going to take this!’, so I snatched a headlock as much as I could on a 6’6” man, and I started throwing punches back. We kind of got pulled apart.

[When I went] to the back and Johnny Ace met me at the curtain, he went, ‘What was that?’ I was like, ‘What? JBL shot on me!’ He was like, ‘No, no- Who told you [that] you could blade?’ I was like, ‘I didn’t!’ He was like, ‘What?’

At this point, I gave him the elevator pitch of the heat that [JBL and I] had. He was like, ‘That’s unacceptable. We don’t do that here. Blah, blah, blah.’ And I walked further into the ‘Gorilla’ position, and there was JBL…

He said, ‘You were talking about me on the Internet.’

I was like, ‘Dude, was I wrong? You’re having a hard time proving me wrong!’

So, long story short, WWE did the right thing. They stitched me up and doubled my pay for that night!”

JBL Explains Why He Confronted Blue Meanie at ECW One Night Stand 2005

In an interview with WWE.com, JBL shared his side of the story and his reasoning behind the confrontation with Blue Meanie:

“Before the brawl at the end of the pay-per-view, [Blue Meanie] started cutting a shoot promo on me, saying I’m the reason he got fired and the only reason I got to where I am was because I suck Vince McMahon’s ****. I was incredulous. I thought there’s no way he could really mean this.

So I got to work with him at the end, and here we are, trying to give the fans a great finish [to the pay-per-view] when we begin to lock horns in the melee. But he’s basically not even acknowledging my presence. Now I might have caught him snug with a shot, but then he started throwing back heavy punches, including a body shot. So make no mistake, I club him back to make sure he knows I’m not playing, and I think I got him with a shot over the eye and one near the forehead and apparently left visible marks.

Backstage I asked him if he wanted to finish it right then and there. He told me it’s all a show and that he didn’t want to fight. And he pretty much ran off.”

Blue Meanie later commented:

“To me, it’s just really sad. JBL is supposed to be one of the top guys. He’s supposed to lead by example, not by fear.”

It was an ugly situation all around and was serious enough that Blue Meanie considered suing. Had it not been for WWE offering him a short-term contract and an opportunity to make some money with JBL afterward, he just might have done it.

Blue Meanie’s Victory Over JBL on SmackDown: How Stevie Richards Delivered Justice

On a July 7th, 2005 episode of SmackDown, a tall order of rough justice was served.

In a match where JBL faced off against The Blue Meanie, Meanie picked up the victory via help from Batista. But before the pin, it was Blue Meanie’s partner in crime with the bWo, Stevie Richards, making headlines delivering one of the most forceful chair shots to JBL’s head. It was a shot thrown so hard you could see the pure anger behind it. Stevie was sticking up for his friend here by delivering a well-deserved receipt to the bully.

Stevie Richards opened up about the ordeal in a shoot interview with RF Video. He claimed the chair shot delivered to JBL was one of those surreal moments where the time went fast and slow at the same time. He remembers looking into Blue Meanie’s eyes and knowing exactly what to do.

From Rivals to Friends: How JBL and Blue Meanie Reconciled Years Later

The majority of the time, the fallout after events such as these ends up pretty positive. This situation was no different.

In 2015, The Blue Meanie gave an update on his relationship with JBL:

“From that ugly incident to now, [JBL and I are] Twitter buddies,” Blue Meanie began. “Yeah, you can make friends with somebody once you make money with them. The coup de grâce was he tried to get me in the Royal Rumble since it was in Philadelphia. He lobbied because I had just done ECW Unreleased Volume 3 for WWE [and] what better way to announce the DVD than getting an ECW Original in Philadelphia coming to the ring. It came down to that Friday before, but in the end, they picked Bubba [Dudley] instead of me. I love Bubba, and I marked out seeing Bubba come out, too!”

The Blue Meanie was only two days out from a Royal Rumble appearance before WWE decided to go with Bubba Ray, but JBL nearly got him there!

A happy ending to an otherwise rough story.

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