In a recent episode of the podcast “Something To Wrestle With”, John ‘Bradshaw’ Layfield (JBL), a WWE legend and Hall of Famer, shared his perspective on the hypothesized scenario of a NWA invasion of WWE.
Below are some notable points from the podcast:
JBL’s perspective on the feasibility of an NWA invasion of WWE: “Absolutely not. The idea would never have found favor with Vince McMahon. Even if Vince owned NWA, he would not let it overshadow the WWE Championship. This essentially confirms that the organization is superior to WWE. This is exactly how Vince would have seen it. The premise of an invasion was doomed to fail from the start. WCW’s attempted invasion with Hall, Nash, and Hogan, who were amongst the biggest stars of their time, is a prime example. Despite WCW having formidable stars, they couldn’t level the playing field against WWE’s heavyweights. The NWA didn’t have equivalents of Rock or Stone Cold. Such a storyline involving the NWA could have worked as a mid-card storyline at best. My persona and Bradshaw’s potential wouldn’t have been able to shift the scales. If an invasion were to happen, the NWA would have needed more than just intercontinental title contenders. Considering all these points, it’s unlikely that Vince McMahon would’ve green-lit an invasion storyline.”
JBL’s thoughts on the predictable failure of The New Midnight Express: “I was certain that they wouldn’t gain much ground with the NWA narrative, and the New Midnight Express was destined to fall flat. It was great to see Bart and Bob get some screen time, as they deserved it. However, they didn’t deserve to be part of a doomed storyline. The idea of a ‘new’ anything rarely works. Especially when they were saddled with a short-lived gimmick like this one. Vince has a tendency to get bored with new concepts and discard them once they lose their shine, like he did with invasion narratives involving WCW, ECW, and NWA. I was disappointed to see Bob and Bart being tied to a doomed gimmick, as they both were talented and hardworking, particularly Bob, who could work well with anyone. I’ve had the pleasure of working with both Bart and Bob several times.”