When The Radicalz Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Perry Saturn, and Dean Malenko jumped from WCW to WWF in early 2000, there was a noticeable shift in the wrestling world. The WWF locker room was understandably tense, as the influx of talent from their biggest competitor could have stirred up unease. However, according to WWE Hall of Famer JBL, who joined WWE just as the Monday Night Wars were escalating, that wasn't the case at all.
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JBL recently appeared on the "Something To Wrestle" podcast and discussed how the WWF locker room felt when The Radicalz made their debut.
"The boys loved it. You know, the competition between WWE and WCW was more between the higher-ups, because that was a zero-sum game for those guys," JBL said. "So when we saw those guys coming over, we thought, man this is fantastic. We've got some incredible talent coming. Those four guys were incredible talents, you know? Two of the guys went on to become [world] champions and headline WrestleMania."
JBL further explained that the WWF roster was well aware of the abilities The Radicalz possessed, and their integration into the company was seamless. The respect they garnered from the locker room was evident from day one.
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"We knew how good they were. And we knew how exciting it was, the influx of talent into our roster," Layfield recalled. "Those guys were some of the most liked guys in the history of the business. Chris Benoit fell off the deep end and did some horrific things. But Chris back then was just considered a good guy. Eddie Guerrero, people loved Eddie. And Perry [Saturn] and Dean [Malenko] were the same. Those guys fit in incredibly well."
Currently, JBL is addressing internet speculation due to his appearances in various wrestling promotions that may indicate a potential return to the squared circle.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit the "Something To Wrestle" podcast and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for transcription.
