JBL Recalls Vince McMahon’s Idea For Forming The APA, Working With The Undertaker

In a recent interview on WWE After The Bell with Corey Graves, JBL discussed how Vince McMahon came up with the APA, working with The Undertaker, and much more. You can read his comments below.

JBL on the backstory behind the formation of the APA: “It was my birthday and we’d wrestled up in Philadelphia and we were down in Baltimore, we’re staying at the old Red Roof by the airport. I wanted to go get something to drink. Godfather was riding me, Teddy Long, Ron Simmons – it’s my birthday so they’re feeding me everything I can ingest. By the time, I get to Baltimore, Ron goes I’m going to bed, and I go well I’m going to the bar, it’s my birthday. So I went down to the V hotel, which we never did, but I knew there was gonna be people down there to talk to….I ran into Vince and Shane. They bought me some drinks, put me in their car, and sent me back to the Red Roof. I get to the Red Roof and I’m stumbling around. Ron said, ‘How did you get back?’ I said ‘Vince’s limo.’ He goes, ‘We’re fucked, we’re fucked….you went to the TV hotel?’ I said ‘Yeah’ and he goes, ‘You still got connections in Japan?’

On getting called into Vince’s office the day after: “So, I went in there and thought, ‘OK, this is it, he’s going to wring me out for being drunk at the TV hotel.’ And he goes, ‘I want to put that on television.’ I said ‘Put what on television?’ And I’m still so hungover I’m seeing triple. He goes, ‘You and Ron sitting around BS-ing and having beers.’ He goes ‘That’s good stuff.’ He goes ‘I like that, that’s just guys.’ And I go ‘You want me and Ron to sit down and drink beer on television?’ He goes ‘Yes.’ He goes ‘I got it all figured out – The Acolyte Protection Agency – The APA, you’re going to beat people up for money.’ So, I go back and tell Ron, and he goes ‘Yeah, when we going to Japan?’ I said ‘Ron, Vince wants us to drink beer on television.’ Ron goes ‘That’s the best idea I’ve ever heard.’ And that was it.

On working with The Undertaker: “He’s probably my biggest opponent in terms of majority of times that we’ve worked – probably 200 or 300 hundred times. During 04 and 05 when I was the main heel and he was the main babyface on the brand, we would close every show. We’d close every show after TV and every show after live events. We worked every single night…..he would just say I’ll see you out there. We’d feel the crowd. I remember one time we went 48 minutes at some live event and it was a third-tier market. We enjoyed the art, and we enjoyed being out in front of the crowd – the crowd was on fire that night. It was like a market you’d never heard of. We went 48 minutes, and I remember Vince coming up to us and going ‘You guys went 48 minutes at a live event?’ I said ‘Yeah, it was fun.’ He goes ‘Good for you.’ [Taker] was the consummate professional. Everything about him. He didn’t break character, he did everything right. If you draw up a guy and say this is what I want as a locker room leader and this is what I want as far as a performer, and this is what I want as a leader – he’s that person every single time.”

If using any of the above quotes, please credit WWE After the Bell with Corey Graves with an h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.