WWE News: Former Superstar Accuses JBL And Other Veterans Of Bullying Him

As documented by Sportskeeda, former WWE superstar Chris Masters was recently interviewed by Hannibal TV. Masters discussed a variety of topics during the conversation, including his negative experiences with John Bradshaw Layfield while he was a member of the roster.

According to Masters, there was an incident in Afghanistan when WWE was doing a Tribute to the Troops show. During the trip, he was put into a group with Fit Finlay, Mick Foley, Trish Stratus, Carlito and JBL, which led to some alleged harassment from the latter.

“JBL just tortured me the whole trip. He really just bullied me and trash-talked me and was really just all up in my head. Yeah, it was difficult. It was difficult because again I’m 20 years old at this point and I’m getting angry with him and I want to do something. But also, when is the right point to do something? You know what I mean? He’s a veteran. He’s been with the company, at that point I think for like a decade.”

Masters went on to say that Bob Holly and other veterans bullied younger superstars and tried to make them lose their self-confidence. He said they would “work the deep mind f*ck” in an effort to make them second guess themselves.

However, Masters also noted that the veterans picked on the younger wrestlers to test their resilience and see what they were made of.

As documented by Fightful, JBL was a big part of WWE’s alleged hazing culture while he was still a full-time employee. As the report highlighted, he was viewed as a “policeman” of the locker room whose duty was to test the newcomers, sometimes even at the behest of Vince McMahon.

Several superstars and former personnel recounted stories of their own experiences with JBL hazing them. Some of them claimed it was a positive experience that led to friendships and successful careers afterward. Others had less positive things to say about him.

As The Inquisitr previously documented, he was accused of bullying Mauro Ranallo on commentary back in 2017. The incidents reportedly led to Ranallo leaving the company.

Masters’ words suggested that he understood the locker room culture at the time and accepted the hazing as a result. However, it may have been one of the factors that resulted in his release in 2007.

When Masters joined the main roster in the mid-2000s, he was given a substantial push and programs against legends such as Shawn Michaels. However, he never quite made it to the World Championship status many expected him to reach.

Masters returned for a short spell in 2009, but he failed to gain much momentum. Since then, he’s competed for companies such as Impact Wrestling, and he recently joined NWA.