JBL Details The Origins Of WWE Tribute To The Troops

Patriotism is the driving force behind America's willingness to stand firm, and when the most indescribable ambush happened on U.S. soil in the 21st Century, 9/11, the country, to this day, remains reeled by this terrorist attack. But like any country that suffered a significant loss, America got right back up. Getting right back up meant finding escapism to deal with the pain, and for many, media, specifically television, was the best cure. With whatever means necessary, WWE Hall of Famer John "Bradshaw" Layfield made it his life's work to bring lighthearted joy to the U.S. troops who volunteered to fight for their country's honor after the September 11 attacks through his Tribute to the Troops event every Christmas. In an interview on "Something To Wrestle," JBL describes the building blocks of how he, former CEO Vince McMahon, and Bruce Prichard came up with his tribute show.

"The origin was 9/11," JBL immediately responded. "We were in Houston when 9/11 happened...Of course, the show got canceled; the world got canceled...The world changed that day...9/13, I believe it was Thursday...we had the first mass gathering in the United States. I drove back down to Houston. Vince [McMahon] had a meeting with us and told us that no one had to appear at the show. It was your own free will if you wanted to, but we were going to send a message that they [the terrorists] weren't going to stop us."

In 2003, WWE became the first entertainment group to visit Ground Zero, two years after the initial 9/11 attacks. That visit, where JBL wanted to expand his philanthropic/patriotic duties, prompted Tribute for the Troops to launch.

"Right after 9/11...WWE was the first group to go down to Ground Zero...I was watching this stuff on the news, and I thought, 'Man, I just want to go help,'" JBL recalled. "So I called the WWE office in Stanford, and I said, 'Hey, can I go down to Ground Zero? All I want to do is help.' Vince and WWE, like everybody else in New York, was helping any way they could...Vince got word that I wanted to go to Ground Zero, and he said if you're going, the whole company is going with you. So, we planned the whole company trip off of that."

Despite the warm reception, it brought many active service members and viewers at home, the Tribute to the Troops programming has officially been canceled. According to veteran pro wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer, WWE is gearing up for its debut on Netflix with its longest-reigning flagship show, "Raw," heading to the platform on January 6. Meanwhile, with McMahon out of the picture and the company now being owned by Endeavor as part of TKO Group Holdings, it's safe to say that creative visions have changed since this event last aired on a special edition of "WWE SmackDown" on December 23, 2023.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Something To Wrestle With Bruce Prichard" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.