JBL Says This AEW Personality Wasn't A 'Good Fit' When They Worked Together In WWE

Years before JBL was getting involved with AAA and Don Callis was leading the Don Callis Family in AEW, the two unlikely bedfellows were part of the same faction. Though it's easy to forget, Callis, under the name The Jackyl, briefly served as the manager for JBL and long-time partner, Ron Simmons, when the duo first formed The Acolytes in late 1998. The union didn't last long, however, as Callis was released by WWE before the year was out.

On the latest "Something to Wrestle," JBL addressed Callis' brief tenure managing Simmons and himself. Though JBL was quick to note Callis was a good talker, had a good career and "seemed like a good guy then," he believed Callis often attempted to put himself over instead of the team, perhaps at the suggestion of WWE head writer Vince Russo. Most importantly though, JBL just didn't believe he or Simmons needed someone to speak for them

"I didn't think we needed a mouthpiece," JBL said. "[But] Russo did not want me to talk because Russo did not like southern accents. He thought people sounded stupid if they had a southern accent. So Russo, actually, at one point sent me to Ed Ferrera, who tried to teach me how to talk without an accent. 

"I talked slower, I talked with a deeper voice, and finally I said 'You know what? To hell with this. I'm just going to get fired over this.' You had Stone Cold and JR out there, you know what I mean, and you're trying to teach me to talk without a southern accent? Maybe that was part of it. Russo didn't want me to talk, and maybe he liked Don Callis? But he stuck Jackyl with us, and it just wasn't a good fit."

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