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After The APA officially disbanded in 2004, as Ron Simmons retired from wrestling, Bradshaw drastically went through a gimmick change that launched him into the main event scene on the Smackdown brand. Taking the name of John Bradshaw Layfield, a wealthy loud-mouthed Texan from New York, JBL quickly captured the WWE Championship from Eddie Guerrero at The Great American Bash 2004. He would later carry the belt to next year's WrestleMania 21, as he became the longest reigning Smackdown World Champion during his time before dropping the title to John Cena. While JBL continued to rack up victory after victory in his title defenses, he had help from a creative bunch of associates known as The Cabinet.

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JBL Benefited From The Cabinet

When one discusses some best-known WWE factions of the millennium, certain groups like Evolution and The Shield come to mind. However, many groups in WWE have achieved moderate success and don't get the recognition they deserve. While The Cabinet wasn't a faction that set the wrestling world on fire, it served its benefit for the JBL character as a heel persona. The Cabinet deserves recognition for being an essential part of that act that made JBL a credible main-event superstar.

Photo: WhatCulture.com

JBL's associates among The Cabinet were Orlando Jordan, The Basham Brothers, Amy Weber, and Jillian Hall. Despite those members not breaking out into credible stars after The Cabinet dissolved, they've succeeded as a unit in providing success for their leader, JBL. Being a part of a successful unit is something that not many superstars had the opportunity for, as The Cabinet's legacy is something that superstars like Orlando Jordan should cherish.

The Cabinet was creative in that they've had memorable moments on Smackdown. For instance, who can forget the infamous segment on the February 17, 2005, episode of Smackdown where Raw's Batista invaded the show and destroyed JBL's limo while taking out the rest of his associates? Segments like these highlight how entertaining The Cabinet is, especially with a phenomenal mic worker like JBL taking charge.

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Orlando Jordan As "Chief Of Staff"

The Cabinet's Orlando Jordan made his debut in 2003 and didn't get his big break as a featured performer until he became associated with JBL in 2004. Being a former United States Champion and a prominent superstar on the Smackdown brand for about a year, Orlando Jordan was arguably the second most crucial person in The Cabinet as his title was "Chief of Staff."

Orlando Jordan is someone that many fans could've seen as a potential asset WWE would've pushed. Someone like him had a good look and wrestled in prominent matches on Smackdown against The Undertaker and John Cena, for example. Orlando Jordan's biggest contest was when he defended the WWE Championship on JBL's behalf against The Undertaker on the August 24, 2004, episode of Smackdown. There was a time when it looked like he was going places as he even dethroned John Cena of his final United States Championship reign until 2015.

However, once JBL lost the WWE Championship to John Cena and failed to win it back, Orlando Jordan never got booked as a credible challenger. He later got released not long after he ended his alliance with JBL.

The Basham Brothers As "Co-Secretaries of Defense"

The Basham Brothers were also a good add-on for The Cabinet, considering JBL had the numbers advantage on his side. It was already bad enough for anyone challenging JBL to deal with Orlando Jordan. Dealing with two men who are former Tag Team Championships made things worse.

That's how effective The Cabinet became. Having many associates helping JBL hold on to his WWE Championship made him that much hateable, as it made his heel character that much better.

No Way Out 2005

The Basham Brothers may not be the most remembered tag team but did succeed to an extent during the early years of the Ruthless Aggression Era. The fact that they were almost identical made them that much more dangerous as a tag team unit. It's also worth noting that The Basham Brothers were somewhat imposing as they legitimately looked like men that came off as effective enforcers for JBL. It's a shame that after they quit The Cabinet in 2005, they didn't get heavily utilized until being involved in WWE's ECW as Paul Heyman's enforcers.

The Cabinet Deserved More

One could argue that the members of The Cabinet should've gotten more out of associating with JBL. But one thing's for sure, the concept of The Cabinet was an excellent creative move for JBL's character to thrive as a heel. Without The Cabinet, who knows where he may have ended up regarding his WWE Championship reign.