The Acolytes Protection Agency was a legendary tag team in WWE comprised of WWE Hall of Famers Ron Simmons and John Bradshaw Layfield. Going by the names Farooq and Bradshaw, the two are known for their notorious presence on WWE television throughout the Attitude Era.

Starting out with cultist gimmicks in 1998, JBL and Ron Simmons transitioned into the APA gimmick in early 2000. They provided protection to those who paid them either in beer or cash and were often seen in their backstage office, which was only a freestanding door and frame, playing cards and drinking beer.

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The APA embodied the essence of the Attitude Era and were one of the vital factors behind its success. With that said, let's take a look at ten backstage stories wrestling fans should know about The APA.

10 The Story Behind The Formation

Before forming The APA, Ron Simmons and JBL were simply known as The Acolytes, and were known for being part of The Undertaker's Ministry of Darkness faction.

However, when Vince and Shane McMahon found JBL getting drunk during a party for his birthday in Baltimore, they found it funny and came up with the idea to have JBL and Ron Simmons portray similar characters who just sat around playing cards, drinking beer, and getting into fights backstage and in bars.

JBL and Ron Simmons formed The APA on the January 31, 2000, episode of Raw, when the Mean Street Posse offered to pay them for protection.

9 Ron Simmons Was Heavily Feared By The Locker Room

Ron Simmons was not only a tough guy on-screen, as the WWE Hall of Famer had the same reputation behind the screens. He's known for being the first African-American world champion in pro-wrestling history and was heavily respected among his peers backstage.

Speaking on his The Kurt Angle Show podcast, WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle reveled that apart from getting the respect of his co-workers due to his in-ring accomplishments, Ron Simmons was heavily feared in the locker room as everyone knew he could legitimately beat anyone up in a real fight.

8 JBL Was The Prosecuting Attorney For The Hardy Boyz's Wrestler's Court Trial

Similar to Ron Simmons, JBL also had an intimidating presence among the other wrestlers backstage and was often involved in the infamous wrestler's court proceedings. He acted as the prosecuting attorney when Matt and Jeff Hardy got charged with stealing Kane's plane seat.

The Hardy Boyz won their first tag team championship by defeating The Acolytes on the June 29, 1999, episode of Raw. During their plane ride back home, Michael Hayes, who was their on-screen manager, reportedly asked them to sit in first class. However, they inadvertently took Kane's spot, but the latter didn't make any fuss.

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However, JBL wasn't going to let it slide as he took them to wrestler's court, where The Undertaker sentenced them to buy dinner for Kane and let them off easy as the main blame fell on Hayes, who had to carry Kane's bags for a week.

7 How The Dudley Boyz Earned APA's Respect

The Dudley Boyz acted as both rivals and allies of The APA during their time together in WWE, and while being a guest on the Stories with Brisco and Bradshaw YouTube show, Bubba Ray Dudley recalled how The Dudley Boyz earned JBL and Ron Simmons' respect.

JBL and Ron Simmons were known for handing legitimate beatings to their opponents back in the day, and aware of this fact, The Dudley Boyz were prepared to give it back to them during a segment in which they were supposed to attack The APA.

JBL chimed in and said Bubba Ray hit him so hard with a two by four that he felt paralyzed for a moment. The APA looked to get some revenge on The Dudleys when they reversed roles in a similar segment and laid out a vicious beat down on Bubba Ray and D-Von. Bubba Ray stated that after taking the heavy beating, he and D-Von stood up and shook JBL and Simmons' hands and earned their respect that moment for proving they were tough enough.

6 Took Teddy Long To Wrestler's Court For Being A Cheapskate

Wrestlers used to ride together to reduce their traveling expenses back in the day, and in one such instance, when JBL and Ron Simmons rode with Teddy Long, the latter allegedly pretended to fall asleep when they arrived at a toll booth to get out of paying his share.

The APA took Teddy Long to wrestler's court over the incident where Triple H was the judge. Teddy Long even produced a character witness in Mae Young, who, for some reason, thought the entire hearing was about Long selling Viagra.

Triple H ruled in favor of The APA and had Teddy Long buy them chicken and beer for a month.

5 Took Out An Enhancement Talent For Being Too Cocky

As mentioned earlier, The APA had an intimidating presence in the WWE locker room, as they never shied away from putting anyone in their place for stepping out of line. One unlucky enhancement talent found himself in The APA's list when the legends found him acting too cocky in the locker room.

Teddy Long spoke about this incident during an interview with Sportskeeda and revealed the rookie got put in the ring with The APA, who showed them how things worked over there in their style. Long claimed that the enhancement talent left that day and vowed never to return.

4 Beating Up Public Enemy

Former ECW and WCW Tag Team Champions Johnny Grunge and Rocco Rock, known as Public Enemy, made their WWE debut in early 1999. However, they didn't have a good reputation in the locker room as they allegedly weren't showing enough respect backstage.

As they were scheduled for a match on the March 7, 1999, episode of Sunday Night Heat, JBL and Simmons decided to make them pay and tried negotiating with the backstage officials to change the planned finish. However, they chose to go ahead with a planned shoot fight after they didn't get the approval for the change.

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They took out Public Enemy with stiff shots and weapons throughout the short match, which saw the referee calling for the end after JBL and Simmons wouldn't stop attacking Grunge and Rock.

3 How The Damn Catchphrase Started

After The APA split up, Ron Simmons made several cameos in backstage segments saying his catchphrase, "Damn," either in awe or shock in odd occurrences.

He spoke about the origins of the catchphrase during an edition of WWE's The Bump, and revealed that he started saying the word during his time partnering with JBL in The APA. He used to say the word whenever things didn't go his way, and the fans sitting in the first five to six rows started chanting it along with him.

The writers got wind of this and made Simmons start the trend during an exchange between John Cena and Booker T.

2 Ron Simmons Was Happy To End APA For JBL's Push

When Brock Lesnar left WWE in 2004, WWE had to find a suitable heel to challenge Eddie Guerrero for the WWE Championship, and since Kurt Angle and The Big Show got sidelined due to injuries, the company chose JBL to take the role.

This meant that WWE had to split up JBL and Ron Simmons, and the latter was happy enough to end his partnership with JBL and make room for him to go ahead and enjoy his main event push, which saw him have a lengthy run with the WWE Championship.

1 They Were The Undertaker's Close Aides

JBL and Ron Simmons' time together with The Undertaker in the Ministry of Darkness faction led to them becoming very close with The Deadman. WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle revealed on his The Kurt Angle Show podcast that JBL and Ron Simmons shared the locker room leader status alongside The Undertaker.

The Deadman called the shots backstage, and the wrestlers had to deal with it. The APA shared a similar position in the roster and were reportedly The Undertaker's muscles back in the day.