Weight: Simmons- 260 lbs. Bradshaw- 290 lbs.
Finishing move: Spike Powerbomb
Titles held: 3x WWE Tag Team Champs*
Manager/valet(s): The Jackyl, Jacqueline
Other aliases: Bradshaw- Justin Hawk Bradshaw, Blackjack Bradshaw. Simmons- Faarooq Asad, Faarooq.
Real Names: Bradshaw- John Layfield.
*: Faarooq has also been a 1x WCW Champ and a 1x WCW Tag Team Champ, and Bradshaw has been a 1x WWE European Champ and a 16x WWE Hardcore Champ
Faarooq and Bradshaw's singles careers were in trouble. However, at IYH: Judgement Day, after Faarooq's loss to The Godfather, The Jackyl appeared and whispered in Faarooq's ear. Faarooq nodded, and left with him. A few weeks later, he did the same to Bradshaw. They reappeared at The Survivor Series, beating the living crap out of The DOA using everything available. However, as quickly as he appeared, the Jackyl vanished. The Acolytes were out of control, with no direction. They would just appear and manhandle people. One night, Dennis Knight appeared at Raw, seen telling X-pac that "he" told him to be there. He was soon attacked by The Acolytes, stuffed in the trunk of a car, and taken away. He was shown in some sort of chamber, supposedly being tortured. A few weeks later, The Undertaker made his return. He also had The Acolytes with him.
They initiated Knight into the Ministry of Darkness, and at The Royal Rumble, they helped UT and Knight (now "Mideon") do the same to Mabel, who was then known as "Viscera." They also picked a fight with Jesse James and Al Snow. They participated in a tag team battle royal prior to WrestleMania XV, but didn't get the victory. They kept running through team after team until they won the tag team titles from X-pac and Kane. However, prior to a six man match involving them teaming with Billy Gunn vs. X-pac, Kane, and Road Dogg Jesse James, they challenged them to put the belts up. Gunn accepted the challenge, and when he scored the pinfall, he stole Bradshaw's belt. One night after King of the Ring, Bradshaw won it back with some outside interference from X-pac. Shortly after Shane McMahon broke up the Corporate Ministry, The Acolytes lost the belts to X-pac and Kane. WWF newcomers The Dudley Boyz picked a fight with the Acolytes, but lost to them at Unforgiven. The Acolytes then began picking fights in bars across the country and developed a reputation as barroom brawlers rather than evil cultists. At Armageddon, they won an eight team battle royal for a shot at the tag team champions.
After losing to the champs, The New Age Outlaws, at the Royal Rumble, they came up with the idea for the aPa, or the Acolyte Protection Agency, where superstars would pay them money to protect them. After a few months, Bull Buchanon and The Big Bossman picked a fight with them. They had a match at Backlash, which the Acolytes lost. After that, they went back to protecting superstars like Crash Holly but stayed out of extended feuds. At Fully Loaded, they received a tag team title match with Edge & Christian, and won by DQ. Throughout the fall, they feuded with the RTC. They teamed with the Dudleys to lose to all four of them at Unforgiven. After a poker game with T & A where their manager Trish Stratus's clothes were used as collateral, they were attacked backstage at No Mercy by the duo, and didn't return until Armageddon, where they got revenge.
After both participated in the Royal Rumble, they continued their rivalry with the RTC. They teamed with Tazz to defeat Val Venis, the Goodfather and Bull Buchanan at WrestleMania X-Seven. With the RTC at odds after the loss, the Acolytes went back to their off-on routine. When WCW started to invade WWF programming, they were the first to rally several midcarders to aid the WWF. The won the tag team titles from the Dudley Boyz and beat the WCW Tag Team Champs, Chuck Palumbo and Sean O'Haire at Invasion. They lost the belts a couple of weeks later to DDP and Kanyon after being betrayed by Test. They were kept on Jakked and Heat through the rest of the Summer and the Fall, participating in the Immunity Battle Royal at Survivor Series, but neither won.
They got a tag title shot in a Fatal Four Way at WrestleMania X-8, against the Hardys, the Dudleys and Billy & Chuck. After WrestleMania, the roster split went into effect and Faarooq and Bradshaw were drafted to different shows. Bradshaw won the Hardcore Title on Raw, while Faarooq changed his name back to Ron Simmons and teamed with Reverend D-von briefly on Smackdown. Bradshaw went down with an injury and Simmons was looking into retirement.
However, in June of 2003, they both returned to Smackdown, saving the Undertaker from a beating from Nunzio and the Full Blooded Italians. They came up with the idea for a Barroom Brawl at Vengeance, which featured such luminaries as Brother Love and the Easter Bunny. Bradshaw won the "match," and the APA went after the tag titles once again. However, they were no match for The World's Greatest Tag Team. They lost to the Basham Brothers at No Mercy, and then were approached by Kurt Angle to be on his team for Survivor Series. Faarooq was badly injured by the opposing team, and John Cena was his replacement. Bradshaw was eliminated early in the match by the Big Show. Bradshaw feuded with Rhyno until Faarooq returned.