According to Layfield, he got drunk during a party and Vince and Shane McMahon saw him. They found it funny, so asked both of them to portray a similar, beer drinking character on TV. On the January 31, 2000 episode of "Raw", the Mean Street Posse asked the Acolytes to protect them, which they refused to do, until the Posse offered to pay them. When they did, Bradshaw started the Acolytes Protection Agency (APA). Behind the scenes, the gimmick of the tag team was also created by John Layfield. To further enhance their gimmick, the APA began to appear weekly backstage in an "office," dubbed the "APA Office". The office was a free-standing door and frame, with the letters 'A.P.A.' written in magic marker on a piece of typing paper. A running gag consisted of Faarooq and Bradshaw seated at a table playing cards with the door open. When a wrestler would appear to hire their services, they would admonish the potential customer for either not knocking on the door, walking around the door frame or not closing the door on the way out. After protecting many WWF superstars, the APA began a feud with Bull Buchanan and Big Bossman. On the April 10, 2000 episode of "Raw", the APA protected Kai En Tai during a match, when they were attacked by Buchanan and Bossman. The APA, however, was unsuccessful in winning a tag team match against them at Backlash. On the May 18, 2000 episode of "SmackDown!", the APA were hired to protect Crash Holly for an hour, to prevent him from losing his WWF Hardcore Championship. After the hour was up, the APA left, allowing Gerald Brisco to pin Holly for the Hardcore Championship. The situation resulted in Holly challenging Bradshaw in a Hardcore match, which Bradshaw won. Later that week on "SmackDown!", Faarooq defeated Holly in a Hardcore match.