![]() In fact, he showed no concern about long-term health implications she would suffer from. JBL failed to take accountability for what happened to Guerrero’s mother. Fortunately, it was minor and she would be resting comfortably by the time Judgment Day 2004 rolled around.Īt this point, a showdown between JBL and Eddie Guerrero was inevitable. According to Bruce Prichard, Eddie’s mother stressed herself about the segment so much that she suffered a real-life heart attack in the ring. It’s worth noting that this heart attack was, to some degree, legitimate. After setting a hand on her shoulder, the Wall Street mogul was as stunned as anyone else to see her collapse due to a sudden heart attack. JBL then set his sights on Guerrero’s mother, advancing toward her in an intimidation tactic. JBL crashed the Guerrero family segment, laying out the champion. As such, Guerrero brought members of his family, including his elderly mother, to the ring. WWE held a house show in El Paso, Guerrero’s hometown. The WWE Champion clearly didn’t take their threats seriously, but perhaps he should have. After confronting Angle and JBL, Guerrero took a steel chair to the Great American Trophy. Guerrero lived up to one of his trademark verbs by stealing his fellow Texan’s trophy, replacing it with one that honored “Latino Heat.” Guerrero would also take JBL’s trademark white limousine, adorn with bullhorns, for a ride to ringside. JBL followed up by hosting a celebration, the centerpiece being the Great American Trophy. The hatred for JBL was heightened further when Angle, the acting SmackDown General Manager at the time, named him the new number one contender for the WWE Championship. This segment was barely more than two minutes in length, but it successfully portrayed JBL as a xenophobic bully. In bigoted fashion, not only did JBL shout at them to “go back to Mexico,” but he physically assaulted one of the members. Case and point, JBL’s first-ever promo involved him confronting a group of people identified as illegal Mexican immigrants. To say that JBL and Eddie Guerrero’s feud dealt with sensitive topics would be an understatement. These helped fans empathize with Guerrero and detest JBL that much more. However, it was how their storyline played out that would make their eventual showdown at Judgment Day 2004 that much more memorable. ![]() On paper, JBL and Guerrero made for a strong feud. Guerrero’s success felt earned comparatively, JBL’s success didn’t. This made him the perfect foil for “Latino Heat,” who had to truly fight to become a champion. Instead of knocking back a cold one – or several – JBL was more focused on flaunting his wealth. Once the beer-loving, hard-hitting tag team specialist, the man simply known as “Bradshaw” adopted the character of a successful Texan entrepreneur. Heading into May, Guerrero needed a new feud.Įnter John Bradshaw Layfield, who underwent a drastic metamorphosis as a character. All the while, his charisma and energy made him one of the most exciting, endearing figures in wrestling. The lying, cheating, and stealing Guerrero triumphed over foes such as Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle. His ups and downs in life have been well-documented and his ascent to the WWE Championship is what legends are made of. Unless fans watched during this period, however, it’s difficult to truly grasp the influence he had on both fellow performers and fans alike. Historically, Eddie Guerrero is regarded as one of the most beloved figures in wrestling.
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