Looking back at one of the one most gruesome matches in WWE history, the JBL vs Eddie Guerrero match brings some disturbing viewing.
WWE Champion JBL had been one of the most vile heels WWE had in years – making racially insensitive comments toward Guerrero during the build up to their matches and event marching toward the USA/Mexico to stop “more” illegal immigrants coming into the country.
It was the perfect time for such a character to exist. The public sentiment toward immigration in American had turned rapidly following 9/11 and the talk about illegal immigration from South of the boarder had become a hot topic.
JBL took advantage of this and crated a character to amplify these fears and become a man that people simply loved to hate.
Then you had Eddie Guerrero. The Texas-born Latino Icon who the fans could not help but get behind.
Yes, he lied, cheated and stole, but he possessed so much natural charism and was so good inside the ring that the fans could not help but get behind him.
He had worked so hard for decades before finally getting what he deserved, and that was when he defeated Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship at No Way Out 2004, in one of the greatest title changes in WWE history.
JBL and Eddie Guerrero would then feud over the WWE Championship. It started off incredibly heated with the highest stakes possible, as JBL caused Eddie Guerrero’s mother to have a heart attack during a house show.
This turned the feud personal and both men wanted to inflict as much pain and suffering on the other as they could, in their quest for the WWE Championship.
They would fight at Judgement Day 2004, with Guerrero’s belt on the line.
JBL would win the match by disqualification, after an enraged Guerrero hit him with the championship title to get the match thrown out and to carry on as the champion (the title cannot change hands by DQ).
The match was infamous for the incredible amount of blood lost by the champion, as he painted himself as the canvas red as a concerning amount of blood flowed from his forehead.
It was one of the bloodiest matches of all time and got even worse when JBL later revealed how Eddie Guerrero had to be carted to the hospital and nearly died of blood loss after the bout.
JBL On Match With Eddie Guerrero
JBL vs Eddie Guerrero was a huge match for the WWE Championship and the first main event of JBL’s long career. 23:22 minutes after the bell rang, Guerrero popped JBl with the title belt to disqualify himself and keep a hold of his hard-fought championship.
However, Eddie Guerrero lost so much blood from a cut in his forehead during the match that he was forced to be rushed to hospital after the match. He nearly died from the injuries and even collapsed on the next episode of Smackdown due to his injuries.
JBL said in a recent interview about his match with Eddie Guerrero:
‘Eddie wanted to make the match. He passed out in the back and they ended up having to take him to hospital. It was a lot! I think it was probably too much,’
‘Ah, I don’t know if it was too much or not, because it became this iconic moment that really made the JBL and Eddie feud! So, history will judge whether it was too much or not.’
JBL would alter defeat Eddie Guerrero in a cage match on Smackdown, winning the WWE Championship for the first and only time in his career.
