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. While JBL won the match, the disqualification meant that Guerrero retained the WWE Championship.Historically, Eddie Guerrero is regarded as one of the most beloved figures in wrestling. Referees eventually separated the two, but the damage had been done.

Guerrero then grabbed the gold and nailed JBL, but the referee saw this action and called for a disqualification.Īfter the bell rang, Guerrero continued his assault, nailing JBL with chairs and the WWE Championship, busting the challenger open in the process. As the referee cleared the chair away, JBL tried to hit Eddie with the championship, but Guerrero ducked and gave JBL a low blow. JBL then went outside the ring, throwing a steel chair and the WWE Championship into the ring. Eddie escaped the Sleeper and groggily tried a Frog Splash, but the challenger moved out of the way. JBL then grabbed a Sleeper Hold trying to make Eddie pass out, but the champion would not go down. JBL was able to hit a powerbomb as the first referee came to, but Guerrero kicked out of the pinfall. A new referee came down and JBL tried the Clothesline from Hell again, but Guerrero ducked, and the new referee took the brunt of the move. However, the referee was still out, so no count was made. JBL took control and mercilessly pounded the cut, and after getting back in the ring, the challenger nailed a Clothesline from Hell. Outside the ring, JBL nailed the champion with a steel chair, busting him wide open. Eddie was then able to avoid the Clothesline from Hell, but in the ensuing fracas, the referee was knocked down, and the match spilled out to the floor again. Back in the ring, Guerrero recovered and went for the Three Amigos, but JBL was able to counter. JBL bailed to the floor once more, but when Eddie tried a plancha, the challenger caught him and nailed a fallaway slam on the floor.įollowing more brawling on the floor, JBL backdropped Eddie onto the Spanish announce table to take control. However, once they got back inside the ring, Guerrero hammered away at him again, regaining control. They continued to brawl outside the ring and into the announcers' table, and JBL was able to gain control.

They brawled outside the ring and JBL tried to walk away from the match, but the champion knocked him down to prevent an escape. The champion hammered JBL with everything he had, sending the challenger scurrying from the ring. The two men stared each other down, and Guerrero came out of the gate blazing. With Angle moving on to become General Manager of SmackDown, he appointed JBL the winner of his Great American Award, earning Layfield a chance to become WWE Champion at Judgment Day. JBL for the WWE Championshipįollowing his victory over Kurt Angle at WrestleMania XX, WWE Champion Eddie Guerrero found John Bradshaw Layfield as the next challenger to his throne.

Eddie guerrero vs jbl