![]() ![]() Eddie would rush his family out of the ring, only to turn around into a Clothesline from Hell. Eddie presented flowers to both his wife and mother, which was interrupted by JBL. Held in his hometown of El Paso, Texas, it was only natural for his wife Vickie, his three children and his mother to be in the crowd. JBL had to respond – sadly, however, real life would interfere and a tragic incident would occur.ĭuring a house show on Mother’s Day, Eddie invited his family into the ring. JBL would lead a celebration the following week to brag about his win, but there was one problem, he was dealing with someone who lived by the moniker of “lie, cheat and steal.” Eddie would steal Bradshaw’s trophy and destroy it. ![]() JBL unveiled video of him beating up a bunch of masked men, portrayed to be illegal Mexican immigrants at the border, yelling for them to get out of “his country.” Because of these actions, Acting General Manager Kurt Angle would name JBL the first and only recipient of the “Kurt Angle Real American Award.” He was also named the #1 contender to Guerrero’s title. Thus, JBL and Guerrero began an emotionally charged storyline that was very polarizing by today’s standards and would likely not be found in today’s PG Era of WWE. ![]() The only option was to find a new challenger and create an intense storyline that the fans would get emotionally invested in. Already established stars like a rising John Cena and returning Undertaker were still there, but you can’t have your top babyfaces fighting each other, unless it’s a major PPV payoff. The SmackDown talent pool wasn’t large to automatically pick a new #1 contender, but a recent draft brought over Booker T, the Dudleyz and Rob Van Dam to beef things up again. WWE’s talent pool had taken a hit since WrestleMania with the departures of Goldberg (contract expired) and Brock Lesnar (NFL), coupled with injuries to both Kurt Angle and Big Show. As time drew near for the SmackDown-exclusive pay-per-view Judgment Day, Eddie needed a new challenger to step up. Latino Heat was living off the high of life, turning back the challenge of Kurt Angle at WrestleMania XX after defeating Brock Lesnar at No Way Out to win the WWE Championship. His first act of business was to rid WWE of its immigration problem by targeting WWE Champion Eddie Guerrero. John Bradshaw Layfield (JBL), for the most part, was a racist, arrogant asshole (maybe JBL should run for office). Well, in short time, he would morph from the beer-drinking brawler into a money market tycoon. The Acolyte Protection Agency (APA) was dead, but the question remained about where this left Simmons’ tag team partner Bradshaw. In March of 2004, just shortly after WrestleMania XX, Ron Simmons (Faarooq) would be released from WWE, citing that he was ready to step away from the ring and retire. One of which, if given the opportunity, could become the “longest reigning champion in SmackDown history.” While there was a fresh crop of talent within the company ready to take their spot, there was still untapped potential in some of the veterans. This was the case on both Raw and SmackDown in May 2004, with Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero as their respective brands’ titleholders. Now the workhorse, the most dedicated performer, was world champion. Almost gone was the idea that the company’s box office draw had to be the champion. In 2004, WWE was beginning to show that it wasn’t so much about star power as much as it was about the work in the ring and stealing the show every night. ![]() You may later reflect back and realize that things weren’t the same as they were five years before, for better or worse. Eddie guerrero vs jbl professional#There are years in professional wrestling when you know a company is in transition. ![]()
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