A WWE Hall of Famer and former World Champion has looked back on a match that gained notoriety for all the wrong reasons.
Following his successful title defence against Kurt Angle at WrestleMania 20, Eddie Guerrero was in need of a new challenger. At Judgment Day 2004, Guerrero next put the title on the line against John “Bradshaw” Layfield following on from JBL splitting away from his long-time tag partner Farooq and developing his new business tycoon persona.
The match is best remembered for the sickening chair shot delivered by Layfield onto Guerrero while the referee was down. When Guerrero rose to his feet, Latino Heat was bleeding heavily due to his blading cutting an artery. With Guerrero losing an uncomfortable amount of blood, the match is arguably the bloodiest in company history and resulted in Judgment Day 2004 being one of the few shows to receive a TV-MA rating in the United States.
During an appearance at For The Love of Wrestling, JBL was asked about his memories of that match
“I knew there was a lot of blood, but watching it back—it was just puddles of blood. It was unbelievable how much Eddie lost that night,”
Layfield also debunked the rumour that Guerrero collapsed when he got backstage that night, but did confirm that his former rival was hospitalised due to the amount of blood lost:
“People have said all kinds of things—that he went into shock and all that. He did not. He lost a lot of blood, he did go to the hospital, but it was unbelievable to witness,”
Another WWE Hall Of Famer Provides Health Update
Performing at a time when chair shots to the head, blood loss and dangerous bumps were much more common, many of the stars of the past have paid the price for dedication to their craft. However, in more positive news, WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley shared some positive news.
In other news, The Rock’s upcoming WWE appearance has forced a change in plans.
H/t to SEScoops.