Next week marks 20 years since the passing of WWE Hall of Famer Eddie Guerrero, who tragically died on November 13, 2005. Guerrero’s final match took place just days earlier, when he defeated Mr. Kennedy at a SmackDown taping.
On the latest episode of Something to Wrestle, Guerrero’s close friend and longtime rival John “Bradshaw” Layfield (JBL) addressed online rumors suggesting that a chair shot during that final match may have contributed to Eddie’s death.
“No, yeah, never. Not one time, no,” JBL said. “And I think I’ve heard that over the years. I think it kind of sounds familiar, but nobody thought that. You know, guys have gotten thousands of chair shots over the years, and guys don’t die from chair shots, you know? And so I get why the conspiracy gets put together… but nobody at the time thought that, and I certainly don’t believe that.”
JBL went on to clarify that Guerrero did not appear to be in poor health leading up to his passing, and that his death came as a complete shock to everyone close to him.
“Apparently, his heart just stopped,” he explained. “You know, Chavo’s told the story about finding him in his bathroom. He got up in the morning, brushed his teeth, and just died. His heart just quit. His life ran out… There weren’t any specific health issues at the time, and there certainly wasn’t anything in-ring. It wasn’t like a deteriorating condition. Unfortunately, his heart just gave out on him, and he didn’t know it.”
The official autopsy report later confirmed that Eddie Guerrero passed away from acute heart failure due to underlying arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
Guerrero remains one of the most beloved figures in professional wrestling history, and his influence continues to inspire generations of wrestlers and fans around the world.
