WWE Hall of Famer John Bradshaw Layfield recently paid tribute to the late Eddie Guerrero, saying the legendary performer played a crucial role in transforming his career and helping him reach the main-event level in WWE.
Speaking during an appearance on Six Feet Under, the podcast hosted by The Undertaker, JBL explained that Guerrero was instrumental in the creative direction that turned him from a tag team competitor into one of WWE’s top villains.
According to JBL, Guerrero not only supported the character shift but even pushed for storyline decisions that ultimately helped elevate him to championship status.
JBL said, “Eddie Guerrero not only made me, Eddie Guerrero gave me the angle that not only made me but took the title off himself. So, my whole career, I owe to Eddie. I’m putting that man over.”
JBL also recalled an unforgettable match with Guerrero at the Staples Center, explaining that the bout had virtually no structured plan going into it after Guerrero rejected the match concept proposed by the agent.
The result was an intense and bloody contest that JBL attributes to Guerrero’s instinctive approach to storytelling inside the ring.
“Eddie couldn’t put a match together backstage to save his life… He felt things. He just got out there and did things,” JBL explained. “It was unbelievable… that was 100% feel with Eddie.”
JBL added that Guerrero possessed a rare understanding of crowd psychology and pacing, something he believes few wrestlers in history have mastered. He even recalled a moment where Guerrero advised him to remain in a prolonged headlock for nearly half an hour to intentionally slow the crowd down after a previous match had the audience overly energized. The strategy, JBL said, ultimately allowed them to build the crowd back up to a huge reaction by the finish.
Another major turning point in JBL’s career came during the controversial storyline involving Guerrero’s family in El Paso, which featured a dramatic “heart attack” angle involving Guerrero’s mother. JBL credited the Guerrero family for their willingness to fully commit to the segment in order to generate massive heat for his villainous character.
According to JBL, the angle sparked such intense fan reactions that he required a police escort to leave the city after the show. He described the eerie silence that followed the segment in the arena as one of the most powerful moments he experienced during his career.
The storyline ultimately helped solidify JBL’s transformation into a top heel and paved the way for his rise as one of WWE’s leading villains during the mid-2000s.
