JBL Recalls Expecting A 'Bloodbath' From Eddie Guerrero Blade Job At WWE Judgment Day
Eddie Guerrero's bloody bout with JBL at Judgment Day 2004 is remembered as one of the most disturbing matches in wrestling history – more akin to a scene from the "Saw" franchise than an actual match.
With Bruce Prichard on hiatus, JBL filled in on "Something to Wrestle" and shared more details about their encounter. JBL admitted he had an inkling of what was to come based on how determined Guerrero was to slice through the thick layer of scar tissue on his head.
"I knew [Eddie] was gonna get good color," said JBL. "I had no idea it was gonna be that much. But we knew it was gonna be a bloodbath."
The extreme level of gore certainly wasn't planned, but neither was anything else. JBL said Guerrero became hell-bent on calling the entire thing on the fly after voicing displeasure with the late Pat Patterson's finish. JBL said Patterson eventually allowed them an unprecedented degree of freedom.
"I said, 'Pat, Eddie's not feeling it,'" JBL remembered. "And Pat said, 'Which part?' I said, 'Any of it.' And he goes, 'What do you want to do?' and I said, 'Can we call the whole thing out there?' And Pat said, 'The whole thing?' And we're talking about the finish, too. And he said, 'Guys, if you succeed or if you fail, it's on you. Not on me.'"
Guerrero also didn't have confidence that a typical wrestling blade would get the job done.
"Eddie came up to me a few hours before the match, and he had this freakin' dagger," JBL recalled. "And he goes, 'Ese, last time I juiced, I got so much scar tissue up here, it didn't work.' He goes, 'I'm gonna get good color today.' I said, 'Holy s***, Eddie! That's a sword!'"
The match was as memorable as it was gruesome and is usually ranked among Guerrero's best.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Something to Wrestle" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.