WWE Hall of Famer and current Smackdown LIVE announcer, JBL recently sat down with ESPN UK to discuss his Hall of Fame career. During the interview, the former WWE Champion revealed the infamous angle that nearly got him killed.
“We did the storyline where we gave Eddie’s mother a heart attack in El Paso, which almost got me killed. I literally had a police escort out of El Paso and all the way to Odessa. The police told me not to come back, that they thought I would get killed. It was that great. We set an attendance record at Staples Center [in Los Angeles] a few weeks later, and because of Eddie Guerrero, he molded my character. Eddie wanted my character to work.”
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JBL’s small-minded, wealthy Texas billionaire was a perfect adversary for Eddie Guerrero during the height of his popularity. JBL gives Guerrero all the credit for his late career resurgence.
“If it had been anybody but Eddie Guerrero, you would have never heard of JBL. But because of Eddie, I had that incredible run, and it was just the right time. I had the perfect foil in this incredible Latino star, who was one of my best friends.”
You can see the entire heart attack angle in the video below.
When discussing the run that led to him becoming Smackdown’s longest reigning World Champion, JBL said it was all about timing.
“It just happened that I was in the right place at the right time. It was late in my career, and I thought my career was over. I tore my biceps and had two hernia surgeries. I didn’t know if I would do much of anything again, and all of a sudden you have people get hurt.”
“Kurt Angle got hurt, Brock Lesnar had left the company, and [WWE] needed somebody against Eddie Guerrero right away. That’s when the JBL character was created.”
You can read the entire interview here.
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