Jim Ross says legend "was making himself miserable by being the WWE Champion"
Hall of Fame commentator Jim Ross believes winning the WWE Championship made Eddie Guerrero "miserable."
Guerrero famously defeated Brock Lesnar at No Way Out 2004 to capture WWE's most prestigious championship. He held the title for 133 days before losing to John Bradshaw Layfield (JBL) at The Great American Bash 2004.
Ross was a WWE announcer and executive during Guerrero's title reign. On his Grilling JR podcast, he explained how the legendary superstar struggled with the pressures of being WWE Champion:
"If Eddie had just relied on his instincts and his natural ability to work a match and perform at a high level, it would have never been an issue," Ross said. "But Eddie was not wound that way. He was wound tighter than a fiddle string. I don't know how to explain it any better. He, mentally, was putting so much pressure on himself that he was making himself miserable by being the WWE Champion." [1:09:51 – 1:10:19]
Guerrero passed away on November 13, 2005, due to acute heart failure. He was posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006.
Jim Ross details the responsibilities of a WWE Champion
Winning a world championship is viewed by many as the ultimate accomplishment for WWE Superstars.
On this Day in 2004 Eddie Guerrero defeated Brock Lesnar to become the #WWE Champion at No Way Out https://t.co/eAzZCXzqIu
Jim Ross worked for WWE in several on-screen and behind-the-scenes roles between 1993 and 2019. The current AEW commentator also discussed the amount of scrutiny that the WWE Champion faces compared to other roster members:
"It's a lot of responsibility," Ross stated. "To go on last, especially on a pay-per-view when they've seen everything, seemingly, it's hard, and responsibilities are hard. Staying out of trouble, for some people, hard. I think he put a lot of undue pressure on himself." [1:09:29 – 1:09:50]
Ross added that firing Guerrero in 2001 was among the toughest decisions he ever had to make in his career.
What are your favorite Eddie Guerrero memories? Let us know in the comments section below.
Please credit Jim Ross' Grilling JR podcast and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.