Brock Lesnar "had so much respect" for former WWE rival, according to Jim Ross

Jim Ross has explained why Brock Lesnar had no problem losing the WWE Championship to Eddie Guerrero.

Guerrero defeated Lesnar at No Way Out 2004 to capture WWE's most prestigious title for the first time. The match took place four weeks before The Beast Incarnate left WWE to pursue a football career.

Ross, a WWE commentator and executive at the time, discussed Guerrero's career on this week's Grilling JR podcast. He recalled how Lesnar did not have any concerns about the size of his five-foot-eight opponent:

"Eddie wrestled bigger than he was," Ross said. "I think nothing proves that any better than what he did with Brock Lesnar, and the fact that Brock Lesnar had so much respect for Eddie and his abilities that Brock had no issues that I'm aware of, to this very day, of doing the honors." [1:06:47 – 1:07:08]

Guerrero was one of the most popular superstars of his generation. After defeating Brock Lesnar, he held the WWE Championship for 133 days before losing to John Bradshaw Layfield (JBL) at The Great American Bash 2004.

Jim Ross explains why Eddie Guerrero succeeded against the likes of Brock Lesnar

In Jim Ross' opinion, Eddie Guerrero was the greatest "undersized" performer in wrestling history.

If you see this tweet tell me your favorite match from the Ruthless Aggression Era. I’ll start Brock Lesnar vs Eddie Guerrero No Way Out 04 https://t.co/pObGM52VEW

The AEW announcer believes the former WCW star thrived against opponents like JBL and Lesnar due to his in-ring expertise:

"He had a great series of matches with JBL," Ross continued. "JBL's 6'6". He had other big wins over much bigger guys, all because he understood the concept of wrestling and how to tell a story." [1:07:36 – 1:07:54]

Guerrero passed away on November 13, 2005, due to acute heart failure. He was posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006 by Chavo Guerrero, Chris Benoit, and Rey Mysterio.