"Distasteful" - Jim Ross on Randy Orton's comment about Eddie Guerrero on WWE SmackDown

Former WWE executive Jim Ross believes Randy Orton’s in-character comment about the late Eddie Guerrero in 2006 was in poor taste.

In November 2005, Guerrero passed away at the age of 38 due to acute heart failure. One of his closest friends, Rey Mysterio, won the 2006 WWE Royal Rumble two months later. Mysterio went on to feud with Randy Orton, who said in a heel promo on WWE SmackDown that Guerrero had gone to hell.

Speaking on his Grilling JR podcast, Ross discussed Randy Orton’s win over Rey Mysterio at the No Way Out 2006 pay-per-view. He said Orton’s comment was “distasteful” and it was not beneficial for anyone involved in the storyline.

“I didn’t like that Eddie thing. ‘Eddie’s in hell.’ I thought it was a reach. It was knee-jerk, it just was distasteful. That’s the wrong kind, that’s go-away heat. Go-away heat. ‘I don’t wanna see this anymore, I don’t wanna hear this anymore.’ Go-away heat is not beneficial for anyone. I thought this was very distasteful in that respect.”

Ross clarified that he understood why Randy Orton was told to make the comment in his promo. However, he considers that segment to be “a wrong turn in the road” in the storyline.

Who approved Randy Orton’s storyline remark?

Randy Orton and Rey Mysterio

Vince McMahon usually has the final say on WWE storyline decisions. Jim Ross believes the WWE Chairman almost certainly approved Randy Orton’s comment about Eddie Guerrero.

“Well, it was Vince, obviously. Big decisions like that are blessed by the old man, so I would think that Vince would’ve been the one to make that call.”

He added that Eddie Guerrero’s wife, Vickie Guerrero, likely agreed with Randy Orton using the “hell” comment because she did not want to cause problems.

Please credit Grilling JR and give a H/T to SK Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.