Jim Ross opens up about his 'combustible' relationship with Eddie Guerrero

During the latest edition of the Grilling JR podcast on AdFreeShows.com, Jim Ross opened up about his 'combustible' relationship with Eddie Guerrero.

Latino Heat is considered to be one of the most beloved performers in professional wrestling history as the WWE Hall Of Famer's impact on the business has been unfathomable. Throughout his career, Eddie Guerrero was known for maintaining excellent working relationships with his peers and colleagues.

JR said that he generally had a great time working with Latino Heat, albeit a few confrontations. The former WWE announcer revealed the story of when Eddie Guerrero was upset about going first on a PPV. The former WWE Champion was frustrated with his positioning on the card, and he felt that the company was screwing him over.

Eddie Guerrero had an exchange with Jim Ross behind the scenes, and the veteran commentator explained why the company wanted him to open the show. JR told Eddie that he had the opportunity to wrestle in front of a hot crowd that wasn't warmed up to any in-ring action.

Jim Ross believed that Eddie Guerrero had the skills to set a precedent for all subsequent performances on the card. As expected, a convinced Eddie Guerrero would go on to steal the show in the first match.

"It was good, and at times, combustible. I'll give you the story about, you know when we put him on a PPV, and he went on first, and he came to see me. 'What are you guys trying to do to me?' 'Easy hotshot, what's wrong? 'I don't want to go on first.' I said, 'Do you understand the reason you are going on first, Eddie?' Do you really understand it? 'I think I'm getting screwed.' What if we put you on third? Would that make you any happier? You are coming out to a fresh audience that hasn't seen anything yet; that's dying to see wrestling. To see their first match and the fact that you have the ability to walk back through the curtain to the gorilla position when that match is over, with your god damn chest out saying, 'follow that boys, follow that.' This is where we want to stay tonight, intensity-wise, and entertaining-wise, the whole nine yards. And he got it. And guess what he did? He went out and killed it," said Jim Ross.

If he is drinking hard liquor, he becomes Andre: Jim Ross on the best time to meet Eddie Guerrero backstage

Jim Ross revealed that Eddie Guerrero was more peaceful when you caught him reading the bible. Ross also highlighted The Latino Heat's tendency to be tough to deal with when under the influence of hard liquor.

"Eddie was best; I loved meeting Eddie when I caught him reading his bible because I knew that he had some peace. He was thinking in a peaceful way, and boy, like the guys, would say, I think Dean Malenko told me the story. You know, when I first hired those four guys, he said, 'Working with Eddie can be a little different. I said, 'How so?' 'Well, if he is drinking hard liquor, he becomes Andre. If he is drinking beer, he is the jovial, laughable, Eddie. You'd want him to drink beer (laughs).' But Eddie had to fight those damn demons," said Jim Ross.

Jim Ross added that regardless of the occasional conflicts between the two, he and Eddie Guerrero shared a strong relationship built on love, respect, and mutual admiration.

"So, we got along fine. We had some confrontations, but we always left with a hug. He knew I loved him. He knew I respected him, and he was dealing with more, Conrad, than just the finish. He had a lot of issues, a lot of things going that he was trying to get under control, and I understood that and tried to support him every way I could. So, we had a good relationship, and I'm glad I could look back on that and say that I loved working with Eddie because he was so intense, man. I wish you could have packaged that and sold it to the rest of the whole roster. He was just a machine, said Jim Ross"

Eddie Guerrero's unquestionable legacy in pro wrestling makes him one of the most adored superstars ever. What are your fondest memories of the WWE Hall of Famer?

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Please credit 'Grilling JR' and give a H/T to SK Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.