10 Dirtiest Tricks WWE Heels Pulled To Inspire Hate
1. “Eddie Is Down There, In Hell”
Sigh. The very title gives away how bad this was. Even talking about it now makes you wince. Which raises the question why these words had to come out of the mouth of Randy Orton on the 6 February 2006 episode of SmackDown.
Yes Eddie Guerrero’s death was still very much looming over WWE programing, yes it was about giving Rey Mysterio his big moment, but surely there were ways of doing so without the need for exploiting the tragic and untimely passing away of one of the most beloved figures in the industry. But that is what we got. Vince decided Eddie’s death was the perfect emotional catapult for elevating Mysterio into superstardom.
In order to engineer this angle, Randy Orton was inserted into the mix. After Rey’s heartfelt win in the Royal Rumble, Orton would confront him and insult Eddie, finishing with that infamous line regarding Latino Heat’s whereabouts in the afterlife. This led to Mysterio putting his WrestleMania spot on the line against the Legend Killer.
Randy won that match but more shenanigans afterwards ensured it became a Triple Threat. The fact remains Rey Mysterio deserved the spotlight by virtue of his own talent and performances. It was bad enough they had to insert Eddie’s death into the narrative because they didn’t have enough faith in his own star power. But to do it in this way was neither warranted nor acceptable.