10 Harrowing Wrestling Matches That Are Incredibly Difficult To Watch
6. Eddie Guerrero Vs. JBL - WWE Judgment Day 2004
The first few minutes of Eddie Guerrero Vs. JBL are nothing extraordinary, save for the fact that Guerrero's performance is so good that you can actually buy the former Bradshaw, a career midcard act, as a main event force.
It’s when JBL rattles Guerrero’s skull with a crunching chair shot - and Guerrero slices himself much too deeply in entirely the wrong place - that the match (d)evolves into something uncomfortably dramatic. JBL might as well have shot him, for how loud the sound is and for much blood rains down Guerrero’s forehead. The Muta Scale is smashed. Instantly, Guerrero’s face and chest is smothered in crimson, a geyser gushes from his forehead. It’s ironic; for something so horrifically real - Guerrero required a blood transfusion in the aftermath - the scene almost looks staged. There’s so much of the stuff that it looks like paint.
The ring is soon splattered - a mirror image of Guerrero’s face, a disturbing, on-the-nose symbol of Guerrero’s dedication to his craft and the sliced-open underbelly of the craft itself. The botch adds to the drama, and the blood-drenched scene lends the match instant pathos and credibility. JBL traps Guerrero a sleeper hold in a psychologically sound spot, and every subsequent hope spot becomes far too literal.
By the end, the canvas resembles a Jackson Pollock piece. His contribution to art, or whether what he did was even art at all, has been hotly debated for years. So too will this.