Jim Ross still doesn't understand the decision behind Randy Orton's "Eddie's in Hell" promo.
Speaking on the latest edition of his Grilling JR podcast, the AEW commentator covered WWE's No Way Out 2006, with a large portion being dedicated to the Rey Mysterio versus Randy Orton match. In the build-up to WrestleMania 22, Rey put his #1 contender spot on the line after Orton goaded him into a match by saying that his best friend Eddie Guerrero, who had just passed away a few months prior, was in Hell.
This angle was mired in controversy and in many ways overshadowed the event. Jim Ross called it distasteful and said that it garnered the wrong kind of heat. He still believes that it was a topic that didn't need to be broached in any way, form, or fashion, and doesn't understand how the creative team could "miss the boat" so badly on that one. He adds that people don't want to engage with a product that is giving off the wrong vibes and is going to make them depressed and uncomfortable.
"Oh yeah, absolutely it's a crutch. It's a lack of creativity, it's just a lack of, well, we didn't have anything better, so here's what we came up with. you know. Personal issues draw more money than titles, they always have they always will. That's not me knocking titles, because that would be silly and irresponsible. I don't know, man, I think that we really missed the boat on that deal. The more that I think about it the more I'm wondering how the hell did we get here and why did we even start this journey this way?"
Mysterio would lose to Orton at No Way Out but got his revenge when he defeated The Viper and Kurt Angle at WrestleMania 22 to capture the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
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