WR Pays Tribute To Eddie Guerrero

Hey all, this is a very special column to pay tribute to one of the most entertaining wrestlers in the history of pro wrestling. 6 years ago today, the wold lost Eddie Guerrero. I personally wanted to write a large column for this but Ryan came up with a better idea, which was for the WR staff to each write a little about Eddie, favorite memories of him etc. So that’s what we did. Not all staff wrote something, but we have enough anyway, so it’s all good. First, I will give a run through on what actually happened to ”Latino heat”.

Eddie Guerrero was found unconscious in his hotel room (The Marriott City Center) in Minneapolis, Minnesota, by his nephew, Chavo. Chavo attempted CPR, but Eddie was pronounced dead when paramedics arrived on the scene.

Immediate Reaction.
WWE officials and medical staff immediately rushed to the ring. In Mick Foley’s autobiography Have a Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks, he claims that following the fall, Hart attempted to sit up and did so before falling back.WWF television announcer Jim Ross repeatedly told those watching live on pay-per-view that what had just transpired was not a wrestling angle or storyline and that Hart was hurt badly, emphasizing the seriousness of the situation.

Cause of Death.
An autopsy revealed that Guerrero died as a result of acute heart failure, caused by undiagnosed arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Although Guerrero had not taken alcohol or illicit drugs for nearly four years, his past excesses contributed to his heart failure.

RAW & SMACKDOWN! Tribute.
The episodes of Raw on November 14, 2005 and SmackDown! on November 18, 2005 each aired as tributes to Eddie Guerrero. No WWE employees were forced to perform, although several matches took place, including one featuring Chavo, who finished the match with his uncle’s frog splash. Raw started off with all the superstars and several personnel on stage, as Vince McMahon addressed the live crowd. A video was then shown featuring many clips of Guerrero in and out of the ring.

Family.
He was survived by his widow Vickie Guerrero and their two daughters, Shaul and Sherilyn. He also is survived by a daughter, Kaylie, from a previous relationship.

Wellness Policy.
On March 19, 2007, Sports Illustrated posted on its website an article in its continuing series investigating a steroid and HGH ring used by a number of professional athletes in several sports. This article mentioned several current and former WWE wrestlers, including Eddie, who was alleged to have obtained hCG and the steroid stanozolol in early 2005. At the time of the alleged steroid usage, the WWE had not yet instated its Wellness Policy in which wrestlers are tested for substances, which was stated by WWE.com on the day the article was released. WWE introduced a Wellness Policy soon after.

Ryan Remembers Eddie… 
My first memories of Eddie Guerrero were when he was walking around with Chyna on his arm, he made Chyna look good and carried her for a while when D-GenerationX broke up. These weren’t my favourite memories of Eddie, simply because he didn’t stand out enough against The Rock, Stone Cold, Undertaker, Kane, Vince so on and so forth. It wasn’t until 2002 that I started taking more of an interest in him when he had a good feud with Rob Van Dam. My favourite storyline of Eddie’s was the Los Guerreros storyline that made Eddie huge. We Lie, We Cheat, We Steal. All the promos were hilarious and everything flowed. I remember when Eddie & Tajiri teamed up but Eddie in classic style turned on Tajiri smashing him into the lowrider. My favourite match of Eddie’s will forever be his WrestleMania XX match against Kurt Angle. This match couldn’t have been any better for me. It flowed so well and I remember marking out to Eddie slipping off his boot and getting the roll up. It’s one of my fondest wrestling memories to date. What followed after actually embarrassingly enough made me cry, what can I say, I’m emotional! Sheesh, when he celebrated in the ring with Benoit I could see how much it meant to them. Not the money, not the fame but for them to win at WrestleMania together for the titles, it was theirs and by god did they deserve it. I will always love Eddie, he was taken too soon, but loved forever. VIVA LA RAZA.

Timmy Remembers Eddie…
I have nothing to say, I have no cliche way to start this, No “It seemed like always yesterday”, no cheap story about how I will always remember “This one time Eddie”, or anything cheesy like that. Eddie Guerrero’s passing was the hardest one to accept, as it started the darkest chain in events in wwe history. Eddie was who we wanted him to be, a clown with a heart of gold, and during those times and even now, we needed him, more than he needed us. Playing the “good” guy, the “bad” guy, it didn’t matter, he went to that ring, each and every night, and… oh look here is the cliche, stole the show, the match, and our hearts. Yes it is an over used thing to say, but when it is fact you cannot argue it. He was a clown, and I do not mean that in an insulting way, not at all, he is someone that made the crowds enjoy the show, laugh their ass off, and play along with his shenanigans, he was the perfect WWE superstar. Everything about Eddie Guerrero was a blast to watch and learn, from him riding out in amazing stylized lowriders to him and Chavo Guerrero in Los Guerreros causing problems and ruining everything for their opponents while keeping the show alive. Eddie wasn’t just another wrestler, he wasn’t just another superstar, He WAS the superstar. He always had the crowd on his side, even while being the heel, his matches were instant classic, and overall, he will be missed. He is a superstar that not only we wanted, we needed.

Proud of Vickie. 
When I heard that Vickie Guerrero would be joining WWE TV, I was nervous that she would be there as a reminder of Eddie, that her whole time on TV will be a constant black stain of a fallen wrestler, and would only hinder the great career of Eddie. I am proud to say that I am wrong, but more importantly, I am Proud of Vickie Guerrero. She is her own person, and she shows it off every time she is on TV. She stands in her own legacy now, continuing the great Guerrero name, while shinning in her own light. As the most hated heel managers I have ever seen, her presents alone gets a huge crowd reaction. A Negative one, but being a heel, she is doing a damn good job. From someone who was terrible on the mic, I won’t lie, that Dominic storyline was pathetic, and she wasn’t that good in it. To the Top heel in the business, and I am not saying that lightly, she gets more spark out of saying two words, than most of the locker room get. She is her own person, and I am proud to watch her each night she is on. I sometimes forget who she was a few years ago, she is that damn good, and for this, she has earned her own right, name, and legacy to call her own.

With the upcoming news of a WWE network, I always feel that we will be missing that one epic comedy show, staring Eddie and Chavo. The Los Guerreros show, based on the pre taped segments, would have been the highest viewed show, without a doubt.

Hasnan Remembers Eddie…
  To me Eddie was a great performer/entertainer in the ring, who didn’t think that though? I came really interested in him and when I started watching as a real fan around the Wrestlemania 20 time and I remember him feuding with Angle and making a great show, genuinely loved him since then. He was one of the first people I watched that got me into wrestling. Six years ago, I was in school and my friends told knowing that I like him so much Eddie’s dead…Eddie’s dead. I was shocked all I could do is go on WWE.com and see if it was true, I then just got silent. Eddie was a great person my favorite feuds he delivered to us where JBL,Rey,Lesnar,Beniot and me going back to my WCW video’s I gathered he did an immense job with Dean Malenko and I sometimes say he was one of the factors that Smackdown not feel like the B show when there was the WWE title on the show aswell. What a great person he allways cared to give us match from start to end his last ever WWE match showed that, he lied he cheated and stole the show.

James Remembers Eddie… 
When I remember Eddie the thing about him I remember the most is how he could work with anyone inside or outside the ring and turn it into something great. It didn’t matter if it was the cruiserweight division in WCW or if it was main eventing in WWE for the WWE Title. No matter what Eddie was asked to do, whether it was feud with his own family or even start a knock off of the nWo, he did it with 110% effort. Even having a relationship storyline with Chyna, Eddie seemed to enjoy it and made it fun. For a guy who had demons of drugs and alcohol, I never once noticed on television as he kept everything very professional. Except for the DUI, I don’t think Eddie showed this side of him to too many people. At the age of 38 we lost a great performer way too early. Although it’s sad and especially heartbreaking for his family, it’s hard not to smile when you think of all the great things he did in the ring and out of the ring just to entertain us.

Jordan Remembers Eddie…
  Six years ago, I woke up and prepared to go eat lunch with my grandparents. I had really gotten into reading wrestling websites around that time, so I took a few quick moments to hop on the household computer, as my parents were bolting out to the car. I’m glad I took the time, but was devastated by the major headline; “Eddie Guerrero Found Dead in Minneapolis Hotel Room.” At first, I didn’t believe it, it was probably just a made up rumor, another example of why dirtsheets can’t be trusted. A sickening feeling rushed over me, though, when I checked out WWE’s website to confirm the news. Needless to say, that was one of the more depressing family outings I’ve experienced. I can’t even begin to imagine how Eddie’s family and friends must have felt. Eddie is a true inspiration, and not just for the wrestling community. He was able to overcome personal demons, and achieve ultimate success, which people from all walks of life can relate too. For a person looking to get into the business, like myself, Eddie Guerrero’s name pops up a lot when it pertains to studying matches. His series with Dean Malenko and Rey Mysterio are nothing short of classics. He’s easily one of the greatest technical wrestlers to have graced the squared circle, and whether he was competing in Japan, Mexico, or the U.S, he always entertained those watching. I often wonder what he would be doing today, and how the wrestling scene might be different if he was still with us all, as I’m sure a good amount of other fans do as well. He is enormously missed still to this day, and will be for many years to come.

That is what WR provided to pay tribute to Eddie Guerrero. It took a real long time to edit so I didn’t write a whole lot, just the intro and what happened. It is a long column so no need for mountains of writing but I just wanna add, I miss Eddie, I really do. I watched his debut as a lucha libre and I remember where I was when I found out he died, I was stunned and a felt a shiver down my spine. Eddie was such a talent, he had it all, looks, wrestling ability, MIC skills and could perform on the highest level. I have such fond memories of Eddie. My favorite memory of all time from him was probably when he frog-splashed to JBL from the top of a steel cage, or when he defeated Brock Lesnar at No Way Out. I loved watching segments with Chavo and Eddie, they were funny as hell. Eddie was a wrestler you couldn’t hate, loved by many, hated by little. I also want to add a little about Vickie. Vickie does her job well, she is one of those people who you just love to boo because they are a heel, but you know you love them and would hate to see them go leave the company. Vickie is a strong woman, it must not of been easy to go to a company not long after your loved one worked for it for so long and died. I want to say thank you Eddie, I love you man. RIP.

That’s all we have for Eddie, this will be its own category so when people come to view the site, they’ll see this column. Please share us your thoughts on Eddie. He lied, he cheated, he stealed…but he was a legend. I will leave with just a couple of videos throughout his career.