It was this day 12 years ago when the wrestling world lost one of the most special people to ever be involved...Eddie Guerrero. It still seems like it was just yesterday! The man fought so hard and finally vanquished his demons, yet they still caught up to him. He was doing so well! He had become the WWE Champion a year earlier, and was on track to likely win another World Title. If this had been years earlier during his worst time, it might not have been as shocking.
Eddie Guerrero will go down as one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. He may not have been the biggest or strongest, but he clicked almost every tab when it came to all-around wrestler. He was fantastic in the ring, great on the mic, and his charisma was unparalleled! Things really came together when that push finally came. Eddie had been in the wrestling business all his life. Eddie was the youngest of Gory Guerrero's three other children, Chavo, Mando, & Hector. Chavo Jr. also became quite the technician. Even Eddie and Vickie's daughter Shaul became a wrestler for a time and is now married to WWE Superstar Aiden English. Wrestling was in Eddie's blood!
Eddie grew up in El Paso, Texas and his family was Mexican royalty. I can remember his rise through the ranks over the years. He started out working CMLL and AAA, two of the most prominent Mexican wrestling promotions. Who could forget his tag team with the late Art Barr, Los Gringos Locos? Eddie wrestled in New Japan, participating in the Best of the Super Juniors tournament as the masked Black Tiger. Eddie started to become famous in the United States while working with friend Dean Malenko in ECW. Their matches for the World Television Title were legendary. Eddie had a pretty good career in WCW as well. He was a premiere Cruiserweight, having won the Cruiserweight Title a few times, as well as the US Title. Things really took off when he made it to the WWF, although there were a lot of speed bumps along the way.
Eddie Guerrero really started to shine in WWE. He was part of the Radicals, a team of recent former WCW talent, along with Dean Malenko, Chris Benoit, and Perry Saturn. He then got into a storyline with Chyna and became known as Latino Heat. His charisma was now developing at lightening speed. He quickly won the Intercontinental and European Championships. When he came back from a major rehab stint in 2002, he won the Intercontinental Title once again. Eddie and nephew Chavo then formed Los Guerreros, with a couple stints as the Smackdown Tag Team Champions. Eddie and Chavo together were priceless, with their slogan being to lie, cheat, and steal. They exclaimed; "if you're not cheating, you're not trying!"
After branching off to a singles career once again, Eddie really came into his own. No one could match his charisma. His low-rider entrance was unforgettable! The crowning moment for Eddie's career came at No Mercy in February of 2004 when he defeated Brock Lesnar to become the WWE Champion. At WrestleMania, after Chris Benoit won the World Title, he and Eddie's celebration together brought tears to my eyes. He then had several classics with Kurt Angle and JBL, among others. Eddie was in a program with backstage pal Batista. Rumors have it that he was the next in line to become the World Champion. Eddie was to compete at the 2005 Survivor Series but it wasn't to be.
Everyone is aware of Eddie's demons. He had a severe drug and alcohol problem, spending many stints in rehab. Eddie's most significant time in rehab happened in 2001 when he was actually released from the company. While getting clean, he performed briefly for Ring of Honor, having a classic match with Super Crazy. He wrestled for some other independent promotions before returning in 2002. Eddie needed to get released because it served as a wake-up call. He finally got clean after that, and remained that way until his passing. Unfortunately, his former lifestyle caught up with him.
Eddie Guerrero made us laugh, made us cry, made us angry, but overall, entertained us all. He is still missed to this day. We can just imagine how many classic matches he could have had if he lived; dream matches with the likes of CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, and any number of wrestlers. Eddie left behind a great legacy. In 2006, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, which I'm sure was bound to happen anyway. Eddie Guerrero made an impact on my life as a wrestling fan. In fact, I do possess any autograph of his, which was retrieved by my uncle, who had met him at an airport. That is something I will cherish for the rest of my life. 12 years gone and you're stilled missed, Eddie! Viva La Raza!
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