Eddie Guerrero: 4 years later

[greeby]

Nov 12, 2009 17:38:04 GMT -5 Solid Stryk-Dizzle said:

Nov 12, 2009 17:31:29 GMT -5 missellie said:

but it just sickens me how the Guerrero name is treated right now.

The Guerrero name is still respected.

Chavo has always been a joke and Vickie is seen as betraying the name and that's why she's a huge heel.

Watching Chavo v Bourne at the house show last night just got me frustrated. Because they don't have to do anything spectacular with him because of his relations (although they seem to be in the business of that lately), just let him go out there and wrestle. Or they could just fire him. Either way is better than this ritual humiliation on Raw every week.

[Soultastic]

Tomorrow, November 13, marks 4 years...4 years since the passing of one of the best performers I've ever seen. A man who left it all in the ring every night. A man who raised the bar each time he grabbed the mic.

It's been 4 long years and I still miss him. I miss the energy he gave to every feud and program he was involved in. I missed the little smiles he gave to the camera after every match. But he's gone. All that's left are the memories of the great times and the speculations of what might have happened if he hadn't left us so early.

When I think of Eddie, the first thing that comes to my mind is that catchy tune he used to have. I remember the sound of "Latino Heat" coming out of my TV set, while my brother and I sat there and waited for him to get inside the ring. Even when we booed him, we always knew Eddie ment entertainment.

After spending nearly 4 years of his WWE career helping the midcard, he finaly got a shot at the title. A shot that led him to the biggest moment of his career. I couldn't believe it when I saw it. After all this years, he was finally getting the attention he deserved. I stood up from my chair and literally jumped out of excitement. The months passed and his reign was over. But even if it was poorly booked, it was great for me.

After one of the dumbest feuds ever concieved (which he managed to made interesting with his infamus "bed time story" promo) and a short lived title chase...he left us. It was Sunday when it happened. The next day, almost all of my classmates wore "I am your papi" shirts. We couldn't talk about what happened. We couldn't talk about what would happen next. For the next months, all we could do was remember...and speculate.

Was he about to win the title? How many classic matches did he have left in him? What would've happened with Mysterio? And, on a lighter tone, would Kervin White still roam the ring?

There's no way I can answer any of this questions. Eddie had proven himself to be too unpredictable to know what would have happened next. All I know is that he made an impression on me, and many others, that could never be erased. He did all in his power to please us.

He stole our hearts...and was honest about it.

[CMWaters]

If he hadn't passed, two things would have happened that I would have liked. ...well, one definate and one maybe.

1)A match against Shawn Michaels.

2)A match against Yoshi Tatsu (yeah, this is the maybe here).

[Deleted]

Nov 12, 2009 20:22:12 GMT -5 greeby said:

Nov 12, 2009 17:38:04 GMT -5 Solid Stryk-Dizzle said:

The Guerrero name is still respected.

Chavo has always been a joke and Vickie is seen as betraying the name and that's why she's a huge heel.

Watching Chavo v Bourne at the house show last night just got me frustrated. Because they don't have to do anything spectacular with him because of his relations (although they seem to be in the business of that lately), just let him go out there and wrestle. Or they could just fire him. Either way is better than this ritual humiliation on Raw every week.

For you maybe but I doubt Intensly Chavo feels the same

[Bubble Lead]

Nov 12, 2009 17:43:25 GMT -5 missellie said:

Nov 12, 2009 17:38:04 GMT -5 Solid Stryk-Dizzle said:

The Guerrero name is still respected.

Chavo has always been a joke and Vickie is seen as betraying the name and that's why she's a huge heel.

Well yeah but Chavo deserves so much better, and not just because of his last name, but because he is a great talent. Vickie betraying the name can really make casual fans forget about Eddie and all he did for the company. If they wanted people to remember the Guerrero name in the future as a highly-respected and talented family, then they're going the wrong way. Instead, younger fans will know the name as pretty much one big joke.

I completely disagree.

There are plenty of things around to remind younger fans of how respected the Guerrero name is, such as DVDs and Eddies HOF induction. Anytime WWE does best of shows there are tons of Eddie clips on them to remind you and clue the younger fans in on how awesome he was. WWE always speaks highly of him on any show where his name would come up.

Chavo is a fine talent, but he was a lower carder while Eddie was alive. Just because Eddie is dead now doesn't mean Chavo being in the same position he has almost always been in his entire career is disrespectful to the name or making the family look bad.

Point blank, if Chavo was as good and as over as Eddie was during his time he would get a similar run, but he isn't, so he doesn't. I think it would have been a good idea to give him more of a push in the wake of Eddies passing and maybe a US Title run around that time or a Tag Title run with Mysterio but in the end that wouldn't have changed where Chavo is now.

I found a few of the things WWE did with Eddies name a little distasteful [mainly Orton saying Eddie was in hell, which offended me] but I am a huge Eddie fan, he is probably my favorite wrestler ever or at least in my top three and I think he would have been fine with what they did. I dont believe WWE ever disrespected his name or his family and I dont understand people that do. Usually their reasoning just amounts to VICKIE IS A HEEL AND CHAVO IS A JOBBER which to me is nitpicking and oversimplification at its worst.

[Sarsaparilla]

I think Benoit still would have done what he did. Didn't they say he had the brain of an 80 year old azheimer's patient?

[Bubble Lead]

One interesting thought nobody has mentioned as of yet...if Eddie had been checked out properly and not passed, what of the Wellness Policy?

I doubt it would have been instituted which changes the way A LOT of things worked out since then. I mean it may have eventually been instituted but certainly not as soon as it was and possibly in a completely different form than what we know today.

[stealthamo]

I honestly remember when I first heard about it. My family's computer broke, so I didn't hear about it right away. In fact, I heard about it the next day. My dad said he saw it on the news. I couldn't believe it when he told me. Honestly, I think Eddie would probably be an upper-midcarder, probably getting young talent over at this point.

On the Benoit side, I definitely think he and his family would still be alive. I'm not sure for how long, because his brain still would've been in a horrible state, but Eddie's death hit him hard, and that pretty much started to send him over the edge.

One thing that would've been different is the title picture, well, at least the WHC. If Eddie doesn't die, Rey is never in the title scene (not in my opinion at least). I still think Angle wins the battle royal, but now it's either Angle vs. Orton, or Angle vs. Orton vs. Eddie, since Eddie has no one to feud with with Batista injured.

[Bubble Lead]

Nov 12, 2009 21:26:32 GMT -5 stealthamo said:

I honestly remember when I first heard about it. My family's computer broke, so I didn't hear about it right away. In fact, I heard about it the next day. My dad said he saw it on the news. I couldn't believe it when he told me. Honestly, I think Eddie would probably be an upper-midcarder, probably getting young talent over at this point.

On the Benoit side, I definitely think he and his family would still be alive. I'm not sure for how long, because his brain still would've been in a horrible state, but Eddie's death hit him hard, and that pretty much started to send him over the edge.

One thing that would've been different is the title picture, well, at least the WHC. If Eddie doesn't die, Rey is never in the title scene (not in my opinion at least). I still think Angle wins the battle royal, but now it's either Angle vs. Orton, or Angle vs. Orton vs. Eddie, since Eddie has no one to feud with with Batista injured.

I think if Eddie had been alive Benoit would have still had a lot of problems. Benoits issues were far more complex than just Eddie dying. He still would have been screwed up from all the diving headbutts, chairshots, etc.

However I do think that his family would still be alive, because I think Eddie would have noticed Benoit acting oddly and also Eddie being alive would have probably kept Benoit from going COMPLETELY over the edge. More than likely Benoit would have still had a lot of family issues and beaten Nancy and such, but Eddie would have been around to push him to get help.

Probably Benoit gets a divorce and retires after urges from Eddie for him to get help and doctors recognizing his mental issues...or maybe Benoit gets proper treatment, his family stays together and he gets on some medication that sorts him out.

I dont see Eddie being alive magically making a delusional psychotic completely well and healthy...it just isn't that simple of a situation.

[Big Daddy Bad Booking]

My big Viva La Raza tin is getting a workout tomorrow!

Seriously though, this was the first wrestling-related death that really struck a chord with me. Here, a man in his prime, a man with loving family, and friends who for the most part couldn't say a bad word about him. He was just so sudden in terms of his passing, and even today I still am a bit shaken over it. Wrestling today definitely needs a man like him.

[hmbnimbus]

In 2004, I had the privlidge of spending some time back stage with the WWE wrestlers on the Smackdown tour (when Eddie was champ) due to my trainer being pretty tight with Dave Finlay.... me and my troupe had the absolute honour of sitting down to dinner with Shelton, JBL (just before his full-blown turn) and Eddie.

All I can say, looking back, is what humble people both he and Chavo (who we met later) were - I consider myself one hell of a fortunate person for being able to sit down with them whilst they were eating - in the midst of a busy schedule, no doubt - and to tell them both how much I was a fan of both their respective works. Even if they seemed like they were pretending to care - they were TRYING to care - when some green British jumped-up newbies were acting all shell-shocked at meeting their idols for possibly the first time. I remember Eddie in a long, trenchcoat-esque jacket just tucking into whatever he was eating whilst being as friendly as possible.

I unashamedly admit that when he passed, I shed a tear and that I will ALWAYS be a Chavo mark for the way those two (and especially Little Guido) treated my trainee wrestling group and I in our little county of Yorkshire.

Eddie, you'll always be my hero.

[Richard]

Nov 12, 2009 20:50:51 GMT -5 @tagteamspecialist said:

Nov 12, 2009 20:22:12 GMT -5 greeby said:

Watching Chavo v Bourne at the house show last night just got me frustrated. Because they don't have to do anything spectacular with him because of his relations (although they seem to be in the business of that lately), just let him go out there and wrestle. Or they could just fire him. Either way is better than this ritual humiliation on Raw every week.

For you maybe but I doubt Intensly Chavo feels the same

Yeah, he seems to enjoy it. I mean he is not taking any huge risks but, is constantly on TV which mean more money.

[wwefan78]

Eddie's death has a very personal connection to my wrestlinginterest today. I had a hiatus from wrestling that lasted almost 10 years. In november 2005 I happened to see news about Eddie Guerrero's passing and instantly remembered him from WCW. For whatever reason I felt compelled to watch the tribute shows. After wiping my tears I got myself updated on what Eddie had been up to until his death and what had generally transpired in WWE. I'm still watching today, but can't help feel a bit robbed of the opportunity to watch Eddie grow into a maineventer and respected star. Viva la Raza RIP Eddie

[stealthamo]

Nov 12, 2009 21:33:26 GMT -5 Bubble Lead said:

Nov 12, 2009 21:26:32 GMT -5 stealthamo said:

I honestly remember when I first heard about it. My family's computer broke, so I didn't hear about it right away. In fact, I heard about it the next day. My dad said he saw it on the news. I couldn't believe it when he told me. Honestly, I think Eddie would probably be an upper-midcarder, probably getting young talent over at this point.

On the Benoit side, I definitely think he and his family would still be alive. I'm not sure for how long, because his brain still would've been in a horrible state, but Eddie's death hit him hard, and that pretty much started to send him over the edge.

One thing that would've been different is the title picture, well, at least the WHC. If Eddie doesn't die, Rey is never in the title scene (not in my opinion at least). I still think Angle wins the battle royal, but now it's either Angle vs. Orton, or Angle vs. Orton vs. Eddie, since Eddie has no one to feud with with Batista injured.

I think if Eddie had been alive Benoit would have still had a lot of problems. Benoits issues were far more complex than just Eddie dying. He still would have been screwed up from all the diving headbutts, chairshots, etc.

However I do think that his family would still be alive, because I think Eddie would have noticed Benoit acting oddly and also Eddie being alive would have probably kept Benoit from going COMPLETELY over the edge. More than likely Benoit would have still had a lot of family issues and beaten Nancy and such, but Eddie would have been around to push him to get help.

Probably Benoit gets a divorce and retires after urges from Eddie for him to get help and doctors recognizing his mental issues...or maybe Benoit gets proper treatment, his family stays together and he gets on some medication that sorts him out.

I dont see Eddie being alive magically making a delusional psychotic completely well and healthy...it just isn't that simple of a situation.

Agreed. When I wrote that, I was in a little bit of a rush, so I wasn't able to type out more. Like I said, Benoit still would've had major problems no matter what. Basically, what I meant was that if Eddie was alive, so would Benoit. I didn't say Benoit still wouldn't have problems. He still would've been a ticking time bomb, except it's going at a slower pace because Eddie's alive, and that it could potentially get defused because Eddie, being Chris's best friend, would've stepped in (well, possibly not, but more likely than not he would).

Thinking about it, it becomes a lot more interesting knowing what we know about Benoit. The main question if Eddie is alive is if and when Eddie confronts Chris about what is going on. Obviously, this is just rhetorical. Unfortunately, there are no right and wrong answers, for we got one of the worst scenarios possible.

[MNM's Official "Fixer"]

It's crazy to think that it's been 4 years already. It still feels like yesterday. Whenever I think of Eddie, I smile. I miss his antics whether he was a face or a heel. His 2000 "Latino Heat" stuff is gold. I miss his matches. I don't think I've ever seen a bad Eddie match. It's just not possible. I'm def going to have to dig out the tribute shows tomorrow & watch them.

[SAJ Forth]

It was truely a sad day. I would like to think that he would still be on SmackDown, and maybe tragedy would've been avoided.

[fw91]

I think he may have even ended up on Raw for a year if he was still alive. wouldve been interesting.

[Tapout]

As I've said before, the man was my all-time favorite (I am the biggest Eddy mark on the board and if you think you're a bigger mark for him, I'll fight your ass for it) because he could literally do it all. Very good talker with charisma oozing from every pore whose heel work harkened back to the old-school days of American-style wrestling and classic lucha libre, and whose babyface work got everybody in the crowds on his side.

The man was, as is common knowledge by now an outstanding worker and an unselfish member of the WWF/E roster who was instrumental in making Rey Mysterio the star he is today (he was doing that back in WCW along with Psicosis), but he was also happy to help make guys like Benoit, Jericho, The Rock, some kid named "John Cena," and others look like a million bucks. He was a high-flyer, mat wrestler, brawler, grappler, and submission specialist who got over all around the world, even in Japan where he got stuck with the gimmick of Black Tiger (the cartoon-character archenemy of cartoon-character-turned-wrestler Tiger Mask. And Eddy wasn't even the first Black Tiger, but the second. Despite him not speaking Japanese, he got over due to his in-ring work.

As has been said before, one of the great smark tragedies is that he never tangled one-on-one with the Churchy McChurcherson himself, Shawn Michaels, with whom Eddy shared a lot of similarities. Both men are/were gifted athletes and tremendous workers, good talkers, charismatic, and could easily work face or heel. Just about any way they would've booked it, their match would've (and should've) been amazing.

It's easy to get negative thinking about what a tremendous talent we've lost, but we're better served being thankful we knew him as long as he did and were able to enjoy his performances over the years. Here are a few of the highlights of Eddy Guerrero's outstanding matches. RIP one of the greatest of all time.

Eddy vs. Dean Malenko, ECW Farewell Match, Best of 3 Falls:
www.dailymotion.com/video/x11111_ecwmalenko-vs-guerrero-23-falls_extreme

Eddy vs. Rey Misterio Jr, WCW Cruiserweight Title vs. Mask Match, Halloween Havoc 1997: (listen for Bobby Heenan putting Guerrero over huge)
www.dailymotion.com/video/x1ucaq_rey-mysterio-jr-vs-eddie-guerrero_sport

Eddy vs. The Rock, Raw 2002:


Eddy vs. John Cena, SmackDown! Parking Lot Brawl 2003
www.dailymotion.com/video/x5tjfu_eddie-guerrero-vs-john-cena_sport

Eddy vs. Kurt Angle, WWE Title Match, Wrestlemania XX
www.dailymotion.com/video/x6cnut_wrestlemania20-eddie-guerrero-vs-ku_sport
www.dailymotion.com/video/x6co46_wrestlemania20-eddie-guerrero-vs-ku_sport

[Bubble Lead]

I always remember that Eddie vs. Rock match because I MARKED THE EFF OUT for that Rock Bottom counter. One of the best counters to that ever!

[EoE: Workin On My Night Cheese]

As I wasn't a wrestling fan when Owen Hart died, the day Eddie Guerrero died was probably the saddest day I ever experienced as a wrestling fan.

Somewhere out there, there's a road that diverted on November 13th 2005 from the one we're all on now. On that road, we'd have surely seen a 5-star classic with Shawn Michaels, a feud for the ages with CM Punk, and many, many great matches with people like MVP, Kofi Kingston and others on today's roster.