if eddie had died a heel...

[Red 'n' Black Reggie]

so i was thinking the other day about how eddie guerrero had died whilst in a very lucky angle. he had died as (in kayfabe) the bloke who had done things wwrong in the past, but was trying to make up for it by being nice to everyone and stuff. however, just a few months before his death, eddie was in the "im your papi" storyline. how do you think wwe would have dealt with this, seeing as in kayfabe he had alienated himself from most of the people who were doing those memorial promos on the tribute shows. you have to wonder how they wouldve explained how eddie and rey were still friends, despite what eddie had done to him and his family.

what do you think?

[lotus]

I think this will get ugly and quick.

[Legion]

i think this is a valid question, and one that i had never thought about, but, now thinking abut it, i would assume it would have led to a massive break in kayfabe because people dying tends to lead to that.

[Hiroshi Hase]

Owen died while he was a heel, and everyone seemed to be emotional about it, even guys he feuded with prior to his death like the Road Dogg, Trips and Mark Henry.

[nickbristoluk]

eddie was eddie, it would have been the same.

[Vice honcho room temperature]

I think in todays age it wouldn't have mattered. In the 80's and 70's who knows that's a topic more up for debate

[EJS]

His last storyline was a guy who was faking being nice, but was still a self-centered "evil" guy.

[Rockhound]

Most if not all wrestling fans know the difference between kayfabe and reality. This is why people like Volkoff and the Iron Sheik are beloved today as well as Blassie, Ernie Ladd, Mr. Perfect, Paul Orndorff, The Grand Wizard and the like who were all heels for most of their career. Some uber heels but respected by fans so it wouldn't have mattered if Eddie died while playing a heel. The effect would have been the same. Of course, we might have been spared the Eddiesploitation angle.

[MNM's Official "Fixer"]

Nobody said anything when Owen died a heel. And i don't think it would of made a difference with Eddie. Most fans can overlook the heel/face dynamic, and just see the real human being, and respect him or her for there wrestling ability.

[skskillz]

I always look back and wonder how they would have explained Undertaker's death if he passed in the early/mid-90's.

But yeah, kayfabe is gone anyway. Nothing would have changed. They just would have explained that it was a storyline (Eddie/Rey).

[odor31]

...I still wouldn't care for the Eddiesploitation.

[Deleted]

Eddie was a respected part of the wrestling community and it wouldn't have changed a thing.

If you're entertaining and good in the ring, you will get your props. Regardless of what side of the fence you sat on at the unfortunate moment of passing.

[frickinsweet]

They would've broken kayfabe. They did it when Brian Pillman died. He was in the middle an angle where he had Goldust's wife as a "slave" for 30 days as part of the deal in defeating Goldust in a match. They mentioned Pillman was by himself in a hotel room when he died to say "this isn't part of a storyline." The angle was scrapped, as Goldust's heel turn (when he joined Luna and became TAFKA Goldust) never mentioned the angle specifically as the reason.

[Deleted]

It would've broken kayfabe for sure.

No way would WWE be negative about his death at the time and the whole Eddie/Rey storyline wouldn't have been mentioned again. Like now, really ... I haven't heard a word about it since he died, and when they show video packages and such, nothing from that storyline is included in them.

[OGBoardPoster2005]

hadesgigas said:

His last storyline was a guy who was faking being nice, but was still a self-centered "evil" guy.

Thats what it led us to believe but from reports I read it was supposed to be BATISTA who turned heel and not Eddie not sure how they would do that but I would've been interested to see how they would've

[TheDieselTrain]

chrisandtrish469 said:

Nobody said anything when Owen died a heel. And i don't think it would of made a difference with Eddie. Most fans can overlook the heel/face dynamic, and just see the real human being, and respect him or her for there wrestling ability.

Oh come on he was the blue blazer!!!!! Do you really consider that character to have been a heel??

[Deleted]

It wouldn't have mattered.

It would have mattered 20 years ago, not now.

[Mr Captain Falcon]

I don't think Eddie and Batista finished. After all, remember the look Eddie had on his face after their No Mercy bout? It was a look of anger with a twinge of revenge, yet he still acted like Batistas best friend. Also, the day he died he was scheduled to be in that triple threat match for the title and Batista was scheduled to lose the belt because of his injury, but plans changed. I think that had Eddie lived to the end of the storyline he would have still been the heel, only more hated for turning on Batista. Eddie never had his chance to dominate or to take advantage of Batista, and i think they were building for that, maybe that smackdown, maybe survivor series, but we'll never know.

But yeah had he actually been a heel, like, unanimously hated like Umaga or Khali (storyline-wise, not IWC involved) it would have still been huge, because everyone breaks character for the death of someone. Mark Henry was a sex machine in 99, yet when owen died he wrote a poem, which was so emotional. The Big Bossman, who was a HUGE heel back in 99, read the obituary of owen. Jarrett said you have so little friends, and he broke down. Mick Foley pointed out how owen was Dewey Foleys hero. That's just beyond a storyline, thats real, which i'm glad they actually did the Raw is Owen and Raw/Smackdown is Eddie shows.

[The Captain]

When it comes to these kinda things, kayfabe dies with the wrestler. With the exception of especially ignorant people, as well as younger children, most everyone can separate the fantasy of the WWE angles from reality.

The tear-filled tribute shows would've still happened, as would Eddiesploitation, unfortunately.