Guest Author - Vance Rowe

This Thursday, November 13, 2008, will mark the three year anniversary of the tragic, yet seemingly commonplace tragedy: The death of a wrestling superstar. Eddie Guerrero left this world in 2005 but left behind a tremendous wrestling legacy. Born in 1967 to a wrestling legend in Mexico, Gory Guerrero, he began his wrestling career in 1987. It was a wrestling career that would span about eighteen years, right up until his untimely death. He was survived by his wife, Vicki, the current General Manager for the Smack Down brand WWE television wrestling program and three children. His nephew and former tag team partner, Chavo Guerrero Jr. is currently still wrestling with the WWE.

In the book called Cheating Death, Stealing Life: The Eddie Guerrero Story, Eddie describes how he had become addicted to painkillers and alcohol. He was four years sober when he passed away but the years of abuse from wrestling, travel and the addictions wreaked havoc on his heart and ultimately led to his death. It was his nephew Chavo who found Eddie passed out on the floor of his hotel room. He tried to perform Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation or CPR, but Eddie was pronounced dead at the scene.

He has wrestled all over the world and was a part of every major wrestling company in the United States, save for TNA Impact. Eddie Guerrero has also held numerous championship belts in all of the organizations he wrestled in. How many people can say they did the same? He was extremely popular in the WWE including when he played the part of a heel. He was loved by and will forever be missed by just about everyone in the wrestling universe. His in ring antics will be missed as well.

One popular thing he did that went along with his “ I Lie, I Cheat, I Steal” mantra was when he would wrestle in a match, he would take advantage of the referee being distracted. He would get a steal chair, slam it down on the mat and then toss it to his opponent. He would then lie down on the mat and pretend he was hit by the chair. The ref would turn around after hearing the banging noise; see Eddie on the mat and his opponent holding the steel chair. The referee would then think the opponent hit Guerrero with the chair and disqualify him, thereby causing Eddie to win the match.

Eddie Guerrero wrestled in the ring like he lived his life. He was fast and wild. Ultimately it caught up with him and he paid the price for it. Fast living often results to a fast end. Eddie Guerrero was loved by all and was posthumously inducted into the WWE’s Hall of Fame in 2006, just months after his death. Long Live Eddie Guerrero.