Where do I begin… where does one begin when they attempt to describe the pain, the sense of loss, the void that hits you out of nowhere, at the loss of a man like Eddie Guerrero?
When I first started watching wrestling, I was 8 or 9 years old, maybe even younger. I remember getting up on Saturday and Sunday mornings before anyone else was awake, and just sitting in front of the television in my pajamas to watch my favorite superstars go at it for the sake of entertaining the crowd, pursuing a title, or simply because it's what they loved doing.
I'm now 23, and though the dates sometime escape me, the moments something I will always remember. The day The Undertaker made his grand debut, the rise and fall of the Superpowers (Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage), The Hart Foundation, the legendary fight between Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart, and so many other memories that I could spend days writing.
The death of Eddie is without the doubt the greatest tragedy to strike the WWE and it's legions of fans both foreign and domestic, since the untimely death of Owen Hart. The only consolation is that unlike Owen, we were spared the sight of personally seeing one of our shooting stars fall from the heavens. In both instances then and now, I cried my heart out at their passing. Though an autopsy has yet to be performed, my only hope and wish, is that the man who has given so much to us, passed away peacefully in his bed.
I first watched Eddie perform when he was in WCW, and ever since then have been like a moth forever drawn to the flame that was Latino Heat. After a successful run in WCW it wasn't long before he brought his flamboyant personality, his clever wit, and his unyielding passion for the sport of wrestling to the WWE as part of The Radicalz With Chris Benoit, Dean Malinko (sp?), and Perry Saturn.
After a small time together as a group, the quartet finally separated to pursue individual careers in the WWE, but Eddie and Chris without a doubt had the most success. Success, hmmm…. What is success, or to have succeeded? Every answer is different and in a way every answer is the same, but none are ever wrong, no matter how it's proclaimed. The following is the definition of success as described by Ralph Waldo Emerson:
SUCCESSTo laugh often and much.
To win the respect of intelligent people
And the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and
Endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty,
To find the best in others;
To leave the world
A bit better, whether
By a healthy child,
A garden patch
Or a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life
Has breathed easier
Because you have lived.
That is to have succeeded.
For those who know or have known Eddie in and out of the ring, under the lights or behind the scenes, personally and professionally, can one man be anymore the epitome of success that Eddie Guerrero? You'd be hard pressed to find one in this day and age. Everyone has demons, none are without them. To face them is hard, to overcome them is harder still, but to do so when your status in the world forces you to lay them out for the entire world to see and judge you by, to in the end support or condemn you, is a challenge of Herculean proportion, one that many a lesser man or woman would crumble under and deemed a failure, but failure isn't falling down, it's refusing to get back up afterwards. Eddie Guerrero had more demons then any normal man should, some of his own creation and some that come for everyone, but after being beaten down time and time again, he fought back. With the bible as his sword and the faith and love of God as his shield, the lord's servant drove back his demons to the gates of hell before finally slaying them. Even one man cannot do such a thing by himself though, which is why through every trial, he carried the love and support of his family, and the unwavering trust, love and friendship of every member of his wrestling family.
More often then not, when we see the matches that take place Monday and Friday nights, we see two or more men and/or women try to beat the heck out of each other for one reason or another; catfights, power struggles, clash of egos, or sometimes no reason at all. We think 'my god, how do they keep from killing each other?' The answer if you haven't already learned is that it is fake, yes most of the injuries are real as are a number of the moves performed on any given night, but the hate and dislike is all for show. Two guys feuding in the squared circle that night might go out to the local bar after lights out and grab a beer together. One of my favorite thoughts was during the Hogan/Sting war of WCW, I'd joke to my friends how these two would beat the tar out of one another during the week, and then get their families together on the weekend for a cookout and compare notes.
If there are any who need even further convincing, the opening of Monday Night Raw on Nov. 15, 2005 should be more then enough to convince any and all non-believers, some of the biggest, and meanest wrestlers in the federation, even those who portray the shows villains were tearing up if not crying freely at Eddie's death. Bradshaw and Kurt Angle play the part of a bad or stuck up guy at this point in time were barely containing themselves. Rey Mysterio, who not more then a month or so ago had that triangle feud with Eddie over Dominic (sp?), was crying freely and openly, not to mention his words on Eddie later in the show. If that's not proof then I don't know what is, these men and women of the WWE, from the superstars to the simplest stagehand, are on the road away from home for roughly three-quarters of the year in not more. Sometimes all they have is each other to lean on for support and guidance.
In this family of superstars Eddie was so many things, to those before him he was a breath of fresh air and a promise for the future, to those entering with him he was just one of the guys, someone to hang out with, to laugh or cry, to the younger stars following in his footsteps he was a father, a mentor, a guiding light for them to follow on the path to greatness. Above all, he was a friend, a confidant, to an extent even a spiritual healer to those who may have needed it, whenever or wherever that may have been.
As for his family outside of the ring, a beautiful, loving wife and his equally beautiful daughters, a mother and father whom have both been blessed to live long enough to see their son reach the pinnacle of the wrestling world, yet at the same time cursed in the way that they also lived long enough to now bury their son, a task that no parent should ever have to perform.
As mentioned before, Eddie Guerrero died in the prime of his life, a life that still had so much that he could have contributed to, but does that make the life he did lead in his brief time on Earth any less special, hell no.
"The quality of a man's life is measured by how deeply he has touched the lives of others."
–anonymous author—
The above quote is one that my mother always used and since then is one that I've always kept close to my heart. If there is any truth to be derived from this quote, then it is impossible to measure the quality of Eddie Guerrero's life, because his influence is never ending. Purer then any gold, more precious then any gemstone, that is the only 'attempt' I can ever hope to make as to the quality of Eddie's life.
Some signs that night in the area proclaimed Latino Heat as gone, but not forgotten, that's only a half-truth. It is not forgotten, and is far from gone. Even though his life wasn't even half of Hulk Hogan's, I can see Latino Heat burning forever in the hearts of every man, woman, and child who ever knew, or ever will know what and who Eddie Guerrero was, just like Hulkamania.
The burning spirit of Latino Heat will forever burn brightly in the hearts of those who knew him, his wife and kids, his family, every wrestling superstar who has ever had the honor of working with him, and the millions upon millions of wrestling fans who will keep him in their hearts, and eventually pass those memories down to their children and so on down the line. A person is never truly gone as long as there are those still alive to honor their memory, which is what it means to truly be immortal.
Well, I'm going to break down soon if I don't wrap this up so I'm going to try and be brief. Mr. And Mrs. Guerrero, I thank you with everything that makes me who I am, for falling in love and giving us all the gift of your son Eddie. To Mrs. Eddie Guerrero and your children, thank you for sharing your husband and father with us for all the years that you have. The life of a traveling star is taxing and full of hardships, but for those left behind to wait for their return, the trials are greater still, I admire your strength, and pray that you'll be able to mourn and then move on from this life altering event, for that which does not kill us only makes us stronger. Finally, to all the superstars who have given Eddie's life so much meaning and who in return has enriched your lives, thank you for being his friends, for helping support him when things got rough, and for never giving up on him. Though I'll more then likely never see any of you other then through a television screen. I'll always cheer you on, and give thanks for the gift of entertainment that you shower us all with each and every week.
Eddie Guerrero, you are a man among men, a testament to mankind's indomitable spirit. You have given us laughter, heartache, tears, fears. You have left your footprints on the heart of everyone you have ever met with your love and kindness, with your jokes and good humor, and even now I smile and laugh while at the same cry freely as I can imagine you even now watching me write this from above as you bounce around heaven in some fancy low rider you probably jacked from Tupac or someone else with the father and son in the backseat laughing it up. So one more time Eddie Guerrero, thank you, thank you for blessing us with your presence, for leaving us with so many memories, and above all else, thank you for just being yourself… faults and all.
VIVA LA RAZA!
R. I. P.
Eddie Guerrero
October 9, 1967 – November 13, 2005
Husband…Father…Son…Friend
A hero to those who can still dream
Sean Shukoski has made this tribute possible.