RIP Eddie Guerrero
At the age of 38, Eddie died today.
I went over and hung out with Rhys for most of the day, and first thing he said was "You hear about Eddie?"
I hadn't, it was news to me.
What can you really say? This is just tragic.
There have been a string of professional wrestling deaths over the past 5 to 6 years, and this ranks up near the very top of the hardest hitting.
These are people you grow up with. People you see once a week (on tv), for years and years.
Most people don't understand the pull of professional wrestling. It gets relegated to two guys running around in tights. For me, it's evolved over time. At this point in life, after being a fan for 20 years and pretty much seeing it all, I'm a fan for different reasons now than I was when I was 5, when all I wanted to see what Hulk Hogan beat up the bad guys.
At that time it was simple, good guys against bad guys, good vs. evil. Now, it's all about getting reactions out of people. Tugging on their emotions. That's what they're paying for actually. I enjoy getting reactions out of people, and that's what wrestling is actually about, at the core. The wrestling is merely the means to get that reaction out of the people, win or lose doesn't really matter and is obviously already decided. It's about taking them for an emotional ride, just like a movie does...and just like a movie, people pay to get this entertainment. It's really no different. And Eddie Guerrero was one of the best at doing this. Whether he was playing the face or the heel, you always secretly liked Eddie, because you felt like you knew him. This was as a result of his natural charisma and likeability. His face often told the story, mad or happy.
From the Latino World Order to the Radicals, to Latino Heat, to anything he did...he made me laugh...he entertained me. It was always top notch and he gave his best for the people who paid to come to a show. Still standing as one of the best matches I've ever seen is Halloween Havoc 1997, Eddie vs Rey. A damn clinic. I got to see Eddie wrestling in person more than once and it was always impressive to watch. He's always been one of the best technical wrestlers around. Everybody that is a wrestling fan knew how much the business meant to Eddie and in turn collectively realized what a special moment it was at Wrestlemania 20 (which was important, and signaled a new era in wrestling) when him and Benoit closed the night out with their respective belts. They had finally made it to the mountain top of the business and they earned every bit of it. I was so happy for Eddie and Benoit that night. It's hard not to be when you see somebody in tears realizing the manifestation of their life long dreams. That means something, no matter what profession you are in.
Eddie had confronted and beaten his demons (drugs and alcohol) over the past 3 years, and it's just sad to see that after conquering these things, cleaning up his life... he's now gone, and a wife and 3 kids are left behind. One begins to question God and think "Why now?" but it's impossible to get those answers, just one of those things we'll have to ask when we pass on to the heights of heaven.
Eddie cannot be replaced. He's unique, as we all are. So there's a definite void. God be with the family.
We will miss you...a lot.
I went over and hung out with Rhys for most of the day, and first thing he said was "You hear about Eddie?"
I hadn't, it was news to me.
What can you really say? This is just tragic.
There have been a string of professional wrestling deaths over the past 5 to 6 years, and this ranks up near the very top of the hardest hitting.
These are people you grow up with. People you see once a week (on tv), for years and years.
Most people don't understand the pull of professional wrestling. It gets relegated to two guys running around in tights. For me, it's evolved over time. At this point in life, after being a fan for 20 years and pretty much seeing it all, I'm a fan for different reasons now than I was when I was 5, when all I wanted to see what Hulk Hogan beat up the bad guys.
At that time it was simple, good guys against bad guys, good vs. evil. Now, it's all about getting reactions out of people. Tugging on their emotions. That's what they're paying for actually. I enjoy getting reactions out of people, and that's what wrestling is actually about, at the core. The wrestling is merely the means to get that reaction out of the people, win or lose doesn't really matter and is obviously already decided. It's about taking them for an emotional ride, just like a movie does...and just like a movie, people pay to get this entertainment. It's really no different. And Eddie Guerrero was one of the best at doing this. Whether he was playing the face or the heel, you always secretly liked Eddie, because you felt like you knew him. This was as a result of his natural charisma and likeability. His face often told the story, mad or happy.
From the Latino World Order to the Radicals, to Latino Heat, to anything he did...he made me laugh...he entertained me. It was always top notch and he gave his best for the people who paid to come to a show. Still standing as one of the best matches I've ever seen is Halloween Havoc 1997, Eddie vs Rey. A damn clinic. I got to see Eddie wrestling in person more than once and it was always impressive to watch. He's always been one of the best technical wrestlers around. Everybody that is a wrestling fan knew how much the business meant to Eddie and in turn collectively realized what a special moment it was at Wrestlemania 20 (which was important, and signaled a new era in wrestling) when him and Benoit closed the night out with their respective belts. They had finally made it to the mountain top of the business and they earned every bit of it. I was so happy for Eddie and Benoit that night. It's hard not to be when you see somebody in tears realizing the manifestation of their life long dreams. That means something, no matter what profession you are in.
Eddie had confronted and beaten his demons (drugs and alcohol) over the past 3 years, and it's just sad to see that after conquering these things, cleaning up his life... he's now gone, and a wife and 3 kids are left behind. One begins to question God and think "Why now?" but it's impossible to get those answers, just one of those things we'll have to ask when we pass on to the heights of heaven.
Eddie cannot be replaced. He's unique, as we all are. So there's a definite void. God be with the family.
We will miss you...a lot.