Eddie Guerrero: One of wrestling's greatest

November 20, 4:45 AMPro Wrestling ExaminerMark Satrang

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         "Viva La Raza:  The Legacy of Eddie Guerrero"

Three years ago this month the wrestling world lost Eddie Guerrero.

Eddie was born into wrestling royalty, as his father and his three older brothers were all top-notch professional wrestlers. His father was a legend in Mexican professional wrestling lore, and his brothers were successful throughout both Mexico and America. Eddie followed his father and brothers into the family profession, and worked his way through the professional wrestling circuits of both Mexico and Japan before making his mark in lucrative wrestling market of the United States. He first gained notoriety in the Philadelphia-based promotion Extreme Championship Wrestling before moving up to World Championship Wrestling in 1995. It was here where he was made a household name in the wrestling business, winning numerous championships and wrestling in many classic matches.

In early 2000, Guerrero and three fellow wrestlers he had worked with for years left for World Wrestling Entertainment. It was here where Guerrero reached his highest heights in the wrestling businesses. He teamed with his nephew Chavo to win the company’s Tag Team Championships and then reached the pinnacle of his industry by winning the WWE Championship, beating Brock Lesnar for the belt on February 15, 2004.

The final minutes of Guerrero’s victory over Lesnar:

With than win, he cemented himself as one of WWE’s most popular and most beloved superstars of all time.

Unfortunately it all ended when he was found dead in a Minneapolis hotel room on November 13, 2005. The autopsy revealed that Guerrero died as a result of acute heart failure, which was “caused by undiagnosed arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease.” Despite Guerrero’s rampant and well-documented issues with illicit drugs and alcohol in the past, he had not abused drugs or alcohol in the four years leading up to his death. It was obvious however that his past digressions contributed to his heart failure.

The wrestling world mourned his loss, and to this day he is exalted as one of the profession’s most talented, revered and beloved performers. In a show of true love and respect for a fallen comrade, the scheduled matches and two separate television tapings that were to happen that night in Minneapolis were put on hold and that night’s show featured volunteer matches between men and women who simply wanted to honor their friend and co-worker.

Now three years later, WWE has released a three-disc DVD set highlighting 25 of Guerrero’s most famous and entertaining matches spanning from 1995 – 2005 and features matches spanning three different promotions. The matches are inter-spliced with comments from the people who worked with, wrestled and loved Eddie the most. Those interviewed include some of his best friends both on-screen and backstage, his older brother and his nephew and widow, both of whom who still work for WWE in as on-screen performers.

The matches that were chosen for the set are an amazing array of contests spanning from his early Extreme Championship Wrestling days, through his five-and-a half-year run with World Championship Wrestling and his unfortunate end in World Wrestling Entertainment. The most notable bouts include those against his WWE Championship victory against Lesnar, his high-flying, aerobatic displays against long-time friends like Dean Malenko and Chris Jericho, and a Tag Title match teaming with his nephew Chavo Guerrero.

The absolute highlight of the three-disc set however is the 1997 match of the year candidate against fellow second-generation Mexican wrestling star Rey Mysterio, Jr. It’s an absolute must-see for wrestling fans and an entertaining spectacle nonetheless for those unfamiliar with professional wrestling.

As an added bonus, Best Buy is releasing a seven-disc set for $39.99 that will include this three disc set, the two-disc “Cheating Death, Stealing Life: The Eddie Guerrero Story” set that was released in 2004 and the Monday Night RAW television show tribute that was taped the night of his death. Suncoast/FYE is selling a similar set featuring the two DVD sets, plus a copy of Thursday Night SmackDown! tribute show also taped the night of his death.

For fans of wrestling, Guerrero’s three-disc set is an easy recommendation to pick up. For those who are not familiar with the concept of professional wrestling, but want to see it as an art form performed at its highest level, watching Eddie Guerrero would be a perfect place to start.