G9Z Favorites: Eddie Guerrero

 

 

Welcome to the third article in my brand new series called G9Z Favorites! Occasionally, I will select one wrestler and list some of my favorite matches, moments, memories & more! This will be the first series on the blog primarily run by reader (yes, that means YOU) request! So if you have a favorite wrestler and want them featured here, you can contact me either via email (g9zwwe@yahoo.com) or on twitter (@g9zwrestling). This week, we are going to take a look at reader and friend to G9Z Wrestling Pearl's (@sexysmarkY2J) favorite wrestler and WWE Hall Of Famer, Eddie Guerrero!



Now Eddie Guerrero has earned himself quite the loyal following over the years, but there may be a few of you who have no idea of who he is.  Well we can't have that can we?  For those who're unfamiliar with Guerrero's work, why don't we start by running this guy's rap sheet down and letting you know just what he's accomplished in this wacky world of professional wrestling....

Name: Eduardo "Eddie" Guerrero

Height: 5'8"

Weight: 220lb

Age: 38 (deceased)

Billed From: El Paso, TX

Debut: 1987

Noteworthy Promotions Worked For: WWE, WCW, ECW, NJPW, AAA, ROH,

Major Championships Won: 1x WWE Champion, 4x WWE Tag Team Champion, 2x WWE European Champion, 1x WWE United States Champion, 2x WWE Intercontinental Champion, 2x WCW Cruiserweight Champion, 1x WCW United States Champion, NJPW Best Of The Super Juniors (1996 winner), 2x ECW World Television Champion, 1x AAA Tag Team champion

G9Z Wrestling Awards Won: 2002 Tag Team Of The Year (w/Chavo Guerrero), 1 Five Star Match

 

 

 

My Personal Recollection Of Eddie Guerrero

 

 

I've been a fan of the WWE for pretty much my entire life, but it wasn't until around the year 2000 that I became the obsessed fan that I still am today.  The transitional period between the attitude era and the PG era is one of the more underrated eras for wrestling, but for me it's the most precious in my time as a fan.  One of the reasons being the everlasting brilliance that was WWE Smackdown from 2002-2004 with talents like Kurt Angle, Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero bringing consistent in-ring excellence from week to week.  

 

I had watched Eddie since his run in WCW in the 90s and I had always been a huge fan.  He was one of the most well-rounded performers the sport has ever seen.  He could make you laugh, he could make you cry, but no matter what, you always felt as if you got your money's worth whenever he was on screen. 

 

My two personal favourite matches of Eddie Guerrero are his war at WWE No Way Out 2004 with Brock Lesnar and his underrated classic with Ric Flair from WCW Monday Nitro on 5/20/1996.  The Nitro match is one that I finally got my hands on when I purchased the Best of WCW Nitro DVD and instantly fell in love with it.  I had heard about it for years as Flair has referenced this match many times in interviews and I believe he even mentions it in his book.

 

The backstory makes this match all the better.  While Eddie Guerrero had a reputation as a great worker, he was looked at as nothing more than a lower mid-carder at best in the eyes of WCW management at the time.  Flair had a great rapport with the Guerrero family and wanted to put the young upstart over.  Many questioned why a legend like Flair would even want to work with him to begin with.  So, to stick it to the office, he went out there on Nitro and tore the house down in a near 30 minute clinic that made Guerrero an overnight sensation.  Flair would end up winning the match, but Guerrero got the rub from just being able to hang with the best in the world. 

 

 

A true hidden gem in the WCW archives.

 

 

Though that match is IMO, one of the greatest TV matches ever, it was his match with Lesnar that will always be the most memorable for me.  I remember at the time thinking that Eddie had a snowball's chance in hell at winning, but since he had never really gotten a world title match, I ordered the No Way Out PPV anyway.  As I sat through what I remember being a very solid show, I couldn't name you any other match on the card off of the top of my head.  Mostly it's due to the fact that Eddie and Brock Lesnar tore the damn house down that night. 

 

Up until that point, Lesnar had been booked like an absolute monster.  He had beaten elite WWE superstars like The Rock, Kurt Angle, Big Show, Hulk Hogan and even The Undertaker.  Eddie on the other hand, had little to no main event experience and it almost seemed as if he earned this title shot out of nowhere.  Though as the match would progress, Eddie would begin to build a strong psychological advantage over Lesnar and I began to feel flashes of hope that he would indeed walk out the WWE Champion on this night. 

 

After thirty minutes of back and forth action, Guerrero would counter Lensar's signature F-5 maneuver into a DDT that sent Brock face-first into the title belt.  Eddie would turn on that trademark Guerrero charm and ascend the turnbuckle to hit the best and most gratifying Frog Splash of his career.  As the ref's hand hit the mat for three, my jaw literally dropped in shock.  After two minutes of silence, my look of absolute disbelief turned upward into an even bigger grin as I began a slow clap for what is still the most pleasantly surprising title win I have ever seen.

 

 

 

Still brings a tear to my eye.

 

 

Eddie's title run would also result in some of the best matches and moments of the year (like his bloody grudgewar with JBL at the Great American Bash and his title celebration with Chris Benoit at Wrestlemania XX) and he will always remain one of my personal favorite wrestlers of all time.  For me, his death is the most tragic in the history of pro wrestling and I would give anything to have been able to still see him on my TV screen to this very day.  It's always hard watching Eddie, because a personality like his transcends wrestling.  Watching Eddie Guerrero's rise to championship glory is a life changing experience.  He was one of the few who made you believe in miracles.  There never has been and never will be another like him.