Eddie Guerrero passes away

This has been an odd weekend that started rough with some personal mishaps that were resolved, leading to a whole couple days of wonderfulness, but today has been a pondering day. Through my Sunday haze I checked the internet and found out a man I admired for his courage and faith in the face of his own personal demons had died. Eddie Guerrero, a WWE wrestler, had passed away Sunday at the age of 38, leaving behind a wife and three daughters.

I always feel compelled to explain myself when I say that I enjoy wrestling. I don’t mean the clownish, gimmicky entertainment that you tend to see on World Wrestling television, but actual wrestling. I drop in a quick "I know the outcome is planned (not fixed)" and I don't watch regularly anymore, but I watch the occasional match and follow the news online. A good match with good wrestlers, stripped of gimmickery and childish characters, tells a story, communicates with the audience. A great wrestler can hold a crowded arena plus pay-per view audience in the palm of his hand, eliciting reaction with a well executed maneuver or a mere facial gesture. Eddie Guerrero was one of those wrestlers who made me want to watch wrestling.

The human element of wrestling fascinates me. These are men and women who go on the road for most of the year, who are able to do these wrestling moves without (usually) injuring each other and it its purest form (with no clowns or undead zombies) is a basic morality tale, good vs bad, face vs. heel. One of the most charismatic men in the ring was Eddie Guerrero. Eddie came from a long, prestigious line of Mexican wrestlers, the Guerrero family. It was in his blood and he was good at it. He was athletic and could win a crowd over as a hero or villain, and you couldn't help but admire him for his devotion to the wrestling business. He wrestled in Mexico, Japan, in many of the independent circuits in the US and had contributed significant time in all three of the major wrestling federations, World Wrestling Entertainment, World Championship Wrestling and Extreme Championship Wrestling. Everywhere he went, he always had at least a couple of stellar 5-star caliber matches.

Being on the road and away from your family from at least 75-90% of the year, in a non-union business where you are always jockeying for top spot, you can't afford to take time off for recuperation and recovery, or else you could lose your spot on the roster. You find yourself wrestling championship matches one day, take some time off, and end up saddled with a childish gimmick as an opening act. This lifestyle leaves the wrestlers in a situation when a solution that would allow them to play through an injury would be appealingg. And, like many others, Eddie found himself battling addictions to alcohol and pain killers. The toll was tremendous on him. A near fatal car wreck in 1998 by all rights should have killed him. And he came back from that physically, but his injuries contributed to his use of painkillers and almost ended his marriage. He had a stint in rehab in 2001 after being fired from the WWE following a drunk driving charge.

I like being sober and remembering the day and what happened last week.

But Eddie got better. He cleaned up, went back to work, and earned a spot in the WWE again in 2002. I remember being so happy when I saw this man back on TV, sober, and working at a superstar level. It was inspirational. He was in a business he loved in order to support his family. His best times were when he worked as a villain, able to charm the crowd into believing he would indeed lie, cheat and steal to win. He'd clock an opponent with a chair when the ref wasn't looking, drop to the mat and whent he ref turned around, act like he was the one who got hit. The crowds just ate the comedic side up, and you couldn't help but love him for it (even despite that mullet he had for a while).

He had a renewal on life and he worked hard, becoming the WWE Champion in an excellent match in February 2004. He was a headliner, the champion. This led to a title defense at Wrestlemania XX. Predeterminedd outcome or not, you don't always know who will win a match. I was with friends watching that event on TV, my first in a couple of years, and I had the double thrill of seeing Eddie win his match, and then his best friend and one of my other heroes Chris Benoit win his championship match. That event ended with both these men, these champions, hugging in the ring, tears streaming down their faces, having reached a pinnacle after so many years of work and sacrifice. I was whooping and cheering like the Leafs had won the cup.

The last year has seen the WWE produce a DVD Cheating Death, Stealing Life: The Eddie Guerrero Story which chronicled his long, hard road to victory . Eddie had been involved in many storylines, had lost and was fighting to reclaim his championship. He carried some personal burdens, as the WWE saw a ratings slump that coincided with his title reign, and Eddie, despite assurances from management, on some level felt responsible. I can sympathize with that feeling, taking on failures personally, even when you really had no control. When you're a champion, all eyes are on you to lead, to carry the whole success of a company on your shoulders. But he was still working, still at that championship level.

It's a great responsibility being champion, as you're the one carrying the ball, and I found it very difficult. It was the first time I'd held the title and I don't think I was ready. I was ready to win the belt, but not for what lay ahead of me. I wasn't prepared mentally for what happens outside the ring - because I think that's where the real challenges lie. I was taking things like attendances and ratings very personally. I'm an extremist and that's one thing I'd like to change in my life. It's good to be hard on myself but not to the point where I beat myself up about things. If I'm honest and look back at my mistakes then I was too hard on myself when I was carrying the title. I let things eat me up inside and I questioned myself when I shouldn't have, but it's a lesson learned and I won't make that mistake again. (credit The London Sun)

On the morning of Sunday, November13thh, Eddie failed to answer a wake up call at a hotel he was staying at while on tour. His nephew, wrestler Chavo Guerrero Jr. and hotel security gained access to the room to find Eddie dead in the bathroom. He had died from an apparent heart attack at the young age of 38. He had a match that night that likely would have ended with him regaining the championship belt. His nephew was adamant that Eddie was still maintaining his sobriety, now going on 4 years.

In the face of adversity, he met his challenges and went on to greater rewards. And now he is gone. Lord knows wrestling has seen its share of people pass away at relatively young age. But Eddie had survived the worst in his life, and for him to die at his peak is terribly sad, even sadder knowing he leaves behind a family. I think if Eddie could handle everything life threw at him, I should be able to keep going forward in my own life and overcome any obstacles. If I can at least take away something from his death, it should be that. My prayers go out to his family.

Vaya con Dios Eduardo Guerrero.

Not since the tragic death of wrestler Own Hart has the WWE experienced such a public loss. All four hours of WWE television this week will air as a tribute to Eddie, both taped the Sunday evening after his death. WWE RAW on November 14, 2005, and WWE Friday Night Smackdown! on November 18, 2005. He was well respected and liked by his fellow wrestlers and will be fondly remembered.