STW - Eddie Guerrero [Show Notes] (Patreon)

Eduardo Gory Guerrero Llanes was born on October 9, 1967 in Juarez, Mexico to his parents: Salvador Gory Guerrero, a first generation wrestler and Herlinda Llanes - the sister of a wrestler, herself. (It’s a Spanish custom to include both names). Eddie was one of six children the couple had, along with Chavo, Mando, Hector, Maria, and Linda. But there was a large age gap across all of the siblings (Chavo, for example, was born in 1949). Eddie was on the younger end.

Do you have any stories or memories related to Gory Guerrero or the Guerrero family?

Eddie wanted to be a pro wrestler his entire life, he said. Instead of a jungle gym, he had a wrestling ring in his backyard. He didn’t get to watch his father wrestling in his prime, but he watched him toward the end - and Eddie felt that excitement. His family didn’t pressure him to enter the business but he felt the pressure of the Guerrero name and because of that, always strived to be excellent.

It’s interesting to try to find where someone’s inner-drive comes from. Is that why Eddie Guerrero gave us such good performances?

Eddie had a wrestling scholarship at New Mexico Highlands University but he got hurt, and they redshirted him. By the time he was well, the program had been shut down. He didn’t finish and went straight into training wrestling.

Eddie's best friend was Art Flores, who was his bodyguard Spyder in the lWo. Flores and another friend named Hurricane Hector Rincon trained with Eddie as he initially learned pro wrestling. This was just after his father had experienced a stroke and thus, could only guide his son and not physically participate as much. But Eddie had practiced wrestled with his brothers his entire life so going into his training, he already understood the basics. He took a lot of influence from his family’s style but Chavo Sr was the biggest influence, he said.

Is this why we hear so much about second generation wrestlers? Because they grew up immersed in the business in a way someone just coming in could never be?

Guerrero began wrestling as the original Mascara Magica in EMLL Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre. Negro Casas, El Dande, and Atlantis were the wrestlers he described as the biggest influences to him early on. He then left the company in 1992 after not feeling like he was being pushed. He went for a bigger paycheck with AAA, which was more like an outlaw promotion at the time. Although the Mascara Magica gimmick was popular, EMLL owned the rights to the character. Guerrero then appeared on a televised AAA show as Mascara Magica, only to then unmask himself along with the aid of his tag team partner that night, Octagón. Being physically attacked by the opposing tag team for doing so.

Did you ever watch any EMLL or AAA wrestling back then?

Negro Casas went to Japan and took Eddie in 1993. His brothers scared him into thinking he needed to be in super shape so he was running three hours a day in the desert to get ready. He met Chris Benoit who knocked him out in their first match. He described Chris as his best friend. He also met Finlay in New Japan. These friendships would last far beyond the Land of the Rising Sun.

He began wrestling as Black Tiger II while in Japan. According to the original storyline, Black Tiger is a wrestler trained and sent by a Yakuza-like organisation called the Tiger's Cave. The Tiger's Cave desire vengeance upon the wrestler Tiger Mask, a former trainee of theirs, for publicly turning his back on them and no longer paying them monetary tributes. Black Tiger is the antagonist. Eddie wasn’t originally going to don the mask and identity but some changes led to him being given the mantle.

This storyline was directly derived from an anime video series that ran from 1968 to 1971 titled Tiger Mask. Bookers licensed the work and created characters based on it. Is that done very often in Japanese wrestling - pulling characters from anime?

Eddie became more successful upon his return when he won the 1996 Best of the Super Juniors tournament of junior heavyweights, where he faced Jushin ‘Thunder’ Liger in the finals. He received a shot at the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion The Great Sasuke at Skydiving J, but lost the match. He, Dean, Benoit, 2 Cold Scorpio and Sean Waltman were all tight with each other during that time, partying at night and wrestling during the day.

These matches ended up being legendary, especially among tape traders. Did they ever show up on WWE’s radar?

After a tour of Japan, he returned to Mexico, where he wrestled mainly for AAA teaming with El Hijo del Santo as the new version of La Pareja Atómica (The Atomic Pair), the tag team his father had been in.

After Guerrero turned on Santo and allied with Art Barr as La Pareja del Terror (The Pair of Terror), the duo became arguably the most hated tag team in lucha libre history. Along with Barr, Konnan, Chicano Power, and Madonna's Boyfriend, Guerrero formed Los Gringos Locos (The Crazy Americans), a villainous stable. Guerrero later said that no matter how many people joined Los Gringos Locos, the stable was all about Barr. Locos feuded mostly with El Hijo del Santo and his partner Octagón, eventually ending in a Hair vs. Mask match at the first Lucha pay-per-view in America, When Worlds Collide, which they lost.

How does a wrestling character survive after losing a mask stipulation match in Mexico? Give us the next step in booking, generically speaking.

Eddie had been using what became known as the Frog Splash at the time. Eddie said he got the Frog Splash from La Fiera, a Spanish wrestler. But, his partner, Art Barr, began using the move without Eddie’s blessing. Eddie had issues with Barr. He said they butted heads and stopped just short of saying he hated him, during this time.

Is Eddie’s frog splash the best? Who else, besides RVD maybe, compares?

Guerrero and Barr's big break would come when they were noticed in late 1994 by the owner of ECW, Paul Heyman, and were approached about wrestling for him in 1995. Barr, however, died before he could join ECW with Guerrero. His death affected Eddie in many ways, including by scaring Eddie away from pills - at least, for a while.

Eddie joined up with ECW, which worked well for him. Guerrero won the ECW World Television Championship from 2 Cold Scorpio in his debut match for Extreme Championship Wrestling on April 8, 1995 at Three Way Dance. He went on to have a series of acclaimed matches with Dean Malenko before they both signed with World Championship Wrestling later that year. Guerrero lost the ECW Television Championship to Malenko on July 21 of that year, but Guerrero regained the title on July 28. Guerrero lost the ECW Television Championship back to 2 Cold Scorpio on August 25. The next day, they had their last match which ended in a draw in a two out of three falls match at the ECW Arena. After the match, the locker room emptied and the two were carried around the ring by their fellow wrestlers while the crowd chanted "please don't go".

This was during a time that the WWE was working a lot with ECW. Did Eddie, Malenko, or any of their circle show up on your radar? Was there ever any talk about bringing them in around this time - before their WCW run?

Eddie’s biggest break yet happened when he got a call from Kevin Sullivan. It was a chance to come to WCW. Sullivan had one promise: Eddie wasn’t going to be jobbed out like a lot of other smaller wrestlers. He was offered only opportunity. His first year there was a dream year, he said. As was the case with ECW, he arrived alongside Malenko and Benoit, wrestling his two friends in some of his very first matches with WCW. Eddie’s first WCW match was on August 30, 1995 at the TV tapings where Vader got into a fight with Paul Orndorff! Eddie lost to Dean Malenko that night.

Eddie’s WCW TV debut was at Fall Brawl 95 in a no-contest with Alex Wright. On the September 30 edition of WCW Saturday Night, a sit-down interview aired with Eddie talking about growing up in a wrestling family. Footage showed him in AAA. No mention of ECW here.

Eddie rounded out 1995 in winning matches against Brian Pillman, Disco Inferno, Jerry Lynn, Big Bubba, and others. On December 18, 1995 at Augusta, Georgia, Eddie faced Ric Flair, whom he was defeated by at 7:37 with the figure-4 (Flair cheated).

When you look at that, it seems like the company was being straight with Eddie: he wasn’t used as a jobber and he even had a pretty high profile match here with Flair where Flair had to cheat to defeat him. How important were these early opportunities for Eddie?

A classic moment happened on Clash of the Champions XXXII in Vegas on January 23, 1996. Brian Pillman pinned Eddie Guerrero with a crossbody and grabbing the tights for leverage at 5:59; at around the 2-minute mark, Pillman grabbed Bobby Heenan by the jacket with Heenan then responding with "...the fuck are you doing?!?!;" Heenan then briefly left the commentary position, returned, and apologized for what he said. He later said he figured he was fired when he said that but nothing ever happened to him.

Did you or the WWE office hear about this? What were you guys thinking? Lots of laughs?

One of the weirdest finishes happened in Eddie’s match at Uncensored 96 on March 24. WCW US Champion & Mexican Heavyweight Champion Konnan pinned Eddie Guerrero at 18:26 after the challenger mistimed a leapfrog, causing Konnan to accidentally headbutt Guerrero in the groin; after the match, Konnan helped Guerrero to his feet, with Eddie then shoving Konnan away. It was a weird, confusing finish.

At Slamboree 96 in the Lethal Lottery Round 1: Ric Flair (w/ Woman & Elizabeth) & Randy Savage defeated Arn Anderson & Eddie Guerrero at 4:07 when Flair pinned Guerrero after Anderson dropped his partner with the DDT and then threw Savage into the ringpost outside the ring.

Eddie was in a match with three of the most legendary wrestling stars and still relatively new, here. Do you think that was a big sign of confidence in Guerrero?

The next night on Nitro, Ric Flair (w/ Elizabeth & Woman) pinned Eddie Guerrero at 19:43 with the figure-4 as Flair held onto Woman from the floor for leverage. 20 minute matches are pretty rare for Monday night TV, especially during this era when shows weren’t two or three hours long.

Eddie wrestled at the famous Bash at the Beach 96 event, in a pre-PPV match airing on The Main Event, pinning Lord Steven Regal at 3:39 with a roll up after Regal thought he had won the match.

Then at Hog Wild 96, Eddie had a marquee match against Ric Flair. Again. WCW US Champion Flair (w/ Woman & Elizabeth) pinned Eddie Guerrero at 14:16 with the figure-4 while holding onto Woman outside the ring for leverage, moments after Guerrero further injured his knee attempting the frog splash. Which was the exact finish we had seen on TV, only about 5 minutes quicker. That’s WCW.

At Clash of the Champions XXXIII, Eddie Guerrero pinned Diamond Dallas Page to win the BattleBowl ring at 4:22 with the frog splash after knocking Page off the top. Page won it back at Halloween Havoc 96.

What do you think about having a ring as a prize vs. a belt? Has it ever been considered in the WWE?

After working for several months with DDP, he was in the thick of the United States Championship tournament. In December, he won a tournament to capture the title, defeating rival Diamond Dallas Page. Eddie won with the Frog Splash to win the title at 15:21 after Syxx, WCW Tag Team Champions Scott Hall & Kevin Nash came out with Hall dropping DDP with the Outsider's Edge as Syxx distracted the referee; after the bout, Guerrero fought off all three members of the nWo before he was eventually triple teamed and had the belt stolen by Syxx

It was a significant moment for Eddie but not for good reasons. Eddie didn’t like the way he won the US Title from DDP. The nWo hit their finishers and Eddie hit his finish to secure the win. He thought it severely hurt him as a babyface and made him a heel to the already-hard-to-impress southern wrasslin audience of WCW. Eddie said fans hated him after this.

Why is it so hard to book a babyface after they win a title? Why do they inevitably become hated?

Even with the controversy, it was his first major title in the United States, and he would do an admirable job carrying it. By the way, he had been on several tapings before winning the title as the US champion - so this was planned ahead pretty far out. Matches against Page, Jericho, Syxx, Malenko and Benoit established Guerrero as one of the most talented wrestlers in either of the big two companies. He was an asset to WCW, even if they did not always treat him as such.

Since he had been attacked by Syxx at Starrcade, the two began a program that would culminate in a ladder match between the two at nWo Souled Out.  Eddie defeated Syxx in a ladder match at 13:48 to retain his title when, after both men grabbed hold of the belt and unstrapped it, Guerrero hit Syxx with the title, knocking him off the ladder; during his ring entrance, Guerrero was introduced over the PA as "wrestling's jumping bean;"

During early 97, Eddie worked matches with Syxx, Malenko, Benoit, Jericho, and others. At WCW Uncensored 97, Dean Malenko pinned WCW US Champion Eddie Guerrero to win the title in a No DQ match at 19:14 when, as Guerrero grabbed for the title belt from an interfering WCW Cruiserweight Champion Syxx, Malenko used Syxx's camcorder and hit Guerrero in the back of the head with it. Eddie suffered an injury during the match and was out for four and a half months.

Eddie was in a top spot on the card, wrestling top level talent, and having amazing matches during this time. This was also WCW’s strongest point in time in the ratings. What did the WWE office think of him? Had Vince seen him at this point and did he ever say anything about him? What might that sound like? :)

Since the match with DDP, Eddie had been booed pretty heavily - so he returned as a heel. And this is where our legendary Eddie Guerrero was born. The big moment happened at WCW Nitro on June 9, 1997. Jeff Jarrett was wrestling WCW US Champ Dean Malenko. Jarrett defeated Malenko to win the title via submission with the figure-4 at around the 13:30 mark after Eddie Guerrero, his arm in a sling, came through the crowd and hit the frog splash on the champion behind the referee's back; Guerrero then left the sling in the ring, showing he was no longer injured.

On WCW Saturday night, June 28, 1997, Eddie Guerrero pinned Dean Malenko at 16:31 with his feet on the ropes; after the match, Gene Okerlund conducted an interview with Guerrero, who stated since the fans cheered people like Sting who use baseball bats, he would use whatever tactics were necessary. Eddie’s character had embraced the cheating to win philosophy.

Perhaps more than any other wrestler of his status, cheating became part of Eddie’s character. He embraced it not only in WCW but later with Lie, Cheat, Steal in WWE. What is it about Eddie that made this work SO well?

At Fall Brawl 97 in Winston-Salem, NC, Eddie Guerrero pinned WCW Cruiserweight Champion Chris Jericho with the Frog Splash to win the title at 17:20 after landing on top of the champion as Jericho attempted a superplex. Around that time, Rey Mysterio and Guerrero were embroiled in a personal rivalry that saw Eddie attempting to take the mask of Rey. Guerrero would wrestle a match against Mysterio in October at Halloween Havoc. Mysterio's mask would be on the line and Guerrero would put his Cruiserweight Championship up to make it fair. The match was one many say is the finest in either man's career. Guerrero would lose the match, but it would do little to hurt his standing in the company.

Meltzer gave the match **** ¾ (shoulda been five). He said it was arguably the single best match on a WCW PPV show dating back more than six years to the prime of Ric Flair and the February 24, 1991 War Games match from Phoenix.

This HAD to show up on Vince’s radar, right?

It’s on every highlight video either superstar has had released and is usually on the Halloween Havoc compilations as well. Have you seen the match? What did you think?

Eddie got the title back from Rey on a Nitro from Memphis on November 10 to set up another match between the two at World War 3, where Eddie won. Eddie said he loved Rey like his little brother. He described him as a kamikaze with no fear - a compliment to Reys trust in Eddie.

Eddie defeated Malenko at Starrcade 97 but he lost the cruiserweight title the next night on Nitro to the Ultimo Dragon.

As 98 began, Eddie started a memorable angle with his nephew, Chavo. On Thunder, March 13, 98, Eddie pinned Chavo with the stipulation that Chavo would have to do whatever said. Eddie says Chavo was kicking chairs around backstage and at first, hated the idea of wearing the Eddie Guerrero is My Favorite Wrestler t-shirt. But Eddie explained Chavo would look good coming out of it. Chavo was ambitious. Chavo came up with the idea of a hair vs hair match and pitched it to the office. He was growing and learning as a performer and went from resenting the opportunity to realizing how great it was for him. The feud went through much of 98, with Chavo eventually, as a character, losing his mind and becoming a foil for Eddie. Chavo lost a hair vs. hair match with Eddie at Bash at the Beach 98.

Eddie really seemed to take care of Chavo Jr, both in WCW and later in WWE. Can you talk about their relationship and bond?

Despite his success and popularity, Guerrero had been one of many wrestlers who were frustrated at never being given a chance to be main event stars in WCW. These frustrations came to a head when Guerrero requested that WCW President Eric Bischoff either push his character or give him a raise for family reasons. Bischoff responded by allegedly throwing coffee at Guerrero (however, in his autobiography, Guerrero states that Bischoff accidentally knocked his coffee off the table and that it was a complete accident that he was hit). In a worked-shoot, Guerrero demanded Bischoff release him from his contract on a live episode of Nitro. Eddie said he pitched the worked shoot promo to Eric but wished he would have had more time to prepare. Guerrero then left the company for months. Guerrero later returned to WCW, responding to Bischoff's actions by forming the Latino World Order (LWO).The group was an answer to Bischoff's "refusal" to push Latino wrestlers in ways they felt they deserved. The LWO was formed in October when Guerrero returned to WCW, with Héctor Garza and Damien. The group eventually grew to encompass almost all the Mexican wrestlers working for WCW at the time. They mainly feuded with Rey Mysterio Jr. and Billy Kidman because they wanted Mysterio to join the group. He faced Kidman in a match for the WCW Cruiserweight Championship but Mysterio interfered and helped Kidman win the match and keep the title. However, Guerrero was involved in a car accident on New Year's Day 1999 that cut short the LWO storyline.

A lot of people were critical of the lWo idea. Did you have any noteworthy impressions of it?

On New Year’s Day 1999, Eddie cheated death. As he described, Eddie took GHB before leaving the house. He went on a ride to the convenience store but blacked out on the drive back home. He was told he was going 130 mph when he flipped and was ejected out of the t-top convertible he was driving. His liver was bleeding and he had a broken hip socket. Eddie would be in pain over these injuries for many years - if not for the rest of his life. He felt like he needed to get back to the ring sooner than he should. His doctors told him it would be at least eight months before his body was ready. Eddie was back in the ring after six months.

That’s how he got hooked on pills. He lost his fear of the pills he had developed when Art died.

But in the late 90s, opiate pain relievers were marketed as non-habit forming - something we know to be untrue now - so much that there have been major class action lawsuits against the makers of the drugs for misleading marketing.

Everyone likes to blame the addict. But do you think society might own some of that blame?

After his return on the May 31, 1999 episode of Monday Nitro, Guerrero became a founding member of The Filthy Animals alongside Rey Mysterio Jr. and Konnan. They feuded with the Dead Pool (Insane Clown Posse and Vampiro). They received two straight victories over the Dead Pool at Road Wild and Fall Brawl. They next feuded with The Revolution (Shane Douglas, Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko, and Perry Saturn). Guerrero was victorious over Saturn by disqualification in a singles match at Halloween Havoc. At Mayhem, the Animals lost to Revolution in a mixed tag team elimination match. Then, Vince Russo was fired as WCW booker and replaced by Kevin Sullivan.

Eddie said he and others were hopeful when Vince Russo came in but when he was replaced with Kevin Sullivan, all hope was lost and they wanted out. Why do you think that was? Frustration? Worry that things would stay the same?

In a way, the boys unionized - but it was not on the scale they needed to. Eddie, Benoit, Malenko, Saturn, Shane Douglas, they went to Bill Bush to demand change. Eddie said Bush felt threatened and didn’t respond well. The Radicalz, as they would come to be known, wanted out. They had conversations with Paul E. They considered going to Japan. But they called the WWE and New York was interested! The problem was Shane Douglas was on the outs with WWE. So the group moved forward without him.

Guerrero asked for and received a release from his contract on January 19. He signed with the World Wrestling Federation in 2000 along with fellow WCW stars Benoit, Malenko, and Saturn.

What did it mean when the Radicalz jumped? Was it devastating for the optics of WCW?

After first appearing in the seats on the January 31, 2000 episode of Raw, the group were offered the chance to “win” WWE contracts by facing D-Generation X in three matches on the February 3rd episode of Smackdown. Malenko lost to X-Pac after getting hit with a low blow, and Guerrero and Saturn were supposed to win against the New Age Outlaws. However, Guerrero came off the top with a frog splash and severely dislocated his elbow and the match was changed on the fly to have Billy Gunn get a pinfall immediately after the move. With Triple H getting a cheap win on Benoit later in the night, the group went 0-3 instead of the close 1-2 (with caveats) that they were originally supposed to.

Eddie said he told the company he wasn’t going to be ready for another three or four weeks but the company asked him to come to TV and work. On The Radicals Revisited episode in the archives, you disputed that, saying Eddie had said he would be okay and wanted to do it.

Aside from that, do you think the Radicals going 0-3 in their debut matches killed the angle or severely hurt it? (A lot of folks online shit their pants at the time)

After returning from that injury, Eddie revealed a crush he had on Chyna and leading into the April 3 WrestleMania 2000 event, did everything in his power to prove that she could not resist his Latino Heat. Eddie came up with Latino Heat from the movie Birdcage with Robin Williams, which references Guatemalan-ness and “heat.” Eddie said he changed that to Latino Heat, used it in a promo, and it got a big reaction. So the office decided to run with it.

https://youtu.be/uwU2ypTsVLg

At his first Wrestlemania, Eddie Guerrero was pinned by Chyna in a six person inter-gender tag match. That would seem like the kiss of death for a lot of performers but Eddie got heat from it. Eddie got into the Latino Heat character and said he loved the skits and entertainment side.

Do you remember if Eddie was a little worried about losing his Wrestlemania debut match against a lady? How was he able to come out of this unscathed, as a character? (It gave him heat? He’s a great performer?)

On the April 4 episode of Raw, Eddie captured the European Championship from Chris Jericho after Chyna turned on Y2J and revealed that she could not, in fact, resist Guerrero's Latino Heat! The two polar opposite characters would come together to make for some memorable moments at a time where everything on WWE television was at its peak.

By the way. I love WWE.

Prior to the Backlash pay-per-view, Guerrero was studying to take his GED, with the assistance of Chyna, all the while defending his European title. At the event, he and Chyna returned from the prom just in time for Guerrero to wrestle Essa Rios in a major title bout. Guerrero defeated Rios after arriving at ringside in a 1957 Chevrolet, even wrestling in his tuxedo pants and a bow tie. After that, Guerrero, who was getting babyface reactions, turned face.

Why did you turn him here? Was Eddie performing so well that he won fans over with his Latino Heat persona?

Eddie successfully retained the title against former Radicalz friends Saturn and Malenko in a triple threat match at Judgment Day. Guerrero would retain the title until July's Fully Loaded, when he lost it to former Radicals teammate Perry Saturn.

The on-screen relationship with Chyna would continue well into the summer, and popularity was building. However, friction began to form. Chyna was upset when Eddie pinned her to advance in the King of the Ring. Then at SummerSlam that August, Guerrero and Chyna wrestled a mixed tag team match against Trish Stratus and Val Venis, who at the time was the reigning Intercontinental Champion. The Intercontinental Championship was on the line in the match, and whoever scored the pin would win the title. Guerrero's team won the match, but Chyna scored the pin on Trish and became a two-time Intercontinental Champion

Although Guerrero said he did not mind that his partner was the champion, fans suspected otherwise. On the September 4 Raw Is War he went to WWF Commissioner Mick Foley and asked to be inserted into Chyna's title defense against Kurt Angle claiming that he did not want Angle to hurt his "mamacita". During the course of the match, Angle knocked down Chyna with the title belt and Guerrero laid on top of her to try to revive her. However, this resulted in Guerrero "accidentally" pinning Chyna as her shoulders were still on the mat, and thus Guerrero won the match and his first Intercontinental Championship. Guerrero then spent weeks trying to get her to believe that he did not intentionally take the title from her.

Chyna became visibly uncomfortable as Guerrero began to cheat in order to retain his title, while Guerrero was upset that Chyna was posing for Playboy magazine, even trying to invade the Playboy Mansion to stop the photo shoot.

Was this one of your shoots? It was hilarious. Were Playboy and Hugh Hefner cool to work with from a production standpoint?

Just when it appeared that Chyna would leave Guerrero, he proposed to her and she accepted.  At Unforgiven, Chyna helped Guerrero in retaining his title against Rikishi. The engagement was called off when Guerrero was caught showering with two of The Godfather's hos (one was Victoria) claiming that "two Mamacitas are better than one".

Guerrero turned heel again as a result of the incident. Then, The Radicalz reformed and feuded with the reunited D-Generation X (Chyna, Billy Gunn, Road Dogg, and...K-Kwik). They defeated D-Generation X at Survivor Series in an elimination tag team match and assisted Triple H in his match with Stone Cold Steve Austin. Guerrero was later defeated by Gunn for the Intercontinental Championship on the Thanksgiving episode of SmackDown!. At Rebellion, Guerrero and Malenko lost to Gunn and Chyna. Benoit left the group to focus on a singles career while the rest of The Radicalz feuded with Lita and The Hardy Boyz (Matt and Jeff). At Armageddon, The Radicalz defeated The Hardy Boyz and Lita in an elimination tag team match.

In early 2001, Guerrero feuded with Chris Jericho, Benoit, and X-Pac over Jericho's Intercontinental Championship. At No Way Out, the four men faced each other in a fatal four-way match, which Jericho won. Guerrero focused on the European Championship after, feuding with the champion Test defeating him at WrestleMania X-Seven to win his second European Championship with help from Saturn and Malenko.

In April, The Radicalz feuded with Test and his partners. Guerrero eventually left the Radicalz, siding with The Hardy Boyz and Lita. But Guerrero had developed an addiction to pain medication stemming from his 1999 car accident and in May 2001 was sent to rehab. To explain his absence, a storyline was created where Guerrero was "injured" by Albert in a match. On November 9, 2001, he was arrested for drunk driving and was subsequently released by the WWF three days later.

This had to be a punch to the gut for everyone who wanted to see Eddie succeed, right?

Eddie got sober after this, for good. He got on a program. He got help from friends. But most importantly, he took responsibility.

He worked on the indy circuit until he returned in April, 2002 to the WWE.

Eddie always said he thought he had a second chance. Was he pretty much told he would be brought back if he got straight? Was there debate about it? What was Vince’s take?

Guerrero returned to the WWF on the April 1, 2002 episode of Raw, attacking Rob Van Dam. He feuded with Van Dam, defeating him for his second Intercontinental Championship at Backlash. After retaining the title against Van Dam at Insurrextion and Judgment Day, he finally lost the title to Van Dam on the May 27 episode of Raw in a ladder match.

But most people remember that ladder match because a fan charged the ring and shoved the ladder over while Eddie was on top of it. That resulted in the idiotic fan getting punched and stomped by Eddie and probably criminally charged too. What kind of reaction is there backstage when you see a fan do something that could have seriously injured Eddie or another person? Is it fury? Are people wanting to charge out and stretch the guy?

After Eddie’s feud with RVD, he began another program. How about this: Eddie Guerrero vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin. Yeah. Their first match was at a Raw live event on May 25 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, with Austin pinning Eddie after a stunner in the main event. The two would headline several more house shows. However, Austin left the WWE before a televised match could take place. Specifically, this was when Austin walked out and no-showed Raw on June 10 2002. Flair ended up working a match with Eddie at King of the Ring, which Flair won.

Was Austin supposed to be in the spot against Eddie at King of the Ring? If so, who was going to win?

Were there any skits or angles planned between the two that got the axe? It seems like this was one of those situations where there was so much meat on the bone - and then we got nothing.

Benoit and Eddie were once again a team, after Benoit had returned on the same night Eddie lost the IC belt to RVD. They teamed throughout the summer.

Another big moment happened for Eddie on the July 22, 2002 Raw from Grand Rapids, Michigan. He had his first match against the Rock! WWE World Champion the Rock pinned Eddie Guerrero at 8:30 with the spinebuster and People's Elbow in a non-title match; had Guerrero been victorious, he would have earned a title shot for the following week; after the bout, Rock had an altercation with Brock Lesnar.

Seems like an unusual stipulation to have in a match that Eddie was going to lose. Was there ever a plan for him to win this that, maybe, got nixed by The Great One?

On August 1, 2002, Guerrero and Benoit moved to WWE's SmackDown! brand. Guerrero feuded with Edge, to whom he lost at SummerSlam. Guerrero continued his feud with Edge, whom he defeated at Unforgiven; they then had a no disqualification match four days after Unforgiven on SmackDown! which Edge won thus ending the rivalry.

With Benoit involved in an angle with Kurt...Angle…. Guerrero aligned himself with his nephew Chavo, forming the tag team Los Guerreros.

In contrast to a previous WCW storyline with his nephew, Chavo fully agreed with his uncle as their slogan stated: "We lie, we cheat, and we steal, but at least we're honest about it". To push the new tag team, vignettes were produced, which included things such as the two finaglings their way into a rich lady's house and throwing a pool party. These segments marked the beginning of the rise of popularity for the team, especially Eddie, who continued to use the mannerisms in his singles run.

Los Guerreros got OVER. Big. Why do you think that was? Were you involved in the vignettes? (Pool inspectors who just wanted to party; Parking valets who really just wanted to go on a joyride; etc.)

The duo entered the eight-team tournament for the new WWE Tag Team Championship, sneaking past Rikishi and Mark Henry in the opening round, before starting a feud with the newly formed tag team of Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit. In one of the team's definitive moments, Chavo told Benoit that his former friend Guerrero was assaulted by his tag team partner Angle. Benoit ran to make the save, only to have himself locked inside a room. Guerrero then appeared in the room and assaulted Benoit with a steel chair. Benoit and Angle managed to overcome their differences and eventually defeated Los Guerreros in the tournament semi-finals. Later on, Benoit and Angle won the title. Benoit and Angle then fought for a trophy for being the first WWE Tag Team Champions. Much to Benoit's surprise, Los Guerreros helped him win the match.

On the November 7, 2002 Smackdown, WWE World Champion Brock Lesnar pinned Eddie Guerrero (w/ Chavo Guerrero Jr.) in a non-title match at 6:41 with the F5 in their first match together.

At Survivor Series, Los Guerreros faced the new champions Edge and Rey Mysterio and the team of Angle and Benoit for the titles. Guerrero made Mysterio submit to the Lasso from El Paso to win their first WWE Tag Team Championship. They turned face due to their popularity. They lost the titles to Team Angle (Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin) on the February 6, 2003 episode of SmackDown! Los Guerreros and Team Angle began feuding with each other. Los Guerreros participated at WrestleMania XIX as contenders for the Tag Team Title, along with the team of Benoit and Rhyno. Both teams lost to Haas and Benjamin in a triple threat match.  At Backlash, Los Guerreros lost to Team Angle in a rematch.

Five days prior to Judgment Day, Chavo tore his biceps, forcing Guerrero to look for another partner. He chose Tajiri, and they won the WWE Tag Team Championship, Guerrero's second and Tajiri's first at Judgment Day by defeating Team Angle in a ladder match.

The following week, Guerrero and Tajiri managed to retain their titles by cheating. They also defeated Roddy Piper and his protégé Sean O'Haire in Madison Square Garden. After Guerrero and Tajiri lost the titles to The World's Greatest Tag Team (previously Team Angle) on the July 3 episode of SmackDown!, Guerrero turned on Tajiri, slamming his partner through the windshield of his low-rider truck, turning heel once again. The next SmackDown!, Guerrero said he did it because during the match Tajiri had accidentally hit his low-rider. Despite being portrayed as the heel, when Guerrero asked the audience if they blamed him for doing it, the audience responded by yelling "No!".

Contrast this with just a few years prior in WCW, when Eddie was booed as a babyface. Now, the fans didn’t want to hate him! Why do you think that was?

In July 2003, Guerrero competed in a tournament for the WWE United States Championship. He managed to advance to the final round, defeating Último Dragón and Billy Gunn in the process, where he would meet Chris Benoit. At Vengeance, Guerrero turned to his cheating tactics, hitting Benoit with the belt at one point in the match. Guerrero tried to get Benoit in trouble by placing the title belt on top of the unconscious Benoit. It did not work, however, since he knocked out the referee earlier with a championship belt shot to the kidneys. The match ended with interference and a Gore from Rhyno, Benoit's partner, who was furious at the team's failure. Guerrero pinned Benoit and won the United States Championship.

At SummerSlam, Guerrero retained his title by defeating Rhyno, Benoit, and Tajiri in a fatal four-way match. He turned face again, officially, as he began a feud two nights later against a young John Cena. WWE US Champion Eddie Guerrero defeated John Cena on Smackdown that week via disqualification at 11:31 after the challenger hit a low blow while Guerrero attempted a series of rolling snap suplexes; after the bout, Cena bloodied the champion by hitting and choking him with his steel chain before dropping Guerrero with the FU onto a steel wheel in the ring - taken from Guerrero's car earlier in the evening.

What can you say about the decision to return Eddie to being a face so soon? What was the thought behind turning him heel here in the first place?

Cena and Eddie had a memorable “Latino Heat” Parking Lot Brawl on Smackdown that aired September 11 when Eddie pinned Cena with a frog splash off of a minivan onto Cena - on the hood of an adjacent car. In that match, Chavo made his return and attacked Cena.

Any memories behind the production of that segment?

The next week on SmackDown!, Los Guerreros defeated The World's Greatest Tag Team to win the WWE Tag Team Championship, making Guerrero a double champion (beginning Guerrero's third tag title reign).

This is a bit of a surprise, since Eddie was in the middle of a hot singles run. Why pair him back up with Chavo?

Guerrero engaged in a feud with Big Show, which involved Guerrero giving Big Show some laxative laced burritos. On the 10th of October, 2003’s episode of SmackDown, after The Big Show defeated Chavo Guerrero in the main event by count-out, Eddie came out to the ring with a sewage truck, and though he failed to hit Big Show in the ring, he hit it right on target when Show was at the entrance ramp, in one of the most-remembered comedic segments in WWE history.

The feud ended when Guerrero lost the United States Championship to Big Show at No Mercy.

Was that shoot shit? Or working shit? How are fans reacting when the shit is splattering all over them?

Four days later, Los Guerreros lost the WWE Tag Team Championship to the Basham Brothers (Danny and Doug). They began feuding with the Basham Brothers, but failed to regain the championship at Survivor Series. As Los Guerreros attempted to regain the tag team titles, things began to go downhill between Chavo and Eddie, as animosity began to build. Chavo then attacked and turned on Guerrero after he suffered a beating from the Basham Brothers on the January 8, 2004 episode of SmackDown!.

Guerrero feuded with Chavo in an angle that saw Chavo Jr. joined by his father/Eddie’s brother, Chavo Sr./Chavo Classic. Eddie defeated him at the Royal Rumble to settle their feud. After the match Eddie attacked Chavo causing him to bleed while Chavo Classic looked on.

It makes more sense now to see why Los Guerreros were paired back up...but was their feud always designed to last only one PPV match? Seems like it ended awfully quickly...maybe because plans changed with Brock?

When Chris Benoit jumped to the Raw brand after winning the Royal Rumble match, using his title shot to go for Triple H's World Heavyweight Championship, Guerrero won a 15-man Royal Rumble match on the January 29, 2004 episode of SmackDown! to earn a shot at the WWE Championship.

After becoming the number one contender, Guerrero elevated himself to main event status and began feuding with the WWE Champion Brock Lesnar. At No Way Out, Eddie Guerrero pinned WWE World Champion Brock Lesnar to win the title at 30:05 with the Frog Splash after reversing an attempt at the F5 into a tornado DDT onto the title belt; late in the bout, Lesnar attempted to use the title belt as a weapon while the referee was knocked out but Bill Goldberg, who was arrested earlier in the evening, came out and hit the spear on the champion; after the match, Guerrero celebrated in the crowd and was congratulated by his mother and brother Mondo who sat ringside. The victory made him a Triple Crown and Grand Slam Champion in the process.

In episode 142, No Way Out 2004 in the archives, you described this as a top one or two moment for wrestling when Eddie won his first WWE world title. You said you came out to the crowd and enjoyed the moment from a fans perspective. Can you talk about that night again as both a fan of wrestling and a friend of Eddie’s?

When was the subject first approached of putting the belt on Eddie? Was it when Vince found out Brock wanted to leave? Who else was discussed?

All of a sudden, Eddie Guerrero is our WWE Champion. His first PPV title defense is going to be a big one, too: Wrestlemania XX. It marked the start of his next feud, with Kurt Angle, whom he defeated in 21:30 at WrestleMania XX to retain his title in his first big defense. Eddie won by using an inside cradle while holding the ropes for leverage.

At the end of this event, Guerrero celebrated in the ring with longtime friend Chris Benoit, who had just won the World Heavyweight Championship.

Is this the peak for Eddie? Was this his biggest moment?

At the March 22 edition of RAW, the draft lottery was held. Because of that, Smackdown stars appeared on the show that evening. The main event, and this was super cool at the time, was Eddie Guerrero defending against Triple H. Remember - Triple H is in his full blown reign of terror mode, having just dropped the belt to Benoit. So everyone online thought he was going to win this match. Eddie won - by DQ - when Christian interfered during his attempt at the Frog Splash. A giant brawl erupted between brands.

But this was a pretty cool moment for Eddie in cementing him to the fans as main event status, right? Pushing Triple H to the limits (and not losing a belt to him) was a big deal at the time, right?

In March, Eddie started a feud with fellow Texan John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL) after JBL interrupted Guerrero's title match with Booker T. The rivalry would soon turn personal when at a non-televised live event on May 2 in El Paso, JBL caused Guerrero's mother to suffer a (kayfabe) heart attack while in attendance at ringside.

Eddie’s mom looked like she was having a heart attack - because she almost was, you’ve told us before in the archives. Can you tell us the story again of what happened?

At Judgment Day, Guerrero defended his WWE title against JBL, retaining the title after getting himself disqualified, hitting JBL with the championship title. The match witnessed Guerrero bleed heavily mid-way in the match as a result of Guerrero performing a blade job after a stiff headshot ringside with a chair from JBL.

But apparently, Eddie cut too deep and hit an artery. After the match concluded, Guerrero went into shock and passed out backstage, according to the rumor and innuendo from the time, and was taken to a nearby hospital (as opposed to a local medical facility)

Was this as frightening of a situation as it sounds like when reading it in the sheets? What do you remember about the match and the aftermath?

The real-life event impacted the following episode of SmackDown. Teaming alongside Rey Mysterio and Rob Van Dam, against the trio of The Dudley Boyz and JBL, Guerrero ‘passed out’  mid-match. Unlike at the PPV, this was part of the story. Some fans complained online that it was in poor taste.

At The Great American Bash, Guerrero defended the title against JBL in a Texas bullrope match. JBL won after Angle (who was General Manager of SmackDown! at the time) reversed the decision after Guerrero appeared to have retained the title. Rumor and innuendo was that Guerrero felt he was shouldering the burden of low PPV buys on Smackdown events at the time and asked Vince to have the title taken off of him.

Did Eddie talk to Vince and ask to have the belt taken off of him?

In late June, Eddie had a surprise partner at a Winston-Salem live event when facing Bradshaw and the Dudleys: The Undertaker! Eddie and Taker won that night, too.

On the July 8 episode of SmackDown!, WWE Champ John Bradshaw Layfield fought El Gran Luchador to a no contest at around 7:30 after El Gran slid underneath the ring, a second luchador came out - an obviously masked Eddie Guerrero. Bradshaw was knocked out of the ring; after the match, El Gran (Eddie) cut a promo on Bradshaw defending the title against Eddie the following week in a steel cage match.

On the July 15 episode of SmackDown!, Guerrero faced JBL in a steel cage match for the WWE title. Eddie hit a frog splash off the top of the cage in the match - but El Gran Luchadore appeared again and this time cost Guerrero the match; he later revealed himself as Kurt Angle. Guerrero continued his feud with Angle.

Was it easier to book Eddie as-champion or against-a-champion? Is it that way for all faces?

At SummerSlam, Guerrero lost to Angle after submitting to his ankle lock. Guerrero then allied himself with Big Show. Each week Angle and his new allies Luther Reigns and Mark Jindrak began targeting Guerrero and Big Show. Guerrero defeated Reigns in a singles match at No Mercy.

Around this period, Eddie had a fight with Kurt Angle backstage. A lumberjack match happened and Eddie, in retrospect, may have been having heart problems, according to Kurt Angle. Eddie’s body couldn’t perform. The next week, another situation happened, where Luther Reigns and Mark Jindrak, with Angle at the time, stiffed Eddie. Afterwards in the back, Eddie commented on Angle and crew taking advantage of him. Angle shoved him - twice - while going off on him for having bad matches. Eddie went for a takedown and Angle caught him in a front face lock and began to choke him out before Big Show stepped in and stopped it.

Were you present when the scuffle took place backstage? What did you observe?

General Manager Theodore Long booked a Survivor Series Elimination match between a team led by Guerrero and a team led by Angle. Guerrero's team consisted of himself, Big Show, John Cena (replacing the originally chosen Rey Mysterio), and Rob Van Dam. At Survivor Series, Guerrero's team defeated Angle's team.

At Armageddon, Guerrero, Booker T and The Undertaker, challenged JBL for a WWE Championship fatal four way. The match ended with JBL pinning Booker following the Clothesline From Hell. In the weeks after, Guerrero and Booker briefly and unsuccessfully attempted to win the WWE Tag Team Championship.

At the Royal Rumble, in a skit, he drew his number the same time Ric Flair drew his. In an attempt to get a better draw, Guerrero switched his number with Flair's (and stole Flair's wallet in the process). Theodore Long made him return both items before the match. Flair would enter at No. 30. Guerrero entered at No. 1 and lasted 28:11 before being eliminated by Edge.

Why does the company like to put main event-level stars in the opening spot of the Rumble? Does that star power carry the match through until the end or is there another reason?

At No Way Out, Guerrero teamed up with longtime friend and sometimes rival, Rey Mysterio and defeated the Basham Brothers to win his final title, the WWE Tag Team Championship for a fourth time, with it being Mysterio's third reign.

Many expected the new champions to defend their title at WrestleMania 21, but after encouragement from Chavo, Guerrero challenged Mysterio to a one-on-one match instead so they could "bring the house down". The two wrestled in a match at WrestleMania with Mysterio getting the win. Although visibly frustrated, Guerrero congratulated his partner.

This was all part of a longer-term story between Eddie and Rey, right?

This was the Wrestlemania Goes Hollywood event that saw WWE stars doing spoofs of blockbusters going into the show. One of those was of Pulp Fiction featuring Eddie Guerrero and Booker T playing the roles of John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson.

Were you involved in the production of these? Eddie’s was one of the better one’s. How well did he take to doing stuff like this?

After several mishaps in the weeks following WrestleMania, the growing tension between Guerrero and Mysterio finally erupted when they lost the WWE Tag Team Championship to the new team MNM (Johnny Nitro and Joey Mercury) on the April 21 episode of SmackDown!. Although the next week they received a rematch to regain the titles, Guerrero abandoned Mysterio, whom he had considered "his family" earlier in the show, costing them the match.

At the end of the May 5 episode of SmackDown!, he saved Mysterio from an attack by Chavo and MNM, before attacking Mysterio, leaving him bruised and bloody after suplexing him onto a set of steel steps thus turning heel in the process. Guerrero then adopted a new, brooding gimmick. During this time, he also stopped driving his low-riders down the ring and walked to the ring slowly with a frown on his face, gained a new theme which was a slower remix of "Lie, Cheat, And Steal" and started using his other finishing move, the Lasso from El Paso, more often.

Why did Eddie’s heel turn work here when it failed the last time you tried?

At Judgment Day, Guerrero lost to Mysterio by disqualification after hitting Mysterio with a chair.

On the June 30 episode of SmackDown!, Guerrero threatened to reveal a secret about Mysterio and his son Dominik. The storyline grew to involve the families of both men, with both sides pleading for Guerrero not to reveal the secret. Mysterio defeated Guerrero again at The Great American Bash, a match with a stipulation that if Guerrero lost, he would not tell the secret. Yet Guerrero revealed the secret anyway on the following episode of SmackDown! – telling Dominik and the audience that Guerrero was his real father.

Or more specifically, he said. “I’m your Papi!”

How did Eddie feel about this angle?

In the following weeks, Guerrero revealed the details of the secret in a series of what he called "Eddie's Bedtime Stories". Eddie now had a dark comical gimmick. He claimed that he had a child out of wedlock (Dominik) while his marriage was going through hard times. He claimed he then allowed Mysterio and his wife, who were "having trouble conceiving", to adopt the child as their own. At SummerSlam, Guerrero lost a ladder match over Dominik's custody to Mysterio.

How did Eddie and Rey make this work?

Is it canon/kayfabe that Eddie is Dominik’s father?

Eddie has just finished up his program with Rey Mysterio where he declared he was Dominick’s Papi. Eddie won a cage match on the debut of Friday Night Smackdown - “TV that’s changing Friday nights.” Eddie got a new version of his theme song that night too, titled “Crackin’” or “Gangsta Lean.” Basically, it was almost the same song but with the Lie Cheat and Steal lyrics removed and replaced by rap lyrics.

What was the reason for the theme song change?

The following week, Teddy Long and Network Executive Palmer Cannon announced a new number one contender for “The Animal” Batista’s World Heavyweight Championship. Long acts like he’s about to announce Rey Mysterio but Palmer steals the mic and announces Eddie Guerrero! Eddies promo begins about how he’s got a past and how he has had addictions. He said he found a new addiction: honor, respect, and doing the right thing. He declares he’s the new Eddie Guerrero. Eddie says he wants to prove at No Mercy, he and Batista can have a match and not hate each other. Eddie’s facials during this promo are incredible. It’s like a baby face turn that the fans don’t trust.

That was the idea, right? A suspicious babyface?

Was there concern here about having turned Eddie too much - or did that fit perfectly into the story?

Eddie is supposed to tag with Batista the next week against MNM but he’s faking being sick - at least that’s the implication. Batista brings in a doctor who gives him a rectal probe without lubricant. Batista holds Eddie down as Eddie makes the segment work with his verbal and facial expressions. Batista is on track to win the match but Eddie tags in after watching from the outside the entire time, hits the Frog Splash. Eddie sells his sphincter as he celebrates with a confused Batista.

On Raw Homecoming, Batista and Eddie both participated in the attack by Smackdown on Raw. Footage on WWE.com showed them helping each other up the ramp and hand in hand, as partners. October 7 on Smackdown, Eddie comes out in a Batista shirt. Michael Cole says many are believing Eddie’s change of heart but he personally isn’t. The week before, Eddie hit Batista with a chair when swinging at MNM. It looked like a legitimate accident but in true Eddie form, he hands the chair to Joey Mercury by the time Batista turns around. Batista confronts Eddie and implies he may have done it on purpose. Eddie looks hurt.

At No Mercy 2005, Eddie faced Batista. Several times during the match, Guerrero struggled with decisions about whether or not to cheat. One such choice is to use a steel chair to secure the victory, with Eddie eventually opting not to use it and losing as a result to a Spinebuster.

World Heavyweight Champion Batista pinned Eddie Guerrero at 18:40. (***1/4)

The two shake hands and No Mercy goes off the air with a hint in Eddie’s eyes that he might still turn on Batista.

We talked in detail about No Mercy 2005 in the archives just several weeks ago. How well did these two deliver in their match and in the angle?

Eddie wrestled his last match on the November 11 SmackDown!, defeating Mr. Kennedy by disqualification using his signature lie, cheat, and steal tactics, which allowed him to advance to the SmackDown! Survivor Series team.

Even if you didn’t have plans (but especially if you did)...tell us what would have come next in the story? Make it up if you have to. Where did this go?

According to the rumor and innuendo...On the date of his death, a triple threat match between himself, Batista, and Randy Orton was supposed to take place to air on the following episode of SmackDown! for the World Heavyweight Championship, in which Guerrero had been booked to win the title so Batista could take time off to heal from an injured back, but that was later denied by Batista in his book.

On November 13, 2005, Guerrero was found unconscious in his hotel room at the Marriott Hotel City Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, by his nephew, Chavo. In a 2020 interview for the documentary Dark Side of the Ring, Chavo explained that Eddie had passed out in the hotel room bathroom with a toothbrush in his hand, and was barely clinging to life when Chavo discovered him. Eddie Guerrero was pronounced dead upon paramedics arriving at the scene. He was 38 years old. An autopsy revealed that Guerrero died as a result of acute heart failure due to underlying atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. He is interred at Green Acres Memorial Park Cemetery in Scottsdale, Arizona. His funeral service was officiated by "Superstar" Billy Graham who also has a burial plot near Guerrero.

Where were you when you learned about Eddie’s passing? What was your reaction?

Was there some other connection between Superstar Graham and Eddie that we don’t know about?

The episodes of Raw on November 14, 2005 and SmackDown! on November 18, 2005 (both filmed November 13, 2005) each aired as tributes to Guerrero. All storylines were put on hold, and no WWE employees were forced to perform, although several matches took place, including one featuring Chavo, who finished the match with his uncle's finishing maneuver the frog splash.

Raw started with all the wrestlers and numerous backstage personnel on stage, as Vince McMahon addressed the live crowd before finishing with a ten-bell salute - followed Vince saying “VIVA LA RAZA” in his most passionate voice.

In addition to the Raw and SmackDown tribute shows, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling dedicated the pay-per-view TNA Genesis (which aired the evening of his death) to Guerrero,[151] while Ring of Honor named their next show "Night of Tribute". Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), WWE's then developmental territory, also paid tribute to Guerrero on their television taping following his death. Many of the wrestlers there wore armbands with "E.G." on them.  Rey Mysterio gave an emotional speech about Guerrero, and in a show of respect removed his mask (though he put his head down, so no one could see his face). Mysterio went on to defeat Shawn Michaels in an interpromotional match later that night. After the match, Michaels and Mysterio hugged in the ring and Mysterio pointed up to the sky, crying, in memory of Guerrero.

Eventually, other wrestlers, primarily Chavo, Mysterio and Christian, paid tribute to him in their matches by using the Frog Splash, Guerrero's finisher. Combat Zone Wrestling also paid tribute to Guerrero with a ten-bell salute during one of their cards. Wrestlers CM Punk and Rey Mysterio dedicated some of their matches to Guerrero.

The 3 Doors Down song "Here Without You" was used as a tribute song for Guerrero, as was Johnny Cash's "Hurt".

Those music videos were tear-jerkers for anyone who was a fan. What did you think of them?

As far as the WWE storylines go, Orton was given Guerrero's spot in the traditional Survivor Series elimination match between the Raw and SmackDown! brands, which SmackDown! would win. In Eddie’s place, Orton was the sole survivor.

After Survivor Series, Mysterio started a feud with Big Show after Mysterio eliminated Big Show at Survivor Series, Mysterio would face Big Show in a match billed as "David vs. Goliath" in a SmackDown! special show, and ended as a "no contest" when Big Show's tag team partner Kane interfered in the match. Mysterio continued to feud with Raw's World Tag Team Champions, and found a tag team partner in World Heavyweight Champion Batista. They were booked to face Raw's Kane and Big Show in a tag match at Armageddon. Before Armageddon, Batista and Mysterio defeated MNM on the December 16 episode of SmackDown! to win the WWE Tag Team Championship in a match they both dedicated to Eddie Guerrero.

Mysterio was the second entrant in the 2006 Royal Rumble match. He won the match and earned a world title shot, last eliminating Randy Orton. He lasted 62 minutes, a Royal Rumble record. Orton urged him to put the title shot at stake in a match at No Way Out. In the weeks preceding No Way Out, Orton made disparaging remarks about Eddie Guerrero. Many fans felt the comments were unwarranted and distasteful in the wake of Guerrero's death in November 2005.

“Eddie ain't in Heaven...Eddie’s down there...in hell,” Orton said. Mysterio kicked him in the balls and beat him up, with refs pulling Mysterio off of Orton.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpXZg3jcwiI

Why did the company think this was the right idea? Was it too much, looking back?

Orton won at No Way Out, earning Mysterio's title shot for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 22. General Manager Theodore Long re-added Mysterio to the WrestleMania title match however, making it a Triple Threat match between Orton, Mysterio, and then-champion, Kurt Angle.

It was announced in the build to Wrestlemania 22 that Eddie Guerrero would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, along with Bret Hart, Mean Gene, Sensational Sherri, Verne Gagne, and others. Eddie was inducted by Chavo Guerrero, Chris Benoit, and Rey Mysterio. Eddie’s widow, Vickie, and his two daughters Shaul and Sherilyn, represented Eddie in receiving the honor. It was an incredibly emotional moment for both the widow, the friends, the family, and those in attendance.

The next night at WrestleMania, Mysterio pinned Orton to become the new World Heavyweight Champion. After the match, Mysterio celebrated with Chavo and Vickie Guerrero.

Was it planned for Mysterio to win from before the Rumble? Were there ever talks about changing plans?

(The match btw was followed by a Playboy Pillow Fight).

On the following episode of SmackDown!, Mysterio – who was billed as being an "underdog champion", made his first successful World Heavyweight title defense against Orton. Mysterio went on to retain his title again during a WrestleMania rematch on SmackDown! against Angle three weeks later.

Eddie’s legacy would live on in more than just Rey Mysterio. In fact, it wouldn’t be long before his long-time wife and widow, Vickie, became a prominent character on TV.

In 2006, approximately seven or eight months after Eddie's death, Vickie started appearing more prominently in more controversial storylines. She first asserted herself during a feud between Mysterio and Chavo Guerrero when Chavo accused Mysterio of being "nothing but a leech living off the blood of the Guerrero name" on the August 4 SmackDown!. Subsequently, she acted as peacemaker between the two former friends until she seemingly inadvertently interfered in their match at SummerSlam in 2006, costing Mysterio the match. Vickie later openly sided with Chavo and hit Mysterio in the back with a chair on the following SmackDown!, turning heel in the process.

As easy of a decision as that appears to be now, that seems like it would have been potentially risky. Were there worries about turning Vickie heel or did you think he had enough Guerrero in her to make it work?

On the September 1 SmackDown!, the evil Vickie declared herself Chavo's business manager and Mysterio an "insignificant chapter" in her past. At No Mercy, Chavo lost to Mysterio in a Falls Count Anywhere match. On October 20, Rey Mysterio lost an "I Quit" match against Chavo after interference from Vickie.

On October 27, 2006, Chris Benoit became involved in the storyline. He tried to figure out what Vickie was doing with Eddie's estate while also defending the WWE United States Championship in a rivalry with Chavo. At Survivor Series, Chavo kicked out of an attempted sharpshooter, causing Benoit to knock Vickie off the ring apron and on her head, causing her to begin to wear a neck brace and blame Benoit for "intentionally" hitting her. At the end of December, she interfered in a United States Championship match between Chavo and Benoit, which caused Chavo to lose and Benoit to retain the title. As a result, Chavo shouted "If you wanted me to win the title, then stop getting me disqualified," before pushing Vickie over.

Storylines drifted away from Eddie in 2007, when Vickie came the assistant to the Smackdown GM - and eventually, the Smackdown GM herself. Her career, alone, is enough of a topic for a show of its own someday.

What do you think Eddie would have thought of Vickie’s performances?