a fan's eulogy and tribute

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IN LOVING MEMORY OF

EDUARDO GORY GUERRERO LLANES

OCTOBER 9, 1967 ~ NOVEMBER 13, 2005

Somewhere, in a wrestling ring up in the sky, Eddie Guerrero is making his debut. Who knows, he may be having his first match in heaven with the Big Boss Man (who has recently passed away as well), or maybe he is fighting alongside his father, Gory Guerrero. Whatever the stipulations of his debut may be, all of the fans and Superstars in the denizens of the earth are missing him right now, and most of them are still reeling from the shock of his sudden departure.

My heartfelt condolences to wife Vicki and kids.

When my classmate Wowie told me this in the morning, my day was sort of torn asunder. How, I asked myself and my friends, could a luchador as healthy as Eddie and one who is still in the middle of his career - in fact, he was supposed to have a Triple Threat for the World Heavyweight Championship on the next week's SmackDown (which he was highly speculated to win, but it is rather rare and unthought of for a title as grand as this to change hands on a non-PPV show), and he was just coming off from a victory in his last televised match versus Ken Kennedy - die like this? He's only 38 years old!

Those questions have already been answered. It is relatively simple - his demons came back to haunt him. Alcohol, drugs - those same demons he overcame four years ago - they took his toll on him recently, and his heart finally stopped. He was feeling some pain recently which was brought on by stress and the effect of his addictions on his heart, and I'm just glad that his the Lord had mercy on him and stopped his pain, to our expense.

It's just his time, even if it was really way ahead of him. He was unable to lie to fate, cheat death, and steal life. Let's face it. He's gone.

I'm just glad that he was able to catch the big fish. I'm just glad that he was able to hold almost all of the WWE titles a man could ever hold in the business. In truth, he was already a living legend. He really knew how to fire a crowd up, being either a babyface rebel or a brutal heel. When he was a heel, you'd really hate him, but when he was a face, you'd really like him. He was another amazing cheater, alongside The Dirtiest Player In The Game, Ric Flair - I just fell in love with the way he cheated. He was a technical master, like his best friend Chris Benoit. The adrenaline would rush through me like it rushed through him when he would call on the Three Amigos. I also knew, like he did, that his opponent's fate would be sealed when he successfully cast himself on top of him from the turnbuckles. I use most of his taunts, heck, I've always wanted an Eddie goatee. In short, he really knew how to put on a show, love him or hate him, and he'd capture the hearts of many.

He left us all shocked and sad, in the middle of his storied career. Storylines will have to be changed. The #1 contendership might be given to Randy. Team Smackdown has one open slot. The 10-bell salute will be in order.

Don't worry, Eddie, Latino Heat will continue to live on as long as we are la raza. God bless, ese vato - hommes.

As you loved to say.

Viva.

La.

Raza.

We'll miss you, ese.