# Wrestling fans: RIP Eddie Guerrero
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrestling-fans-rip-eddie-guerrero/330861
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [November 13, 2005, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrestling-fans-rip-eddie-guerrero/330861 "2005-11-13T16:49:13Z")
**Posts on this page:** 12
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2005, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrestling-fans-rip-eddie-guerrero/330861/21 "2005-11-15T19:29:07Z")
The tribute last night was excellent. The video package brought a tear to my eye, and the matches they put on in Eddie’s memory were absolutely top notch. He was an awesome wrestler, a hilarious performer, and from what I’ve heard a hell of a guy. He will be missed.
RIP Eddie
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### Author:  [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2005, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrestling-fans-rip-eddie-guerrero/330861/22 "2005-11-15T19:42:19Z")
This is sad, and I hope it’s not related to drugs.
I’ve always felt that professional wrestling should be monitored just like football or any other sport. While I don’t consider professional wrestling a sport (it isn’t competitive per se) it’s definitely just as much an athletic endeavor as gymnastics or something of that nature.
Considering the conditioning of most of the athletes and the hard hits they take, they need access to the same type of medical care that any other professional athlete would receive. If you’ve ever watched a wrestling match you notice it’s basically a form of “dramatic gymanstics” in which the gymansts regularly wipe out on the mat (dozens of times a night.) And while the ring is designed with give it takes its toll on the body nonetheless. Professional sports teams have doctors on staff, experts on sports medicine, high quality trainers and etc. I’d be surprised if Vince McMahon has a set up anything like that primarily because the wrestling industry has a record of treating it’s wrestlers like chattel.
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### Author:  [@PinkMarabou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PinkMarabou)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2005, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrestling-fans-rip-eddie-guerrero/330861/23 "2005-11-15T19:45:10Z")
> [@cbawlmer](#):
>
> Thanks for the links. Those popups sure do suck!
>
> Apparently they’ve determined the cause of death was heart failure, brought on by his years of substance abuse, plus the strain of the travel schedule and his intense workouts and matches. It’s obviously a physically punishing business, but all the wrestlers say the travel is the roughest part.
Here’s part of the
[quote]
([http://www.wwe.com/inside/news/causeofdeath](http://www.wwe.com/inside/news/causeofdeath)) my DH sent me:
> [@](#):
>
> It was heart failure. It was from his past – the drinking and the drug abuse. They found signs of heart disease. She (the examiner) said that the blood vessels were very worn and narrow, and that just showed all the abuse from the scheduling of work and his past. And Eddie just worked out like crazy all the time. It made his heart grow bigger and work harder and the vessels were getting smaller, and that’s what caused the heart failure. He went into a deep sleep.
>
> As soon as they saw his heart, they saw the lining of his heart already had the heart disease. There was no trauma, and Eddie hadn’t hurt himself in any way. It answered a lot of questions. I knew Eddie wasn’t feeling very good for the last week. He was home and kept saying he wasn’t feeling good and we thought it was just “road tired.” So we thought he just had to rest. It answered a lot of my questions, too, because he was just so exhausted. She said it was normal because the heart was working so hard.
>
> When he didn’t call me last night and the night before I knew it was for real, because he would call me every night. I miss his phone calls. I cried through the whole thing (last night).
>
> I loved his laugh. His laugh was the best.
>
> We just celebrated his four-year sobriety last Thursday. We just thought we had life by the handful. We thought we had it all figured out. He worked so hard to make a better life for us.
It was so painful to watch the tribute last night, we could only handle about a half hour. When I noticed my DH couldn’t stop crying, we went ahead and turned it off and went to bed. Very sad, such a young life shortened. I hope his family finds peace and knows how appreciated Eddie was.
R.I.P. Eddie, you will be sorely missed.
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### Author:  [@gaucho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaucho)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2005, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrestling-fans-rip-eddie-guerrero/330861/24 "2005-11-15T21:29:31Z")
Eddie “Cheat to Win” Guerrero was my favorite wrestler. He radiated wit and charisma, and created a persona that went beyond the traditional archetypes of “heel” and “bayface”. This is really sad.
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### Author:  [@hardygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hardygrrl)
#### Post date: [November 16, 2005, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrestling-fans-rip-eddie-guerrero/330861/25 "2005-11-16T01:29:12Z")
> [@Lady Venom](#):
>
> I cried almost the whole 2 hours. Rey and Chavo tore my heart, but Chris Benoit & Dave Batista broke it.
When Rey took off the mask - which is a HUGE deal for a luchadore\* - that got me going and seeing Chris Benoit sob was heartbreaking.
\*Yes, I know he was de-masked in WCW. Like later days WCW knew anything about tradition?
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### Author:  [@Chairman\_Pow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chairman_Pow)
#### Post date: [November 16, 2005, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrestling-fans-rip-eddie-guerrero/330861/26 "2005-11-16T04:56:32Z")
Does anyone remember the ladder match against RVD about 2000/2001ish (if memory serves)? Probably the greatest match I’ve ever seen.
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### Author:  [@Chairman\_Pow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chairman_Pow)
#### Post date: [November 16, 2005, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrestling-fans-rip-eddie-guerrero/330861/27 "2005-11-16T04:58:17Z")
> [@hardygrrl](#):
>
> \*Yes, I know he was de-masked in WCW. Like later days WCW knew anything about tradition?
Actually, losing it in WCW was perfectly within the rules. Rey putting the mask back on when he came back to WWF was a _huge_ break with tradition.
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### Author:  [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)
#### Post date: [November 16, 2005, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrestling-fans-rip-eddie-guerrero/330861/28 "2005-11-16T13:24:19Z")
I didn’t see Rey take off the mask. He unsnapped it at the chin but I didn’t see it come off.
When I heard Johny Cash {another great individual with drug related demons} singing “I hurt myself today” during the video I got va klempt. Chris Benoit , The Rabid Wolverine, sobbing openly for the loss of his friend, was too much. I noticed Kurt Angle was pretty broken up too. As the camera panned through all the wrestlers at the beginning and so many were teary eyed you realized the deep freindships in that violent demanding lifestyle. It must be close to being in combat together.
The Big Show, 7 foot whatever, 500 lbs, openly weeping for his friend. Very touching.
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### Author:  [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)
#### Post date: [November 16, 2005, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrestling-fans-rip-eddie-guerrero/330861/29 "2005-11-16T13:27:47Z")
Rey took off the mask at the very end, but didn’t show his face. He has wrestled unmasked back in WCW.
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### Author:  [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)
#### Post date: [November 16, 2005, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrestling-fans-rip-eddie-guerrero/330861/30 "2005-11-16T13:29:21Z")
And I should read all the posts, not just the last, before posting.
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### Author:  [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)
#### Post date: [November 16, 2005, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrestling-fans-rip-eddie-guerrero/330861/31 "2005-11-16T17:42:06Z")
> [@cbawlmer](#):
>
> **BBVL** , I haven’t seen any of JBL’s statements. He pisses me off a lot too, so I’m glad he’s at least being decent about this. Do you have links to any of those stories?
Here are some video tributes on WWE’s own website, including a SURPRISINGLY heartfelt and touching tribute from JBL:
[http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/unlimited/](http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/unlimited/)
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### Author:  [@cbawlmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cbawlmer)
#### Post date: [November 16, 2005, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wrestling-fans-rip-eddie-guerrero/330861/32 "2005-11-16T18:17:15Z")
> [@Big Bad Voodoo Lou](#):
>
> Here are some video tributes on WWE’s own website, including a SURPRISINGLY heartfelt and touching tribute from JBL:
>
> [http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/unlimited/](http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/unlimited/)
JBL’s really was nice. That surprises me too, because I’m so used to him being the guy who will beat down the Blue Meanie for no reason and that sort of thing.
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