Latino Heat RIP

[The Emperor Fabulous]

Update:

Former WWE Champion and regular MSNBC financial contributer (god, wrestlers are so stupid) John Bradshaw Layfield was on MSNBC today to talk about Eddie. A few snippets:

- JBL started the segment by saying, "The world lost a great man yesterday, and WWE lose one of it's best and most passionate performers".

- JBL talked briefly about the history of the Guerrero family in wrestling, and noted that Eddie Guerrero was the reason that Smackdown was the number one non-Spanish speaking program among Hispanics in the nation.

- They talked about Eddie's past addictions, with JBL noting that he was addicted to alcohol and painkillers, and that he had just celebrated his fourth year of sobriety. JBL talked about how Guerrero got his life, finances and family back together, which added to the tragedy of his passing. He also noted that Guerrero had just purchased a home in Phoenix that he was planning to someday retire to, and that he had also moved his mother to Phoenix as well.

- It was noted that autopsy reports were still not available. JBL was asked if he thought drugs had anything to do with the death, and JBL said that he certainly hoped not, and there was no indication that there was at this point. JBL noted that Guerrero was found dead on the bathroom floor, and the death had to be instant, since Guerrero's toothbrush was still in his hand. JBL said the "best guess" is that he died of a massive heart attack, but there was no official word yet. JBL again pointed out how Guerrero had been clean and sober for four years.

A real tragedy...

[The Emperor Fabulous]

A nice writeup from Newsday:

Fans use Internet to mourn wrestler and look for answers

By AMY FORLITI
Associated Press Writer

November 14, 2005, 4:21 PM EST


MINNEAPOLIS -- Fans of World Wrestling Entertainment star Eddie Guerrero united on the Internet on Monday, as chat rooms continued to buzz with news of his death and several Web sites posted messages to honor the man nicknamed "Latino Heat."

Some fans in the chat room for fans of Stamford, Conn.-based WWE said they had been crying since they heard Guerrero's body was found in his Minneapolis hotel room on Sunday. Many had questions about what killed the 38-year-old.

"Eddie, we will always remember you," one chatter wrote. "R.I.P. Eddie," wrote another. Yet another wrote, "I can't stop crying."

Guerrero's on-air arch-nemesis, John Bradshaw Layfield, said Guerrero was popular because he was personable and exuded an energy that drew fans into the match.

"Eddie was as passionate as anybody I've ever seen," said Layfield, who goes by the persona "JBL." Despite the on-air feud between the two men, Layfield said he and Guerrero were good friends _ Guerrero was a groomsman in Layfield's wedding.

"He was probably the greatest performer I've ever been in the ring with ... it was like being out there with electricity. It was intoxicating," Layfield said.

Guerrero was a featured star on the UPN show "WWE Smackdown!" and was in Minneapolis on Sunday to film a WWE show.

After Guerrero didn't respond to a wake-up call in his hotel room on Sunday morning, his nephew, fellow WWE wrestler Chavo Guerrero, and hotel security staffers forced their way in and found him on the floor, authorities said.

"This is a huge loss," said WWE chairman Vince McMahon. "Eddie was a consummate performer."

Authorities said there were no apparent signs of foul play, but an autopsy was planned Monday to determine an exact cause of death. Results of the autopsy will not be available for several weeks, the Hennepin County medical examiner's office said.

Guerrero was only the second wrestler of Hispanic heritage to be WWE champion, having won the title in February 2004 by defeating Brock Lesnar, a former University of Minnesota wrestling standout. Guerrero lost the title four months later.

His nephew said Guerrero was open about past drug and alcohol abuse but had been sober for four years. In May 2004, UPN aired the special "Cheating Death, Stealing Life: The Eddie Guerrero Story," chronicling his childhood and his struggle with drug addiction that almost cost him his job, family and life.

Guerrero's father was a wrestler in Mexico and his three older brothers also were wrestlers.

News of his death hit some fans hard, as many turned to Internet chat rooms to try to find out why he died and to share their grief.

The WWE posted messages from fans who submitted e-mails.

"I was extremely happy when he became WWE Champion because me as a mexican-american had someone to look up to," wrote Adrian Ruiz, a fan. "I know this loss must be tough on the Guerrero family so I would like to say that Eddie may be gone but he has left a legacy that will never be matched."

One fan, Ashley Lindridge, wrote about standing in line for nine hours to meet Guerrero: "He gave the impression to us that he was even happier to meet us than we was to meet him. That was the kind of man Eddie was, such a nice guy, that loved the fans and loved his life."

As of midday Monday, about 200 messages had been posted on http://www.eddicts.com, a fan Web site dedicated to Guerrero. The messages were from fans of all ages, from as far away as Italy and Singapore.

_"I have one of his action figues and now I am going to preseve it and hang it on my wall in Memory of Eddie," said one message from a fan who listed his name as Chase. "And I just want to close this by saying GOODBYE EDDIE I hope that someday you and me can meet in heaven and you can teach me how to wrestle and be as good as you."

_"All fans of professional wrestling are shocked and hurt by this terrible news," wrote Matthew Alan Roberts of Lakewood, Ohio. "After watching Eddie perform live and on television many times, I can only say he was a unique talent who deserved all the success he had and much more."

Guerrero was married and had three daughters, ages 3 to 14.

[Kontiki]

Hey EF, drop by the NHL Fantasy thread sometime.

[reismark]

Tremendous tribute show tonight.

I highly encourage everybody to watch Smackdown this Friday (8 pm on UPN) just so that they can get a glimpse of this man and find out first-hand why he was so great and why he was so loved.

[The Emperor Fabulous]

I agree

I'll be posting my thoughts tomorrow (as if more than 5 people not named Orange cared...)

just a quick thing, from a man in the business, which I suggest many people who think wrestling is fake (only the winner is scripted) read.

From Andrew "Test" Martin, former WWE Tag Team and European Champion, who was released by WWE while injured:

Martin questioned who the next death in the business would be, writing, "I'm actually wondering who's next? who's next to die? I can think of at least 15 to 20 people who have died from various things mostly prescription pain killers. For all you wanna be wrestlers who wanna get in this business..especially now when WWE doesn't pay you anymore than you would make at a 9 to 5 job let me break some things down for you. When I started wrestling I had never seen or heard of vicodin or percocet or soma. How come so many wrestlers die from these medications and football players and hockey players don't? The answer is simple..wrestlers especially wwe wrestlers work 5 days a week all year long taking bump after bump in the ring, a doctor explained it to me like this..everytime you take a fall in the ring it's like getting rear ended by a car going 20mph so how many bumps in the ring a night do you take? multiply that by how many times a week you work all year long..that's a hell of a lot of whiplash and pain. I can remember hearing a conversation from some unnamed wwe head guys talking about how this certain person needs to go to rehab but they couldn't send him because he was to important to the show..that's the reality people that is how we are treated..."

Martin then recounted his own injuries and subsequent release from World Wrestling Entertainment while rehabbing his neck following fusion surgery, noting, "...when Johnny Ace called me and told me they were releasing me which of course he put all the heat on Vince...I said to him what kind of message are you sending the boys that if they get hurt they are going to get fired? So all the guys who don't want to lose their jobs what do they do...pop a couple of percocet or vicodin and mask the pain cause god forbid they say they are hurt and lose their job...I'm not going to name any names but I know at least a dozen or so wrestlers who are addicted to these things for that very reason...get hurt lose your job...I just turned 30 my back aches everyday, I have a metal plate in my neck and yes I got in the business at the right time and have a lot of nice things but is it all worth it? you guys don't see the ugly side of this business..yes wrestling is entertainment but the bumps and bruises are real and sometimes they don't go away...so think long and hard before you get in this business cause I can tell you first hand that if your not working or making them money they don't give a **** about you....and the sad part is Eddie was clean and I guarantee he won't be the last one to die in the next 12 months..so that's why i say who's next? Don't take your life for granted it's a gift..don't go to bed mad and tell the people you care about you love them because you never know..."

As a former wrestler, I can attest to a lot of painkillers...so much so that I quit and went in to anthropology, then acting...but my heart is still with pro wrestling and those involved...

[Ted Striker]

The thing about pro wrestling is that alot of people dismiss its atheleticism because it's staged.

That's foolish, the amount of athletic ability those guys have is still world class. They also put their bodies on the line every night, and most have more injuries over their careers than NFL players.

Some of the acrobatic manuevers are unbelivable, in addition to the strength feats.

The most impressive strength stunt I have seen was when Big Show picked up Brock Lesner (who is 300 pounds of solid muscle) OVER HIS HEAD, and THREW the guy 10 feet.

Un freakin believable!

[The Emperor Fabulous]

Originally posted by Ted Striker
The thing about pro wrestling is that alot of people dismiss its atheleticism because it's staged.

That's foolish, the amount of athletic ability those guys have is still world class. They also put their bodies on the line every night, and most have more injuries over their careers than NFL players.

Some of the acrobatic manuevers are unbelivable, in addition to the strength feats.

The most impressive strength stunt I have seen was when Big Show picked up Brock Lesner (who is 300 pounds of solid muscle) OVER HIS HEAD, and THREW the guy 10 feet.

Un freakin believable!

QFT

rather...

QUOTED FOR ****ING TRUTH

RIP Eddie

[Pekka]

Right, right.. people usually who don't like wrestling stick to the point that it's staged. Yeah.. but still it's tough as hell and requires super athletisism. That's just a fact right there.

I'm not a fan of pro wrestling myself, but if it's on TV and I have nothing else to do, I prolly watch the show. I like the SHOW and the ENTERTAINMENT. The circus of all the things, and the athletisism of the wrestlers.

And for the record, many of the wrestlers, if not all, can really wrestle too.

Too bad though, they have so many shows to do all the time, Vince just loves the money and doesn't care about the workers enough who put the show and their bodies on the line so many times. Even when they make good money these days, what is it worth if you die? Or leave the ring with permanent injuries, serious ones?

[Ted Striker]

Yeah it was even worse in the early 90s when it was all about size and he was telling his guys to do roids like no tomorrow.

Now at least we see some guys who are normal sized atheletes that can do some amazing moves.

But back to Pekka's thing, I liked it because it was a SHOW, I liked all the drama more than the actual wrestling.

My favorite moment was when Stone Cold attacked McMahon in the hospital and broke out those heart defribillator pads and started attacking him with them. Funniest moment ever!!!!!!

[Ted Striker]

WOW

I saw some clips of Triple H crying.

I always thought Triple H was d1ck. Nice to see him having a human side.

Chris Benoit

[Pekka]

Maybe I'll catch Smackdown this friday after all..

yeah it must be tough for the others there as well, because you know how you bond with people when you are on the road with them almost all the time, and go through tough times and especially when you are doing a thing that is kind of special and not ordinary.

[Sikander]

Originally posted by The Emperor Fabulous

As a former wrestler, I can attest to a lot of painkillers...so much so that I quit and went in to anthropology, then acting...but my heart is still with pro wrestling and those involved...

You're a former pro wrestler?

[Zopperoni]

Originally posted by Ted Striker
WOW

I saw some clips of Triple H crying.

I always thought Triple H was d1ck. Nice to see him having a human side.

He cried when Owen Hart died as well. He's a good guy

[Pekka]

maybe so. He does look like a d1ck though.. I mean when you see him but not know him, you must think jeesh that man is a jerk for sures. His appearance makes him a jerk. But then again he's most likely not a jerk in real life.

Vince must be.

[Zopperoni]

That's what makes him one of the best in the business.

Vince has to be an arse He did change the business, the entire "entertainment"-concept was his thing. That was the direction he wanted to take pro-wrestling into.

HHH is changing business-wise though. He is one of the heirs to Vince's throne, and he's already booking some of the match-ups.