Eddie Guerrero is still viewed as one of the all-time greats with new fans falling in love with his work over a decade after passing away. The legacy of Eddie was that he gave his all and made wrestling a better place. Countless wrestlers were inspired by Guerrero from his peers who learned from him to younger wrestlers that grew up watching his career.
There is no shortage of Eddie stories from those to work with him and who knew him as a person outside of the ring. Quite a few fascinating tidbits have come out about Guerrero in the years after his passing. Find out more one of wrestling’s most impactful superstars. The following stories about Eddie provide more about him behind the scenes.
10 Vince viewed Eddie as the biggest star of the Radicalz right away
Chris Jericho revealed that he was surprised at how much Vince McMahon believed in Eddie Guerrero. Despite loving Guerrero as a peer and friend, Jericho expected Vince to prefer Perry Saturn or Chris Benoit as the top Radicalz project when the four wrestlers joined WWE.
McMahon loved the personality of Eddie right away and believed he could become a bigger star for them. The vision was fulfilled a few years later when Guerrero won the WWE Championship in 2004.
9 Taught John Cena how to perform at a high level
The appearance of John Cena on Corey Graves’ After the Bell podcast saw him sharing stories from his time working with Eddie Guerrero. Cena’s first relevant feud as a heel came against Guerrero with a few memorable matches.
The inexperienced Cena learned a lot from working with Eddie at the house shows. Cena claimed he didn’t truly know how to wrestle at a high level until Guerrero requested to work long matches with the rookie.
8 Argued with Eric Bischoff about Rey's mask
Eddie Guerrero vs Rey Mysterio at WCW Halloween Havoc 1997 is remembered as one of the all-time great wrestling matches. Guerrero put the Cruiserweight Championship against Rey’s mask with Mysterio taking the victory.
The finish was originally going to go the other way with Mysterio losing his mask. Eddie was livid about this decision and expressed it to Bischoff. The ugly situation saw Bischoff threatening to sue Rey if he refused to show up, but the dialogue eventually changed his mind to have Mysterio win.
7 Put huge pressure on himself as WWE Champ
The WWE Championship win of Eddie Guerrero was among the most wholesome moments in wrestling. Guerrero winning blurred the lines of fiction with reality. Even though it was scripted, fans knew what Eddie overcame and how hard he worked for the moment.
Unfortunately, the title reign led to Guerrero putting more pressure on himself. Eddie would ask for the numbers of things like segment ratings and attendance figures to see how business was going with him as champion. It led to a lot of stress trying to become a successful title holder.
6 Fun times with Dominick during storyline
Dominick Mysterio joining the wrestling business is a fun story for the fans that remember his role in WWE as a kid. The personal rivalry between Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio saw Eddie claiming to be Dominick's real father after giving him to the Mysterio family to raise during a tough time in his past.
This storyline was effective in making Guerrero a strong heel after his face run ended. Dominick revealed that he enjoyed working with Eddie since they had a close relationship. WWE Untold released footage of Eddie giving Dominick candy after each segment to make sure he was comfortable in the world of WWE.
5 WWE was building towards match with Shawn Michaels before death
Eddie Guerrero’s heel run was leading up to a huge match with Shawn Michaels before he passed away. WWE wanted to have Guerrero vs Michaels as one of the attractions to sell WrestleMania 22 as a major event.
Michaels coming off his classic with Kurt Angle and wanted to have another WM match with a stellar opponent. Eddie likely would have had a tremendous match with Michaels since both were elite workers with similar stories.
4 Mentored Batista
Batista had a lot of heat in 2005 when joining the Smackdown brand as World Champion. Past interviews saw Batista mocking the ratings and attendance of the Smackdown brand. Eddie Guerrero only worked with Batista for a few months, but it changed his life.
Batista revealed Eddie became a mentor and helped him understand the wrestling business more. The short feud they had together helped elevate Batista back to a higher level after his disappointing first SD feud against JBL.
3 Got into a fight with Kurt Angle
Eddie Guerrero was known for being a hothead at work since he took the wrestling business seriously and didn’t back down from anyone. Despite being friends, Guerrero had a disagreement with Kurt Angle that escalated.
JBL shared the story about Eddie trying to go for a takedown on Angle. The silly move saw Angle easily gaining the advantage as an Olympic gold medalist at freestyle wrestling. Guerrero stated “I’m stupid!” when JBL asked why he would go for such an attack method against Angle.
2 Put over CM Punk before WWE
CM Punk has revealed Eddie Guerrero’s influence on his career both as a fan and peer. The independent circuit saw Guerrero making a few appearances during his short time fired in between his two WWE stints.
Punk worked a triple threat with Guerrero and Rey Mysterio before he was a major star. Eddie not only did his best to have a great match on a small show, but he was very respectful and helpful in offering advice for Punk.
1 Paul Heyman tried to rip off Raw in trade for him
Paul Heyman saw the potential of Eddie Guerrero early into the 2002 brand split when the creative teams had to agree to trades like real sports teams. Former Raw writer Brian Gewirtz revealed Heyman tried to rip off Raw when wanting Eddie on Smackdown.
Heyman tried to trade the Un-Americans of Lance Storm, Test, and William Regal for Guerrero and Chris Benoit. Raw ended up getting Chris Jericho, who was loosely associated with the Un-Americans, but the trade still worked out better for Heyman as Eddie became a main eventer.