The BEST Wrestling Moment Every Year (1989 - 2026)

23. 2004 | Eddie Guerrero Wins It

A rare feel-good moment for a wrestler who absolutely deserved it. 

Eddie Guerrero was ferociously dedicated to his craft and, at his very best, perfected it to a level few others managed. He boasted the best snap of any wrestler ever, was a workrate God at a time when every mere mortal didn’t do a shallow impression of it, and was a tremendously witty and entertaining television character. Using Bret Hart’s metric of what makes a great wrestler - the Hitman would award his peers a score out of 10 in categories of in-ring skill, look, and promo ability - Eddie was closer to a 30 than most. What elevated his triumphant moment was the fact that WWE never thought he was big enough. But he could not be denied. It didn’t matter that he wasn’t a giant. He was simply too good.

The story was so strong that it could have headlined WrestleMania. Eddie was a beloved cult hero whose inspirational comeback had enchanted WWE fans; Brock Lesnar was the gigantic heel whose journey was antithetical to Eddie’s. Brock was fast-tracked to a top role that he barely even wanted; Eddie had to work harder than most for something nobody wanted more. 

The finish to their match at No Way Out 2004 was phenomenal, in that it set up Lesnar’s match with an interfering Goldberg at WrestleMania 20 without casting Eddie as the lucky beneficiary. Eddie still had to rely on his sharp wrestling acumen to counter the F5 with a gorgeous DDT.