10 Great Wrestlers Whose Careers Were Cut Short
5. Eddie Guerrero
'Latino Heat' was one of the most popular stars in WWE when he succumbed to heart failure on November 13, 2005, at just 38 years of age. The perennial fan favourite was returning to his babyface ways in a storyline with Batista at the time. A major dream match was also in the works for the late, great second generation star against Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 22. With no signs of slowing, Guerrero appeared to be still very much in his prime when the devastating news of his passing dropped.
The former WWE champ's death rattled the wrestling world. Widely beloved among his peers, many wrestlers began wearing armbands with his initials in tribute to their fallen friend at the time. Guerrero was inducted into the Hall of Fame the next year and while the accolade was more than well earned, WWE's tribute to one of the best to ever do it was slightly tainted by the storylines made out of his passing.
When Guerrero's friend Art Barr passed away in 1994, he refused to exploit his pal's death in any wrestling angles. Sadly, very few seemed to have the same mentality regarding Guerrero's death which was shamelessly exploited throughout 2006 for a variety of tasteless angles and promos.