Eddie Guerrero achieved a lifelong dream when he defeated Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship at No Way Out. It was a dream that Eddie probably thought would never be realised. People had always told him that he was 'too small' to headline. He proved those people wrong. But life was tough at the top for Eddie. As Kurt Angle left for neck surgery and Brock found the exit sign, Eddie was left to carry the brand. There was a serious lack of star power and Eddie began taking things like declining attendances and ratings very personally. Eddie was stressed out and it led to a couple of ugly incidents. Like when he crashed his car when he fell asleep at the wheel. Although unscathed, the vehicle was a complete write-off. Then there was the incident in Oberhausen, German on June 6th. Eddie, after being heckled by a small number of fans, grabbed the microphone and yelled 'Eddie doesn't suck, Germany sucks'. He then spent the rest of the match giving the crowd the middle finger. It was unprofessional behaviour by Guerrero and management were not happy. The following months saw Eddie struggle with injuries and stress and he was subsequently demoted. By October at No Mercy he was battling the clumsy Luther Reigns in the show opener (and he also had a real fight with Kurt Angle). Eddie was ready to win the WWE Championship but he clearly wasn't ready for what lay ahead.
