10 WWE Stars Loved For The Wrong Match
2. Eddie Guerrero
Loved for: Eddie Guerrero Vs. Brock Lesnar, No Way Out 2004
This was the pinnacle of Eddie's career, at least in the context of storylines. In reality, there is a grim undertone to the story. Eddie's unnatural, cobra-like physique is a red flag, and the result, framed as triumphant, only served to exacerbate Eddie's struggles with anxiety and the self-medication that came with them. He voluntarily relinquished the title months later, feeling ill-equipped to hold it. Knowing what we know now, a very good and impressively realistic David Vs. Goliath war is tinged with a retrospective sadness.
Deserves as much, if not more credit for: Eddy Guerrero & Art Barr Vs. El Hijo Del Santo & Octagon, WCW/AAA When Worlds Collide
This was Eddy with a Y at his absolute best. He isn't the heel we grew to love here; he is thoroughly despicable in his jingoism, ripping Mexican flags from the crowd with a crazed "Get that f*cking sh*t away from me!" roar. In the match itself, he and Barr worked the crowd like heel masters by hilariously "swimming" across the canvas to both antagonise the audience and underscore to their opponents the insurmountable nature of the task - before providing that audience catharsis by selling the post-match haircut angle with hysterical sobbing.
Advanced athleticism, classic psychology: this was Guerrero elevating the wrestling art while simultaneously defining it.