4. Eddie Guerrero (October 9, 1967 - November 13, 2005)
The youngest of the legendary Guerrero brothers ended up being the most talented and most popular out of them all. Eddie Guerrero had everything you would want in a professional wrestler: Athleticism, charisma, popularity, and a love for the business. That made it all the more sad when Eddie died prematurely in 2005, just before another run with the WWE world title. Eddie rose to stardom as a member of the heel tag team Los Gingos Locos in the Mexican AAA promotion alongside Art Barr. Guerreros work in Mexico garnered the attention of Paul Heyman, who brought lucha libre to the United States and Guerrero along with it. Eddie then jumped to World Championship Wrestling, having an amazing match with Rey Mysterio at Halloween Havoc and winning the Cruiserweight championship on two occasions. Guerrero seemed to have the talent and charisma to launch himself into the main event but WCW kept him firmly entrenched in the midcard. Finally, Guerrero was fed up and jumped to the World Wrestling Federation alongside Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko, and Perry Saturn. His initial push was halted thanks to an injured elbow but Eddie finally found his groove in the WWF. His Latino Heat character was over huge with the fans and Eddie seemed to be having fun for the first time in years. However, Guerreros personal problems were beginning to mount and an arrest for drunk driving cost him his job with the WWF and his wife, who divorced him after years of trying to control her husbands demons. To his credit, Eddie took to the independent circuit to prove he could be clean, sober, and still rock the ring with the best of them. He earned his wife and his job back in 2002 and his tag team with nephew Chavo finally rocketed Guerrero to superstar heights. Adopting a motto of Lie, cheat, and steal, Eddies antics got him over with the crowd and actually did the unthinkable: It drew money to house shows. People were actually willing to pay to see Eddie Guerrero, can you believe it? Eddie finally won the WWE title at No Way Out from Brock Lesnar and defended it successfully at Wrestlemania against Kurt Angle. The final shot of Eddie Guerrero hugging Chris Benoit in the middle of the ring as Wrestlemania went off the air should have been the start of a new era in wrestling. Instead, it has taken on a much more sinister symbolism in the years since. Instead of embracing the champions role, Eddie put more pressure on himself to perform and pushed himself way too hard. Vince McMahon had Guerrero drop the title because he was legitimately concerned for his health and well being. After recuperating, Guerrero seemed energized and entered into a storyline against Batista with the plans being Guerrero regaining the belt. On November 13, 2005, Eddie Guerrero was found unresponsive by his nephew Chavo. At only 38 years old, Guerrero died of a heart condition. In an unsurprising report, Sports Illustrated reported that several WWE wrestlers (including Guerrero) had allegedly obtained steroids and hCG from various pharmacies. Guerrero gained huge amounts of muscle from 2002 until 2005 and that coincided with his rise to main event status. Guerrero's life choices ultimately caused his untimely death but the wrestling world still misses his passion and talent.
