9 Ways WWE Changed As A Result Of Eddie Guerrero's Death

7. Rey Mysterio - WWE Champion

There were rumours after Eddie's death that he was in line for a run as World Heavyweight Champion and was actually going to win the title in a triple threat match with Batista and Randy Orton the night he died. While it makes for a good story, it simply isn't true: Eddie was not going to win the title that night, but he had made it known to the McMahons that he was ready to carry the ball if and when it should be passed to him. It's fair to say that Eddie's close friend and frequent in-ring partner/rival Rey Mysterio wasn't on the list of future champions, either. However, with fans riding the wave of Eddie nostalgia at the time, Vince fought every instinct in his promoter's body and determined that it was the right call to have Rey win the Royal Rumble (there were about 8,000 references to Eddie during the match) and go on to challenge the WHC in the main event of WrestleMania. People were shocked when the ultra charismatic Eddie won the title because he was small by WWE headliner standards and didn't fit the mould of the typical main eventer. Rey Mysterio was even further from conventional champion material (he wore a mask, for goodness sake!), so it was doubly surprising to see him with the big gold belt around his waist. Rey might have become World Champion at some point, but it's unlikely it would have been so soon, were it not for his connection to Eddie. At the time, Rey was barely in contention for a US Title run, wrestling mainly in the cruiserweight and tag team ranks. Still, it was a positive step and something Rey definitely deserved on merit alone and nobody can take it away from him.