Eddie Guerrero was so good at being a bad guy that the fans turned him babyface. A cocky, arrogant competitor whose propensity for cheating was no secret, Guerrero regularly scored victories in the most underhanded of ways. He would lie, cheat and steal his way to championship, drawing some impassioned jeers from some portions of the audience and the support of others. His honesty when it came to his credo resulted in the second-generation star becoming immensely popular. By 2004, he had become one of the most beloved stars in WWE history, leading to a heavyweight championship run that men of his size typically were not afforded. When Guerrero returned to his rule-breaking ways in 2005, both the performer and the creative team understood that they had to alter the character or risk running into the same problem they had before. They knew Guerrero had to be the top heel on SmackDown and to accomplish that, they needed to make his dastardly and has despicable as possible. That was accomplished by having the former "Grand Slam" champion target Dominic, the son of former friend-turned-rival Rey Mysterio. The storyline that grew out of their feud, featuring Guerrero claiming that Dominic was his son, was straight out of a soap opera. It was ridiculous on nearly every level but Guerrero was golden in his role. It was not difficult to hate the man he portrayed every week on SmackDown and feel sorry for the sympathetic Mysterio. Their rivalry culminated in a Ladder match at SummerSlam in which the custody of Dominic was at stake. Mysterio won the bout, retained custody of his son and thwarted the evil Guerrero's plans. On November 13, 2005, Eddie Guerrero passed away at the age of 38, bringing to an end the life of one of the most complete performers in wrestling history.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
