Remembering Eddie Guerrero

It was Monday, November Fourteenth, when I heard about the passing of Eddie Gory Guerrero. Eddie was one of the great superstars of World Wrestling Entertainment. Always a high flying, energetic grappler, he made wrestling more than just a sport or a series of fights. He was easily as entertaining as Robin Wiliams or the Marx Brothers or Monty Python. The way he would feign an injury from an "attacker" to steal a victory, as he did in his last show on Friday night, brought a smile to everyone's face.
Millions of hearts are breaking around the world, as people mourn his passing. But I can only say thank you Eddie, as the crowd did on Monday Night RAW. As all those muscled competitors were brought to tears, I could only remember the Eddie Guerrero that was fun. The Eddie G. that battled his inner demons and was taken back by his family, freinds and fans. The Eddie that won the WWE heavyweight title at Wrestlemania XX in Madison Square Garden. The Eddie that chose to spend two Christmases entertaining the troops at Camp Liberty in Baghdad, instead of with his wife and three daughters. Just like Bob Hope and countless others with the USO have done for years.
The greatest gift anyone can give, is to make them smile and forget their troubles for a while. And Eddie did just that. In a steel cage, or a lumberjack match, in a tag team match or working by himself, he took on any challenger, no matter how big. And he pushed his body to the limit. In a day and age when so many musicians and athletes seem to use drugs and demand respect from their fans, Eddie lived only to entertain, and to work and support his family. And for many of us, to say thank you seems not nearly enough. But to his wife Vickie I can only say how sorry I am to hear of your loss and to thank you for sharing your husband with all of us, from Tokyo to Toronto, from London to Los Angeles. He spent many hours away from you and your daughters, but it must have been important. Thank you for your gift Eddie. We will all be better having known you for a time. You taught us a valuable lesson about how to appreciate every moment, to have fun and to give back to those who keep us safe and free. You taught us about how not to live, and if given a second chance, to make sure everyone knew about the mistakes we made.
Gracias Eddie, and viva la raza!