Eduardo Gory Guerrero Llanes (October 9, 1967 – November 13, 2005) was an American

professional wrestler Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to real-life wrest ...

. He was best known for his tenures in

World Wrestling Entertainment World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...

(WWE) and

World Championship Wrestling World Championship Wrestling (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of National W ...

(WCW). A prominent member of the Guerrero wrestling family, being the son of first-generation wrestler

Gory Guerrero Salvador Guerrero Quesada (January 11, 1921 – April 18, 1990), better known as Gory Guerrero, was one of the premier Mexican-American professional wrestlers in the early days of Lucha Libre when most wrestlers were imported from outside Mexi ...

, he is widely considered to be one of the greatest and most influential professional wrestlers of all time. Guerrero performed in

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

and

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

for several major

professional wrestling promotion A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling. "Promotion" also describes a role which entails management, advertising and logistics of running a wrestling event. Within ...

s, and in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

he performed for

Extreme Championship Wrestling Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) was an American professional wrestling promotion that was based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and operated by its parent company HHG Corporation. The promotion was founded in 1992 by Tod Gordon as Nationa ...

(ECW),

(WCW), and most notably World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (WWF/WWE). Guerrero's

gimmick A gimmick is a novel device or idea designed primarily to attract attention or increase appeal, often with little intrinsic value. When applied to retail marketing, it is a unique or quirky feature designed to make a product or service "stand out ...

was that of "Latino Heat", a crafty, resourceful wrestler who would do anything to win a match. His

catchphrase A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through word of mouth and a variety of mass ...

became "I Lie! I Cheat! I Steal!" and was used in one of his entrance themes; he partly used this phrase in the title of his 2005 autobiography, ''Cheating Death, Stealing Life''. Despite being a

heel The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower leg. Structure To distribute the compressive forces exerted ...

for most of his career, he was popular in and out of the ring and was at the peak of his career as a

face The face is the front of the head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may affect th ...

during 2003–2005, becoming the top wrestler on the

SmackDown ''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE. It airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on USA Network in the United ...

brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's goods or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create and ...

in 2004. He experienced various

substance abuse Substance misuse, also known as drug misuse or, in older vernacular, substance abuse, is the use of a drug in amounts or by methods that are harmful to the individual or others. It is a form of substance-related disorder, differing definition ...

problems, including

alcoholism Alcoholism is the continued drinking of alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of dependence and withdrawal. Problematic use of alcohol has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World He ...

and an addiction to

painkillers An analgesic drug, also called simply an analgesic, antalgic, pain reliever, or painkiller, is any member of the group of drugs used for pain management. Analgesics are conceptually distinct from anesthetics, which temporarily reduce, and in so ...

; these real-life issues were sometimes incorporated into his storylines. Guerrero spent much of his early career wrestling in Mexican promotions and forming a popular

tag team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establis ...

with

Art Barr Arthur Leon Barr (October 8, 1966 – November 23, 1994) was an American professional wrestler. While he wrestled briefly for World Championship Wrestling, he found his greatest success in Mexico's Asistencia Asesoría y Administración promotion ...

. After the death of Barr, Guerrero received his first mainstream exposure in the United States in 1995 by joining ECW and winning the

ECW World Television Championship The ECW World Television Championship was a professional wrestling television championship in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). It was introduced in 1992 as part of National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) affiliate and ECW precursor, Eastern Champi ...

two times. Later that year, Guerrero moved to WCW, where he became WCW United States Champion and WCW Cruiserweight Champion and also led the

Latino World Order The Latino World Order (abbreviated lWo or LWO) is a professional wrestling stable primarily consisting of wrestlers with Latin American backgrounds performing in WWE on the Raw brand. The stable consists of Rey Mysterio, Cruz Del Toro, Joaquin ...

. He left WCW in 2000 after the company failed to elevate him to a main event spot. He moved to WWF during the

Attitude Era The Attitude Era was a major era of professional wrestling within the WWE, World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). The term "WWF Attitude" was used to describe its programming from November 9, 1997 to May 6, 2002. It began during the Monday Ni ...

with his WCW colleagues

Chris Benoit Christopher Michael Benoit ( ; May 21, 1967 – June 24, 2007) was a Canadian Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He worked for various pro-wrestling promotions during his 22-year career, but is notorious for Chris Benoit double-murd ...

Dean Malenko Dean Shelly Simon (born August 4, 1960), better known by the ring name Dean Malenko, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is signed with All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a senior producer. He is best known for his time in the World Wres ...

and

Perry Saturn Perry Arthur Satullo (born October 25, 1966) is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler known by his ring name, Perry Saturn. Since debuting in 1990, Saturn wrestled for Professional wrestling promotion, promotions inclu ...

, who formed a group called

The Radicalz The Radicalz, also known as The Revolution, were a professional wrestling stable in World Championship Wrestling (as the Revolution) and World Wrestling Federation (as the Radicalz) that debuted in July 1999. The group consisted primarily of Eddie ...

. Guerrero went on to win the WWF European Championship and

WWF Intercontinental Championship The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a men's professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, defended on the Raw brand division. It is one of two secondary championships for WWE's main roster, along ...

before he was released in 2001 due to addiction issues. After being rehired in 2002, he formed

Los Guerreros Los Guerreros (Spanish for “the warriors”) was an American professional wrestling tag team, which consisted of Eddie Guerrero and his nephew Chavo Guerrero Jr. Both wrestlers were members of the Guerrero family. They wrestled as a team in ...

with his nephew

Chavo Chavo can have two or more meanings, for example. In Puerto Rico it means “Money”. In Mexico and some other Latin American countries the word would translates to "kid", and may refer to: * Chavo Guerrero Sr., a professional wrestler * Chavo ...

, winning the

WWE Tag Team Championship The WWE Tag Team Championship is a men's professional wrestling world tag team championship created and promoted by the United States, American professional wrestling promotion, promotion WWE, defended on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown WWE ...

, and established himself on the SmackDown brand. He climbed to

main event In sports, a card lists the matches taking place in a title match combat-sport event. Cards include a main event match and the undercard listing the rest of the matches. The undercard may be divided into a midcard and a lower card, according to ...

status and won the

WWE Championship The WWE Championship, also referred to as the Undisputed WWE Championship since April 2024, is a men's professional wrestling world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, defended on the SmackDown bran ...

, his sole

world championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

at No Way Out 2004. He lost the title later that year but remained a popular main eventer until his sudden death on November 13, 2005. He was posthumously inducted into the

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...

AAA AAA, Triple A, or Triple-A is a three-letter initialism or abbreviation which may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Gaming * AAA (video game industry) - a category of high budget video games *'' TripleA'', an open source wargame Mu ...

, ''

Wrestling Observer Newsletter The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') is a newsletter that covers professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Founded in print in 1982 by Dave Meltzer, the ''Wrestling Observer'' website merged with Bryan Alvarez's ''Figure Four Wee ...

'' and Hardcore halls of fame.

Early life

Guerrero was born and raised in

El Paso, Texas El Paso (; ; or ) is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States. The 2020 United States census, 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the List of ...

, where he graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School (La Jeff) in 1985. He attended the

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; ) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. Founded in 1889 by the New Mexico Territorial Legislature, it is the state's second oldest university, a flagship university in th ...

, and then New Mexico Highlands University on an

athletic scholarship An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university or a private school, private high school awarded to an individual based predominantly on their ability to play in a sport. Athletic scholarships are common in the U ...

. It was there that Guerrero entered

collegiate wrestling Collegiate wrestling, commonly referred to as folkstyle wrestling, is the form of wrestling practiced at the post-secondary level in the United States. This style of wrestling is also practiced at the high school, middle school, and elementary ...

before moving to Mexico to train as a professional wrestler. He followed in the footsteps of his brothers and father, who had also wrestled in Mexico. As a boy, he would attend the wrestling promotions held by his father

at the El Paso County Coliseum. Guerrero's father allowed him and his nephew

to wrestle each other during intermissions.

Professional wrestling career

Early career (1986–1992)

Guerrero debuted in 1986. In 1989, he appeared with

(WCW) as a jobber, most notably wrestling

Terry Funk Terrance Dee Funk (June 30, 1944 – August 23, 2023) was an American professional wrestler and actor. Widely considered one of the most influential and greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Funk was known for the longevity of his car ...

. In 1991, he would return for WrestleWar '91, wrestling a

dark match Professional wrestling has accrued a considerable amount of jargon throughout its existence. Much of it stems from the industry's origins in the days of carnival Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that o ...

, teaming with

Ultraman The , also known as ''Ultraman'', is a Japanese science fiction media franchise owned and produced by Tsuburaya Productions, which began with the television series '' Ultra Q'' in 1966. The franchise has expanded into many television shows, fi ...

to defeat Huichol and Rudy Boy Gonzalez. Guerrero wrestled as the original "Máscara Mágica" in

Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre Co., Ltd. (CMLL; , "World Wrestling Council") is a ''lucha libre'' professional wrestling promotion based in Mexico City. The promotion was previously known as (EMLL) (''Mexican Wrestling Enterprise''). Founded in 1933, it is the oldest profe ...

(CMLL) until his departure in 1992. He then left the company to pursue a career with

Asistencia Asesoría y Administración Promociones Antonio Peña, S.A. de C.V. doing business as, d/b/a Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (commonly referred to as simply AAA, pronounced "Triple A" – an abbreviation of its original name Asistencia, Asesoría y Administración de Espectáculos ...

. Although the Máscara Mágica

was popular, CMLL owned the rights to the character. Guerrero then appeared on a televised AAA show as Máscara Mágica, only to then unmask himself along with the aid of his tag team partner that night,

Octagón Octagón (born March 27, 1961) is a Mexican luchador enmascarado (masked professional wrestler). He is best known for working for Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA), having worked for the company since it was founded in 1992. In 2011 ...

Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (1992–1995)

In Mexico, Guerrero wrestled mainly for

(AAA), teaming with

El Hijo del Santo Jorge Ernesto Guzmán Rodríguez (born August 2, 1963), best known under his ring name, El Hijo del Santo ( English: "The Son of the Saint"), is a Mexican '' retired luchador enmascarado'' (or masked professional wrestler) and political activist. ...

as the new version of La Pareja Atómica (The Atomic Pair), the

of Gory Guerrero and

El Santo Rodolfo Guzmán Huerta (23 September 1917 – 5 February 1984), best known by his ring name El Santo (English language, English: "The Saint"), was a Mexican ''Lucha libre, luchador Wrestling mask, enmascarado'' (or masked professional wrestlin ...

. After Guerrero turned on Santo and allied with

as "la Pareja del Terror" ("the Pair of Terror"), the duo became arguably the most hated tag team in

lucha libre ''Lucha libre'' (, meaning "freestyle wrestling" or literally translated as "free fight") is the term for the style of professional wrestling originating in Mexico. Since its introduction to Mexico in the early 20th century, it has develope ...

history. Along with Barr,

Konnan Charles Ashenoff (born Carlos Santiago Espada Moises; January 6, 1964),''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'', Dave Meltzer, ed., May 10, 2010, issue.Sims, Steve"Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame/Founded by Dave Meltzer - Konnan". Accessed August 1, 2016. On ...

, Chicano Power, and Madonna's Boyfriend, Guerrero formed

los Gringos Locos ''Los Gringos Locos'' (intended to mean ''The Crazy Americans'' in English) were a lucha libre stable in Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA). The stable was originally a tag team consisting of Eddie Guerrero and Art Barr. Gimmick ''Lo ...

("the Crazy Americans"), a villainous

stable A stable is a building in which working animals are kept, especially horses or oxen. The building is usually divided into stalls, and may include storage for equipment and feed. Styles There are many different types of stables in use tod ...

. Guerrero later said that no matter how many people joined los Gringos Locos, the stable was all about Barr. Locos feuded mostly with El Hijo del Santo and his partner

, eventually ending in a Hair vs. Mask match at the first Lucha

pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program ...

in America, ''

When Worlds Collide ''When Worlds Collide'' is a 1933 science fiction novel co-written by Edwin Balmer and Philip Wylie; they also co-authored the sequel '' After Worlds Collide'' (1934). It was first published as a six-part monthly serial (September 1932 through ...

'', which they lost. Guerrero and Barr's first break would come when they were noticed in late-1994 by the owner of

(ECW),

Paul Heyman Paul Heyman (born September 11, 1965) is an American professional wrestling manager, former executive, promoter, and commentator. He is signed to WWE as the on-screen manager of Seth Rollins, Bron Breakker, and Bronson Reed, and is widely regard ...

, and were approached about wrestling for him in 1995. Barr, however, died before he could join ECW with Guerrero.

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (1992–1996)

In 1992, Guerrero began wrestling in Japan for

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Puroresu, Japanese professional-wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, and based in Nakano, Tokyo. It is currently majority owned by card-game company Bushiroad, with TV As ...

(NJPW), where he was known as the second incarnation of Black Tiger. He became more successful upon his return when he won the 1996 Best of the Super Juniors tournament of junior heavyweights. He received a shot at the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion

The Great Sasuke , best known under his ring name , is a Japanese professional wrestler, professional wrestling promoter and politician. He is the founder of Michinoku Pro Wrestling (MPW). Aside from professional wrestling, he is also a former Iwate Prefectural ...

at Skydiving J, but lost the match.

Extreme Championship Wrestling (1995)

Guerrero won the

from

2 Cold Scorpio Charles Bernard Scaggs (born October 25, 1965) is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name 2 Cold Scorpio. He gained fame for his performances in professional wrestling promotions such as World Championship Wrestling (WCW ...

in his debut match for

(ECW) on April 8, 1995, at

Three Way Dance Three Way Dance was a professional wrestling live event produced by Eastern Championship Wrestling (ECW) on April 8, 1995. The event was held in the ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States. It was a "double header" event wit ...

. He went on to have a series of acclaimed matches with

before they both signed with

(WCW) later that year. Guerrero lost the ECW Television Championship to Malenko on July 21 of that year, but Guerrero regained the title on July 28. Guerrero lost the ECW Television Championship back to 2 Cold Scorpio on August 25. The next day, they had their last match which ended in a draw in a

two out of three falls match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmick, gimmick matches" in the Glossary of professional wrestling terms, jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick m ...

at the

ECW Arena 2300 Arena is a multipurpose indoor arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, used primarily for professional wrestling, boxing, mixed martial arts, and concert events. Originally known as Viking Hall, the venue has since been named XPW Arena, New A ...

. After the match, the locker room emptied and the two were carried around the ring by their fellow wrestlers while the crowd chanted "please don't go".

World Championship Wrestling (1995–2000)

Beginning (1995–1996)

Guerrero returned to WCW in late 1995 along with Dean Malenko and

with whom he had worked with in NJPW and ECW. Guerrero competed in his first match on August 30, losing to Malenko, which aired on the October 7 episode of '' Saturday Night''. Guerrero made his televised debut in WCW on the September 17 episode of ''

Main Event In sports, a card lists the matches taking place in a title match combat-sport event. Cards include a main event match and the undercard listing the rest of the matches. The undercard may be divided into a midcard and a lower card, according to ...

'' against

Alex Wright Alexander Wright (born May 17, 1975) is a German former Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and professional wrestling promotion, professional wrestling promoter. He wrestled professionally in Germany and Japan before signing with World ...

in a match which ended in a no contest after Guerrero injured his knee. Guerrero won a rematch against Wright on the October 21 episode of ''Saturday Night''. His first televised pay-per-view appearance was at World War 3 where he competed in the 3-ring, 60-man World War 3 battle royal for the vacant

WCW World Heavyweight Championship The WCW World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship originally used in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and later, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It was the original world title of ...

. Guerrero was one of the final nine men in the battle royal (notably being one of only two men in the group to be under the age of 35, the other being The Giant) until he was tossed out of the ring by Four Horsemen members. At Starrcade: World Cup of Wrestling in December 1995, Guerrero represented WCW in a WCW vs. NJPW World Cup tournament, which saw him losing to

Shinjiro Otani is a Japanese semi-retired professional wrestler and the current acting president of Pro Wrestling Zero1 (Zero1). He is currently inactive from pro-wrestling competition due to a cervical spine injury sustained in April 2022. A product of the Ne ...

in the match, but WCW would go on to win the series at 4–3. In 1996, Guerrero received several shots at the United States Heavyweight Championship against

at Uncensored and

Ric Flair Richard Morgan Fliehr (born February 25, 1949), known professionally as Ric Flair, is an American retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Flair's career spanned 50 years. He is ...

at Hog Wild. He feuded with Ric Flair and the Four Horsemen during 1996 after Guerrero's partner

Arn Anderson Martin Anthony Lunde (born September 20, 1958), better known by his ring name Arn Anderson, is an American professional wrestling Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Agent, road agent, author, and retired professional wrestler. Although he ...

turned on him during a tag team match against Ric Flair and

Randy Savage Randy Mario Poffo (November 15, 1952 – May 20, 2011), better known by his ring name "Macho Man" Randy Savage, was an American professional wrestler and professional baseball player, best known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation ( ...

Championship reigns (1996–1997)

In late 1996, he feuded with

Diamond Dallas Page } Dallas Page (born Page Joseph Falkinburg Jr., April 5, 1956), is an American fitness instructor, actor, and retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE under a Legends contract, under the ring name Di ...

after defeating him in a match at '' Clash of the Champions XXXIII''. He started feuding with DDP to steal his

nickname A nickname, in some circumstances also known as a sobriquet, or informally a "moniker", is an informal substitute for the proper name of a person, place, or thing, used to express affection, playfulness, contempt, or a particular character trait ...

of "Lord of the Ring", but lost. Guerrero participated in a tournament for the vacant WCW United States Heavyweight Championship and defeated DDP in the final round at

Starrcade Starrcade was a recurring professional wrestling event, originally broadcast via closed-circuit television and eventually broadcast via pay-per-view. It was originally held from 1983 to 2000, first by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) from ...

to win the United States title in December 1996. In 1997, Guerrero defended the United States Heavyweight Championship against

Scott Norton Scott Norton (born June 15, 1961) is an American semi-retired professional wrestler and author. He is best known for his tenures in World Championship Wrestling and New Japan Pro-Wrestling, in which he was a member of the New World Order and n ...

at '' Clash of the Champions XXXIV'',

Syxx Sean Michael Waltman (born July 13, 1972) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE under a legends contract. He is best known for his appearances for the WWE, World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) under the ring names ...

in a

ladder match A ladder match is a type of match in professional wrestling, most commonly one in which an item (usually a title belt) is hung above the ring, and the winner is the contestant who climbs a ladder and retrieves the item. The ladder itself become ...

Souled Out Souled Out was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event promoted by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in January from 1997 through 2000. The 1997 and 1998 WCW Souled Out PPV events were held on Saturdays due to the Super Bowl being pl ...

, and

Chris Jericho Christopher Keith Irvine (born November 9, 1970), better known by the ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-Canadian professional wrestler, rock musician, and actor. As a wrestler, he has been signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) , where he ...

SuperBrawl VII SuperBrawl VII was the seventh SuperBrawl professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW). The event took place on February 23, 1997 from the Cow Palace in Uncensored when Dean Malenko defeated him for the title. Following the title loss, Guerrero defeated Malenko in a non-title rematch on the next night's ''

Monday Nitro ''WCW Monday Nitro'', also known as ''WCW Nitro'' or simply ''Nitro'', is an American professional wrestling television program that was produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and broadcast weekly every Monday night on TNT in the United ...

'' before taking time off. He returned to WCW after a two-month hiatus on the June 9 episode of ''Monday Nitro'' and avenged the title loss by interfering in Malenko's title defense against

Jeff Jarrett Jeffrey Leonard Jarrett (born July 14, 1967) is an American professional wrestler and professional wrestling promoter. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he both wrestles and serves as Director of Business Development. He is also ...

and attacking Malenko, costing him the title and turning heel in the process. Shortly after his return, Guerrero feuded with Jericho focusing on Jericho's Cruiserweight Championship. He challenged Jericho for the title at '' Clash of the Champions XXXV'' but lost. Guerrero demanded a rematch for the title. In the opening match of

Fall Brawl Fall Brawl was an annual professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) List of NWA/WCW closed-circuit events and pay-per-view events, event produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and was held in September from 1993 through 2000. The name wa ...

, Guerrero defeated Jericho to win the WCW World Cruiserweight Championship. He dropped the title to Rey Mysterio Jr. at

Halloween Havoc Halloween Havoc is a professional wrestling List of NWA/WCW closed-circuit events and pay-per-view events, event currently produced by WWE. Since 2020, it has been held annually for the company's WWE brand extension, developmental brand, NXT (WWE ...

in a title vs. mask match where Mysterio's mask was also on the line. On the November 10 episode of ''Monday Nitro'', he regained the Cruiserweight Championship from Mysterio, and made a successful title defense against Mysterio at World War 3. After retaining the title against

in the opening bout of

in December 1997, Guerrero dropped the title to

Último Dragón , better known by his ring name , is a Japanese Professional wrestling, professional wrestler signed to Dragon Gate (wrestling), Dragon Gate, where he acts as an in-ring talent, trainer and senior advisor. In addition to having trained in Japan, ...

the following day on the December 29 episode of ''Nitro''.

Latino World Order; Filthy Animals (1998–2000)

On the March 9, 1998 episode of ''Nitro'', Guerrero's nephew Chavo Guerrero lost to

Booker T Booker T or Booker T. may refer to * Booker T. Washington (1856–1915), African American political leader at the turn of the 20th century ** List of things named after Booker T. Washington, some nicknamed "Booker T." * Booker T. Jones (born 194 ...

in a match. After the match, Guerrero delivered a suplex to Chavo for the main purpose of teaching him a lesson. On the March 12 episode of ''

Thunder Thunder is the sound caused by lightning. Depending upon the distance from and nature of the lightning, it can range from a long, low rumble to a sudden, loud crack. The sudden increase in temperature and hence pressure caused by the lightning pr ...

'', he defeated his nephew Chavo in a match and forced him to become his "slave". At Uncensored, Chavo was forced to support Guerrero when he faced Booker T for Booker's

WCW World Television Championship The WCW World Television Championship was a professional wrestling television championship owned by the now-defunct World Championship Wrestling (WCW) promotion. The title was introduced on February 27, 1974 in Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrest ...

. Guerrero lost the match after receiving a missile dropkick. Guerrero and Chavo feuded with Último Dragón. Chavo lost to Dragón at

Spring Stampede Spring Stampede was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) List of NWA/WCW closed-circuit events and pay-per-view events, event from World Championship Wrestling (WCW) held in the month of April in 1994 and then from 1997 to 2000. As it wa ...

. At

Slamboree Slamboree was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) List of NWA/WCW closed-circuit events and pay-per-view events, event from World Championship Wrestling (WCW) held from 1993 through 2000. It was originally billed as "A Legends' Reunion" b ...

, Guerrero defeated Dragón despite interference from Chavo. After the match, Chavo kissed Eddie and began to display insane behavior. At

The Great American Bash The Great American Bash is a professional wrestling event held during the summer and has been produced by the American promotion WWE since 2004; since 2020, it has been held as an annual event for WWE's developmental brand, NXT. Created by Dus ...

, Chavo got an upset victory over Guerrero. They faced each other in a

hair vs. hair match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...

Bash at the Beach Bash at the Beach was a yearly professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW). It was the company's PPV for the month of July, held from 1994–2000. As the title implied, the show centered on a b ...

which Guerrero won. Continuing to show his crazy behavior Chavo would shave his own head while Guerrero looked on in disbelief. Guerrero saved Chavo from beatings by

Stevie Ray Laslon "Lash" Steven Huffman (born August 22, 1958) is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Stevie Ray. Stevie Ray is best known for his seven-year tenure with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) from 199 ...

, seeming that he would align with Chavo but he wanted his release. Despite his success and popularity, Guerrero had been one of many wrestlers who were frustrated at never being given a chance to be main event stars in WCW. These frustrations came to a head when Guerrero requested that WCW President

Eric Bischoff Eric Aaron Bischoff (born May 27, 1955) is an American television producer, Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Booker, professional wrestling booker, promoter, and performer. He is best known for serving as Executive Producer and later Sen ...

either

push Push may refer to: * A type of force applied to an object Music * Mike Dierickx (born 1973), a Belgian producer also known as Push Albums * ''Push'' (Bros album), 1988 * ''Push'' (Gruntruck album), 1992 * ''Push'' (Jacky Terrasson album), 201 ...

his character or give him a raise for family reasons. Bischoff responded by allegedly throwing

coffee Coffee is a beverage brewed from roasted, ground coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content, but decaffeinated coffee is also commercially a ...

at Guerrero (however, in his autobiography, Guerrero states that Bischoff accidentally knocked his coffee off the table and that it was a complete accident that he was hit). Furious, Guerrero demanded Bischoff release him from his contract on a live episode of ''Nitro''. Guerrero then left the company for months, angry at Bischoff for what he had done. Guerrero later returned to WCW, leading to the belief that maybe Guerrero's angry speeches against Bischoff were a

work Work may refer to: * Work (human activity), intentional activity people perform to support themselves, others, or the community ** Manual labour, physical work done by humans ** House work, housework, or homemaking ** Working animal, an ani ...

(Guerrero later confirmed it to be a

worked shoot A shoot in professional wrestling is any unplanned, unscripted, or real-life occurrence within a wrestling event. It is a carny term shortened from "straight shooting", which originally referred to a gun in a carnival target shooting game that ...

). Guerrero would later contradict himself on WWE's

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...

''Monday Night War'' claiming that he tried to put personal differences aside for the good of the company, yet found himself angry and outraged once more because of Bischoff's supposed continued refusal to elevate Guerrero and other similar wrestlers. He let Brian Adams pin him and get an upset victory in a match. On-screen, Guerrero responded to Bischoff's actions by forming the Latino World Order (LWO), which was a take-off of Bischoff's New World Order. The group was an answer to Bischoff's "refusal" to push Latino wrestlers in ways they felt they deserved. The LWO was formed in October when Guerrero returned to WCW, with

Héctor Garza Héctor Solano Segura (June 12, 1969 – May 26, 2013) was a Mexican professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Héctor Garza. During his career he worked for various major Mexican professional wrestling promotions such as Consejo Mu ...

and

Damien Damien is a given name and less frequently a surname. The name is a variation of Damian which comes from the Greek ''Damianos''. This form originates from the Greek derived from the Greek word δαμάζω (damazō), "(I) conquer, master, overco ...

. The group eventually grew to encompass almost all the Mexican wrestlers working for WCW at the time. They mainly feuded with Rey Mysterio Jr. and

Billy Kidman Peter Alan Gruner Jr.(born May 11, 1974) is an American retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Billy Kidman. He works for WWE, where he is a producer. As a wrestler, Kidman is best known for his work with World Championsh ...

because they wanted Mysterio to join the group. He faced Kidman in a match for the WCW Cruiserweight Championship, but Mysterio interfered and helped Kidman win the match and keep the title. However, Guerrero was involved in a car accident on New Year's Day 1999 that cut short the LWO storyline. After his return on the May 31, 1999 episode of ''

'', Guerrero became a founding member of the

Filthy Animals The Filthy Animals were a professional wrestling faction in World Championship Wrestling from 1999 until 2001. Concept The plan for the stable was to be WCW's version of the World Wrestling Federation's D-Generation X.Guerrero, Eddie. ''Cheatin ...

alongside Rey Mysterio Jr. and Konnan. They feuded with the

Dead Pool A dead pool, also known as a deadpool or death pool, is a game of prediction which involves guessing when someone will die. Sometimes it is a bet where money is involved. Modern application In the early 20th century, dead pools were popular i ...

(

Insane Clown Posse Insane Clown Posse, often abbreviated as ICP, is an American hip hop duo. Formed in Detroit in 1989, ICP's best-known lineup consists of rappers Violent J (Joseph Bruce) and Shaggy 2 Dope (originally 2 Dope; Joseph Utsler). Insan ...

and

Vampiro Ian Richard Hodgkinson (born May 31, 1967), better known by his ring name Vampiro, is a Canadian retired professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He currently works for Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA). He also worked for Lucha Underground ...

). They received two straight victories over the Dead Pool at

Road Wild Road Wild (originally known as Hog Wild) was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) that was held in the month of August from 1996 to 1999. It was a free event held in Sturgis, South Dako ...

and

. They next feuded with

Revolution In political science, a revolution (, 'a turn around') is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society's class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain "a common set of elements ...

(

Shane Douglas Troy Allan Martin (born November 21, 1964) is an American professional wrestler, manager, and promoter, better known by his ring name Shane Douglas. He is best known for his tenures in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), World Championship ...

, Dean Malenko, and

). Guerrero was victorious over Saturn by disqualification in a singles match at

. At

Mayhem Mayhem most commonly refers to: * Mayhem (crime), a type of crime Mayhem may also refer to: People * Monica Mayhem (born 1978), Australian pornographic actress * Jason "Mayhem" Miller, American mixed martial arts fighter * Mayhem Miller (dr ...

, the Animals lost to Revolution in a mixed tag team elimination match. When

Vince Russo Vincent James Russo (born January 24, 1961) is an American professional wrestling writer, booker and pundit. He is notable for his tenures with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE), World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Total Nonstop ...

was fired as WCW booker and replaced by Kevin Sullivan, Guerrero asked for and received a release from his contract on January 19, 2000. He signed with the

World Wrestling Federation World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...

(WWF) in 2000 along with fellow WCW stars Benoit, Malenko, and Saturn.

World Wrestling Federation (2000–2001)

Guerrero,

and

debuted in the WWF on the January 31, 2000 episode of '' Raw is War'' as

, interfering in a match involving

The New Age Outlaws The New Age Outlaws are an American professional wrestling tag team in World Wrestling Federation (WWF) made up of Brian James ("Road Dogg" Jesse James) and Monty Sopp ("Badd Ass" Billy Gunn). The duo became popular in the late 1990s as member ...

, establishing themselves as faces. During his first match with the WWF, a tag team match with Perry Saturn against The New Age Outlaws, Guerrero performed a

frog splash Aerial techniques, also known as "high-flying moves" are performance techniques used in professional wrestling for simulated assault on opponents. The techniques involve jumping from the ring's posts and ropes, demonstrating the speed and agility o ...

off the top rope and dislocated his elbow when he landed the move; as a result, he was sidelined for several weeks. Guerrero and Saturn had originally been booked to defeat The New Age Outlaws, but due to his injury, Guerrero panicked and told

Road Dogg Brian Girard James (born May 20, 1969) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he serves as the Senior Vice President of Live Events. James was best known for his initial tenure with World Wrestling Federation (WWF, n ...

, who was in the tag team match with

Billy Gunn Monty Kip Sopp (born November 1, 1963), better known by his ring name Billy Gunn, is an American professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to the WWE under a Legends contract and All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he also perfo ...

against Guerrero and Saturn, to immediately pin him. After losing their "tryout matches" upon entry, The Radicalz aligned themselves with WWF Champion Triple H and became a heel faction. In March, Guerrero, who was wrestling as a heel, began pursuing the affections of

Chyna Chyna (born Joan Marie Laurer; December 27, 1969 – April 17, 2016), also known as Joanie Laurer, was an American professional wrestler, fitness model, bodybuilder, actress, adult actress, and television personality. Chyna first rose to pr ...

, who he referred to as his "Mamacita". At the time, Chyna was allies with

and initially rejected his advances. On the April 3 episode of ''Raw is War'', Guerrero faced off against Jericho for the WWF European Championship. During the match, Chyna turned on Jericho and helped Guerrero win, and later explained her actions by declaring that she could not resist his "Latino Heat". After Guerrero abandoned Lita to be attacked by

The Dudley Boyz The Dudley Boyz (also known as Team 3D) are an American professional wrestling tag team who consisted of kayfabe half-brothers Bubba Ray Dudley and D-Von Dudley. The team was also joined by various Dudley Brothers, Dudley family members, notably ...

, he and Chyna began a

feud A feud , also known in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, private war, or mob war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially family, families or clans. Feuds begin ...

with

Essa Rios Essa or ESSA may refer to: Places * Essa, Ontario, Canada * Saltash (Cornish: Essa), a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, UK * Essa Academy, Bolton, England, UK * Stockholm-Arlanda Airport (ICAO code) People Given name * Essa (rapper) ...

and Lita, ending in a European title defense at

Backlash Backlash may refer to: Literature * '' Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women'', a 1991 book by Susan Faludi * ''Backlash'' (Star Wars novel), a 2010 novel by Aaron Allston * Backlash (Marc Slayton), a comic book character from ...

on April 30, which was also billed as the night of Guerrero's

prom A promenade dance or prom is a formal dance party for graduating high school students at the end of the school year. Students participating in the prom will typically vote for a ''prom king'' and ''prom queen''. Other students may be honored ...

(he was said to have just earned a

GED Ged or GED may refer to: Places * Ged, Louisiana, an unincorporated community in the United States * Ged, a village in Bichiwara Tehsil, Dungarpur District, Rajasthan, India * Delaware Coastal Airport, in Delaware, US, callsign GED People * Ged B ...

). Guerrero defeated Rios after arriving at ringside in a 1957

Chevrolet Chevrolet ( ) is an American automobile division of the manufacturer General Motors (GM). In North America, Chevrolet produces and sells a wide range of vehicles, from subcompact automobiles to medium-duty commercial trucks. Due to the promi ...

, even wrestling in his tuxedo pants and a

bow tie The bow tie or dicky bow is a type of neckwear, distinguishable from a necktie because it does not drape down the shirt placket, but is tied just underneath a winged collar. A modern bow tie is tied using a common shoelace knot, which is also ...

. Guerrero turned face and successfully retained the title against former Radicalz friends Saturn and Malenko in a

triple threat match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...

Judgment Day The Last Judgment is a concept found across the Abrahamic religions and the '' Frashokereti'' of Zoroastrianism. Christianity considers the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to entail the final judgment by God of all people who have ever lived, res ...

on May 21, before losing the title to Saturn at Fully Loaded on July 23. The two slowly began to become popular with the fans, but over the next few months friction began to build between Guerrero and Chyna. Chyna was upset when Guerrero pinned her to advance in the

King of the Ring King and Queen of the Ring, formerly and still commonly known as simply King of the Ring, was a professional wrestling event produced by WWE, a Connecticut-based professional wrestling promotion. The event was established in 1993 and originally c ...

tournament. Then at

SummerSlam SummerSlam is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by the world's largest professional wrestling promotion, WWE. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's second biggest event of the year behind th ...

on August 27, Guerrero and Chyna wrestled an Intergender tag team match against

Trish Stratus Patricia Anne Stratigeas (; born December 18, 1975), better known by the ring name Trish Stratus, is a Canadian professional wrestler, yoga instructor, actress and former fitness model. She is signed to WWE. An inductee of the 2013 WWE Hall ...

and

Val Venis Sean Allen Morley (born March 6, 1971), better known by his ring name Val Venis, is a Canadian retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Entertainment (WWF/WWE) from 1998 to 20 ...

, who at the time was the reigning

WWF Intercontinental Champion The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a men's professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, defended on the Raw brand division. It is one of two secondary championships for WWE's main roster, along ...

. The Intercontinental Championship was on the line in the match, and whoever scored the pin would win the title. Guerrero's team won the match, but Chyna scored the pin on Trish and became a two-time Intercontinental Champion. Although Guerrero said he did not mind that Chyna was the champion, on the September 4 episode of ''Raw is War'' he went to WWF Commissioner

Mick Foley Michael Francis Foley (born June 7, 1965) is an American retired professional wrestler and author. He is signed to WWE, under a Legends contract while also serving as an ambassador. Foley worked for many wrestling promotions, including the W ...

and asked to be inserted into Chyna's title defense against

Kurt Angle Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler and amateur wrestling, amateur wrestler. He first earned recognition for winning a Wrestling at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 100 kg, gold me ...

claiming that he did not want Angle to hurt his "mamacita". During the course of the match, Angle knocked down Chyna with the title belt and Guerrero laid on top of her to try to revive her. However, this resulted in Guerrero "accidentally" pinning Chyna as her shoulders were still on the mat, and thus Guerrero won the match and his first Intercontinental Championship. Chyna became visibly uncomfortable as Guerrero began to cheat in order to retain his title, while Guerrero was upset that Chyna was posing for ''

Playboy ''Playboy'' (stylized in all caps) is an American men's Lifestyle journalism, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, available both online and in print. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, funded in part by a $ ...

magazine A magazine is a periodical literature, periodical publication, print or digital, produced on a regular schedule, that contains any of a variety of subject-oriented textual and visual content (media), content forms. Magazines are generally fin ...

, even trying to invade the

Playboy Mansion The Playboy Mansion, also known as the Playboy Mansion West, is the former home of ''Playboy'' magazine founder Hugh Hefner, who lived there from 1971 until his death in 2017. Barbi Benton convinced Hefner to buy the home located in Holmby H ...

to stop the photo shoot. Just when it appeared that Chyna would leave Guerrero, he proposed to her and she accepted. At

Unforgiven ''Unforgiven'' is a 1992 American revisionist Western film produced and directed by Clint Eastwood from a screenplay by David Webb Peoples. It stars Eastwood as William Munny, an aging outlaw and killer who takes on one more job years after ...

on September 24, Chyna helped Guerrero in retaining his title against

Rikishi A , or, more colloquially, , is a sumo wrestler. Although used to define all wrestlers participating in sumo wrestling matches, the term is more commonly used to refer to professional wrestlers, employed by the Japan Sumo Association, who par ...

. The engagement was called off when Guerrero was caught showering with two of

The Godfather ''The Godfather'' is a 1972 American Epic film, epic crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo's best-selling The Godfather (novel), 1969 novel. The film stars an ensemble cast inc ...

's hos (one of whom would later wrestle as

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

) claiming that "two Mamacitas are better than one". Guerrero turned heel again as a result of the incident. Then, The Radicalz reunited and feuded with the reformed

D-Generation X D-Generation X (DX), is an American professional wrestling Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Stable, stable, and later a tag team, who consisted of various members mostly Generation X wrestlers, most notably Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Ch ...

(Chyna, Billy Gunn,

, and K-Kwik) (DX). They defeated DX at

Survivor Series Survivor Series, branded as Survivor Series: WarGames since 2022, is a professional wrestling event produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving ( ...

on November 19 in an elimination tag team match and assisted Triple H in his match with

Stone Cold Steve Austin Steve Austin (born Steven James Anderson and later Steven James Williams; December 18, 1964), better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American media personality, actor, producer and retired Professional wrestling, profes ...

. Guerrero was later defeated by Gunn for the Intercontinental Championship on the November 23 episode of ''

SmackDown! ''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE. It airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on USA Network in the United ...

''. At

Rebellion Rebellion is an uprising that resists and is organized against one's government. A rebel is a person who engages in a rebellion. A rebel group is a consciously coordinated group that seeks to gain political control over an entire state or a ...

on December 2, Guerrero and Malenko lost to Gunn and Chyna. Benoit left the group to focus on a singles career while the rest of The Radicalz feuded with Lita and

The Hardy Boyz The Hardy Boyz are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of brothers Jeff Hardy, Jeff and Matt Hardy. They are both signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where they are former three time TNA Tag Team Championship, TNA ...

(

Matt Matt may refer to: *Matt (name), people with the given name ''Matt'' or Matthew, meaning "gift from God", or the surname Matt *In British English, of a surface: having a non-glossy finish, see gloss (material appearance) *Matt, Switzerland, a mu ...

and

Jeff Jeff is a masculine name, often a short form (hypocorism) of the English given name Jefferson or Jeffrey, which comes from a medieval variant of Geoffrey. Music * DJ Jazzy Jeff, American DJ/turntablist record producer Jeffrey Allen Townes ...

). At

Armageddon Armageddon ( ; ; ; from ) is the prophesied gathering of armies for a battle during the end times, according to the Book of Revelation in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. Armageddon is variously interpreted as either a literal or a ...

on December 10, The Radicalz defeated The Hardy Boyz and Lita in an elimination tag team match. In early 2001, Guerrero feuded with Chris Jericho, Benoit, and X-Pac over Jericho's Intercontinental Championship. At No Way Out on February 25, the four men faced each other in a

fatal four-way match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...

, which Jericho won. Guerrero focused on the European Championship, feuding with the champion

Test Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to: * Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities Arts and entertainment * ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film * ''Test'' (2014 film) ...

defeating him at

WrestleMania X-Seven WrestleMania X-Seven, also known as WrestleMania 17, was a 2001 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It was the 17th annual WrestleMania and took place on April 1, 2001, at t ...

on April 1 to win his second and final European Championship with help from Saturn and Malenko. On the April 26 episode of ''SmackDown!'', Guerrero would lose the title to

Matt Hardy Matthew Moore Hardy (born September 23, 1974) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he a former List of TNA World Tag Team Champions, three time TNA Wor ...

. At

on April 29, Guerrero competed in a Triple threat match for the WWF European Championship but failed to win the title. In April, The Radicalz feuded with Test and his partners. Guerrero eventually left the Radicalz, siding with The Hardy Boyz and Lita. At Insurrextion on May 5, Guerrero defeated Grand Master Sexay. Around this point, Guerrero developed an addiction to pain medication stemming from his 1999 car accident and in May 2001 was sent to

rehab Rehabilitation or Rehab may refer to: Health * Rehabilitation (neuropsychology), therapy to regain or improve neurocognitive function that has been lost or diminished * Rehabilitation hospital, hospitals devoted to the rehabilitation of patients w ...

, missing the entire Invasion storyline that featured his former fellow WCW (and later ECW) wrestlers. To explain his absence, a storyline was created where Guerrero was "injured" by

Albert Albert may refer to: Companies * Albert Computers, Inc., a computer manufacturer in the 1980s * Albert Czech Republic, a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic * Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands * Albert Market, a street mar ...

in a match. On November 9, 2001, he was arrested for

drunk driving Drunk driving (or drink-driving in British English) is the act of driving under the influence of alcohol. A small increase in the blood alcohol content increases the relative risk of a motor vehicle crash. In the United States, alcohol is in ...

and was subsequently released by the WWF three days later.

Independent circuit; New Japan Pro Wrestling (2001–2002)

Guerrero started wrestling on the

independent circuit In professional wrestling, the independent circuit (often shortened to the indie circuit or the indies) is the collective name of independently owned promotions which are deemed to be smaller and more regionalized than major national promotions. ...

after his release from the WWF. On February 23, 2002, he faced

Super Crazy Francisco Islas Rueda (born December 3, 1973), better known by his ring name Super Crazy, is a Mexican '' luchador'' (or professional wrestler). In Mexico, Islas has worked for Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA) and made appearances ...

on the debut show of

Ring of Honor Ring of Honor (ROH) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. The promotion was founded by Rob Feinstein on February 23, 2002, and was operated by Cary Silkin from 2004 until 2011; the promotion was subs ...

known as ''The Era of Honor Begins'' to crown the first-ever IWA Intercontinental Champion. Guerrero lost the match. On February 24, he debuted in the Australian promotion

World Wrestling All-Stars World Wrestling All-Stars (WWA) was a professional wrestling promotion founded by Australian concert promoter Andrew McManus in 2001. The promotion was operated by McManus' International Touring Company. WWA was one of several promotions to com ...

(WWA) at The Revolution beating the champion

Juventud Guerrera Eduardo Aníbal González Hernández (born November 23, 1974), better known by his ring name Juventud "Juvi" Guerrera, is a Mexican Professional wrestling, professional wrestler performing on the independent circuit. Guerrera is best known for ...

and

Psicosis Dionicio Castellanos Torres (born May 19, 1971) is a Mexican Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, better known by the ring names Psicosis (sometimes Anglicisation, Anglicised as Psychosis) and Nicho el Millonario. He is best known for ...

in a Triple Threat match for the WWA International Cruiserweight Championship. On March 1, he defeated the champion

CM Punk Phillip Jack Brooks (born October 26, 1978), better known by his ring name CM Punk, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw brand. Regarded as ...

and Rey Mysterio in a Triple Threat match for the IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Championship. He dropped the title back to Punk one day later on March 2. He vacated the WWA Cruiserweight title in April 2002 after returning to the WWF. Guerrero also returned to

(NJPW) for a brief period in March 2002, this time unmasked. He aligned himself with the villainous

Team 2000 Team 2000 was a professional wrestling stable (wrestling), stable that competed in New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Throughout its tenure, T2000 was New Japan's top heel (wrestling), heel stable. History Background In August 1998, Masahiro Chono was ...

stable, and primarily teamed with Black Tiger.

World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment (2002–2005)

Teaming with Chris Benoit (2002)

Guerrero returned to the WWF on the April 1, 2002 episode of ''Raw'', attacking

Rob Van Dam Robert Szatkowski (born December 18, 1970) better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam (frequently abbreviated to RVD) is an American professional wrestler. Known for his unique ring style—which includes his variety of kicks, acrobatic movemen ...

. He feuded with Van Dam, defeating him for his second Intercontinental Championship at

on April 21. After retaining the title against Van Dam at Insurrextion on May 4 and

on May 19, he finally lost the title to Van Dam on the May 27 episode of ''Raw'' in a

in which a fan in an

Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...

jersey Jersey ( ; ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey, is an autonomous and self-governing island territory of the British Islands. Although as a British Crown Dependency it is not a sovereign state, it has its own distinguishing civil and gov ...

pushed him off a ladder. Guerrero then feuded with

, but Austin left the WWE before a match could take place.

returned to WWE the night Guerrero lost the title and reunited with him. Guerrero and Benoit feuded with

for a while and Guerrero lost a match to Flair at

on June 23. On the August 1 episode of ''SmackDown!'', Guerrero and Benoit moved to WWE's

. Guerrero feuded with

Edge Edge or EDGE may refer to: Technology Computing * Edge computing, a network load-balancing system * Edge device, an entry point to a computer network * Adobe Edge, a graphical development application * Microsoft Edge, a web browser developed by ...

, to whom he lost at

on August 25. Guerrero continued his feud with Edge, whom he defeated at

on September 22; they then had a no disqualification match on the September 26 episode of ''SmackDown!'' which Edge won thus ending the rivalry.

Los Guerreros (2002–2004)

With Benoit focusing on

, Guerrero aligned himself with his nephew

, forming the tag team

. In contrast to a previous WCW storyline with his nephew, Chavo fully agreed with his uncle as their slogan stated: "We lie, we cheat, and we steal, but at least we're honest about it". To push the new tag team, vignettes were produced, which included things such as the two finagling their way into a rich lady's house and throwing a pool party. These segments marked the beginning of the rise of popularity for the team, especially Eddie, who continued to use the mannerisms. The duo entered the eight-team tournament for the new

, sneaking past

and

Mark Henry Mark Jerrold Henry (born June 12, 1971) is an American former powerlifter, Olympic weightlifter, strongman, and retired professional wrestler currently signed to WWE under a Legends contract. Henry is a two-time Olympian (1992 and 19 ...

in the opening round, before starting a feud with the newly formed

of Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit. In one of the team's definitive moments, Chavo told Benoit that his former friend Guerrero was assaulted by his tag team partner Angle. Benoit ran to make the save, only to have himself locked inside a room. Guerrero then appeared in the room and assaulted Benoit with a steel chair. Benoit and Angle managed to overcome their differences and eventually defeated Los Guerreros in the tournament semi-finals. Later on, Benoit and Angle won the title. Benoit and Angle then fought for a trophy for being the first WWE Tag Team Champions. Much to Benoit's surprise, Los Guerreros helped him win the match. At

on November 17, Los Guerreros faced the new champions Edge and

Rey Mysterio Óscar Gutiérrez Rubio (born December 11, 1974), better known by his ring name Rey Mysterio, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. Widely regarded as both one of the greatest '' luch ...

and the team of Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit for the titles. Guerrero made Mysterio submit to the '' Lasso from El Paso'' to win their first WWE Tag Team Championship. They turned face due to their popularity. They lost the titles to Team Angle (

Charlie Haas Charles Doyle Haas II (born March 27, 1972) is an American Professional wrestling, professional and former Amateur wrestling, amateur wrestler. He is best known for his time in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) from 2000 to 2009 and Ring of H ...

and

Shelton Benjamin Shelton James Benjamin (born July 9, 1975) is an American professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler. , he is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of The Hurt Syndicate and is one-half of the AEW World Tag Team Champ ...

) on the February 6, 2003 episode of ''SmackDown!''. Los Guerreros and Team Angle began feuding with each other. Los Guerreros participated at

WrestleMania XIX WrestleMania XIX was a 2003 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) List of WWE pay-per-view events, event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was the 19th annual WrestleMania and took place on March 30, 2003, at T-Mobile Park, ...

on March 30 as contenders for the WWE Tag Team Championship, along with the team of Chris Benoit and

Rhyno Terrance Guido Gerin (born October 7, 1975) is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name Rhyno (or Rhino). He is a freelancer, appearing for various promotions such as All Elite Wrestling (AEW), National Wrestling Alliance ...

. Both teams lost to Team Angle in a triple threat match. At

on April 27, Los Guerreros lost to Team Angle in a rematch. Chavo legitimately tore his biceps, forcing Guerrero to look for another partner. He chose Tajiri, and they won the WWE Tag Team Championship, Guerrero's second and Tajiri's first at

on May 18 by defeating Team Angle in a ladder match. The following week, Guerrero and Tajiri managed to retain their titles against Team Angle by cheating. They also defeated

Roddy Piper Roderick George Toombs (April 17, 1954 – July 31, 2015), better known as "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, was a Canadian professional wrestler and actor. In professional wrestling, Piper was best known to international audiences for his work with the Wo ...

and his protégé

Sean O'Haire Sean Christopher Haire (February 25, 1971 – September 8, 2014) was an American professional wrestler, mixed martial artist and kickboxer, better known by his ring name Sean O'Haire. Haire was best known for his appearances with the profess ...

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...

on the June 26 episode of ''SmackDown!''. After Guerrero and Tajiri lost the WWE Tag Team Championship to The World's Greatest Tag Team (previously Team Angle) on the July 3 episode of ''SmackDown!'', Guerrero turned on Tajiri, slamming his partner through the windshield of his low-rider truck, turning heel once again. Eddie Guerrero on SmackDown cropped

In July 2003, Guerrero competed in a tournament for the

WWE United States Championship The WWE United States Championship is a men's professional wrestling Professional wrestling championship#Location-specific championships, championship promoted by the United States, American professional wrestling promotion, promotion WWE, defend ...

. He managed to advance to the final round, defeating

and

in the process, where he would meet

. At

Vengeance Vengeance may refer to: *Vengeance (concept) or revenge, a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance Film * ''Vengeance'' (1930 film), action adventure film directed by Archie Mayo * ''Vengeance'' (1937 film) or ''W ...

on July 27, Guerrero turned to his cheating tactics, hitting Benoit with the belt at one point in the match. Guerrero tried to get Benoit in trouble by placing the title belt on top of the unconscious Benoit. It did not work, however, since he knocked out the referee earlier with a championship belt shot to the kidneys. The match ended with interference and a ''

Gore Gore may refer to: Places Australia * Gore, Queensland * Gore Creek (New South Wales) * Gore Island (Queensland) Canada * Gore, Nova Scotia, a rural community * Gore, Quebec, a township municipality * Gore Bay, Ontario, a township on Manito ...

'' from

, Benoit's partner, who was furious at the team's failure. Guerrero pinned Benoit and won the United States Championship. At

on August 24, Guerrero retained his title by defeating Rhyno, Benoit, and Tajiri in a

. He later began a feud with

John Cena John Felix Anthony Cena ( ; born April 23, 1977) is an American actor and professional wrestler. As a wrestler, he has been signed to WWE , where he is the current WWE Championship, Undisputed WWE Champion in his record 14th reign, which is ...

, turning face once again. On the September 11 episode of ''SmackDown!'', Guerrero challenged Cena to a "Latino Heat" Parking Lot Brawl match for the United States Championship, which Guerrero won with help from his returning nephew, Chavo. The next week on ''SmackDown!'', Los Guerreros defeated The World's Greatest Tag Team to win the WWE Tag Team Championship, making Guerrero a double champion (beginning Guerrero's third tag title reign). Guerrero engaged in a feud with

Big Show Paul Donald Wight II (born February 8, 1972) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under his real name of Paul Wight. He is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) f ...

, which involved Guerrero giving Big Show some

laxative Laxatives, purgatives, or aperients are substances that loosen stools and increase bowel movements. They are used to treat and prevent constipation. Laxatives vary as to how they work and the side effects they may have. Certain stimulant, lubri ...

laced

burrito A burrito (, ) or burro in Mexico is, historically, a regional name, among others, for what is known as a taco, a tortilla filled with food, in other parts of the country. The term ''burrito'' was regional, specifically from Guanajuato, Guerre ...

s and then later spraying Big Show from a sewage truck. The feud ended when Guerrero lost the United States Championship to Big Show at No Mercy on October 19. Four days later, Los Guerreros lost the WWE Tag Team Championship to the

Basham Brothers The Basham Brothers were a professional wrestling tag team, composed of Doug Basham and Danny Basham. The team is best known for their tenures in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). History Ohio Valle ...

(

Danny Danny is a masculine given name. It is related to and short for the male name Daniel.🖾🖾 People *Danny Altmann, British immunologist * Danny Antonucci, Canadian animator, director, producer, and writer * Danny Baker (born 1957), English j ...

and Doug). They began feuding with the Basham Brothers, but failed to regain the championship at

on November 16. As Los Guerreros attempted to regain the tag team titles, things began to go downhill between Chavo and Eddie, as animosity began to build. Chavo then attacked and turned on Guerrero after he suffered a beating from the Basham Brothers on the January 8, 2004 episode of ''SmackDown!''. Guerrero feuded with Chavo and defeated him at the

Royal Rumble The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after, and centered on, the Royal Rumble match, a modified Battle royal (professional wre ...

on January 25 to settle their feud. After the match Eddie attacked Chavo causing him to bleed.

WWE Champion (2004)

When

jumped to the Raw brand after winning the Royal Rumble match, using his title shot to go for

Triple H Paul Michael Levesque (; born July 27, 1969), also known by the ring name Triple H, is an American business executive and former professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he serves as its chief content officer. Levesque began his wres ...

's World Heavyweight Championship, Guerrero won a 15-man Royal Rumble match on the January 29 episode of ''SmackDown!'' to earn a shot at the

. After becoming the number one contender, Guerrero elevated himself to main event status and began feuding with the champion

Brock Lesnar Brock Edward Lesnar ( ; born July 12, 1977) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and former Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist, Amateur wrestling, amateur wrestler and professional American football player. As a ...

, whom he defeated to win the WWE Championship in the main event of No Way Out on February 15, his first world championship win in WWE. The victory made him a Triple Crown and Grand Slam Champion in the process. His next feud was with

, whom he defeated at

WrestleMania XX WrestleMania XX was a 2004 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was the 20th annual WrestleMania and took place on March 14, 2004, at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New Yor ...

on March 14 to retain his title in his first big defense. At the end of WrestleMania, Guerrero celebrated in the ring with longtime friend Chris Benoit, who had just won the World Heavyweight Championship. On the March 25 episode of ''SmackDown!'', he started a feud with fellow Texan

John "Bradshaw" Layfield John Charles Layfield (born November 29, 1966), better known by the ring name John "Bradshaw" Layfield, is an American professional wrestling color commentator, retired professional wrestler and former American football, football player. He is s ...

(JBL) after JBL interrupted Guerrero's title match with

. The rivalry would soon turn personal when at a non-televised live event, JBL caused Guerrero's mother to suffer a (

kayfabe In professional wrestling, kayfabe (pronounced ) is the portrayal of staged events within the industry as "real" or "true", specifically competition, rivalries, and relationships between participants. The term has evolved to become a code word ...

)

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

while in attendance at ringside. At

on May 16, Guerrero defended his WWE title against JBL, retaining the title after getting himself disqualified, hitting JBL with the championship title. The match witnessed Guerrero bleed heavily mid-way in the match as a result of Guerrero performing a bladejob after a stiff headshot ringside with a chair from JBL. It was later explained that he cut too deep, thus hitting an artery. After the match concluded, Guerrero was persuaded to go to hospital by WWE producer

Bruce Prichard Bruce Prichard (born March 7, 1963) is an American professional wrestling executive, booker, and producer and a former manager, commentator, and occasional professional wrestler who works for WWE as Executive Director - CWT. In addition to ...

where his wound was stitched up and he received IV fluids. At

on June 27, Guerrero defended the title against JBL in a Texas bullrope match. JBL won after Kurt Angle (who was

General Manager A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...

of SmackDown! at the time) reversed the decision after Guerrero appeared to have retained the title. On the July 8 episode of ''SmackDown!'', Guerrero pulled a switcharoo with

Shannon Moore Shannon Moore (born July 27, 1979) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is best known for his work with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) between 1999 and 2001 and with WWE, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) for ...

, who was wrestling as " El Gran Luchadore" and wore the costume. On the July 15 episode of ''SmackDown!'', Guerrero faced JBL in a

steel cage match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmick, gimmick matches" in the Glossary of professional wrestling terms, jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick m ...

for the WWE title where El Gran Luchadore appeared again and cost Guerrero the match; he later revealed himself as Kurt Angle. Guerrero continued his feud with Angle. At

on August 15, Guerrero lost to Angle after submitting to his

ankle lock A leglock is a joint lock that is directed at joints of the leg such as the ankle, knee or hip joint. A leglock which is directed at joints in the foot is sometimes referred to as a foot lock and a lock at the hip as a hip lock. Leglocks are featu ...

. Guerrero then allied himself with

. Each week Angle and his new allies

Luther Reigns Matthew Robert Wiese (born September 22, 1971) is an American retired professional wrestler and actor. He is best known for his tenure in WWE, where he performed on its SmackDown brand under the ring name Luther Reigns. Professional wrestling c ...

and

Mark Jindrak Mark Robert Jindrak (born June 26, 1977) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) under his own name and for his appeara ...

began targeting Guerrero and Big Show. Guerrero defeated Reigns in a singles match at No Mercy on October 3.

Theodore Long Theodore Robert Rufus Long (born September 15, 1947) is an American former professional wrestling Referee (professional wrestling), referee, Manager (professional wrestling), manager and Authority figure (professional wrestling), authority figur ...

booked a Survivor Series Elimination match between a team led by Guerrero and a team led by Angle. Guerrero's team consisted of himself, Big Show,

(replacing the originally chosen

), and

. At

on November 14, Guerrero's team defeated Angle's team.

Final storylines (2004–2005)

Guerrero, along with Booker T and

The Undertaker Mark William Calaway (born March 24, 1965), better known by his ring name the Undertaker, is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Calaway ...

, then challenged JBL for a WWE Championship rematch. Along the way, Guerrero found a partner in Booker T. At

on December 12, Guerrero and Booker T's initial teamwork broke away, and the match ended with JBL pinning Booker T following the ''

Clothesline From Hell Strikes can be offensive moves in professional wrestling, that can sometimes be used to set up an opponent for a hold or for a throw. There are a wide variety of strikes in pro wrestling, and many are known by several different names. Professional ...

''. Afterwards, Guerrero and Booker T briefly and unsuccessfully attempted to win the WWE Tag Team Championship. At the

on January 30, 2005, Guerrero entered the namesake match at #1 and lasted 28:11 before being eliminated by Edge. In a skit before the Royal Rumble match, he drew his number the same time

drew his. In an attempt to get a better draw, Guerrero switched his number with Flair's (and stole Flair's wallet in the process). Theodore Long made him return both items before the match. Flair would enter at #30. At No Way Out on February 20, Guerrero teamed up with longtime friend and sometimes rival, Rey Mysterio and defeated the

to win his final title, the WWE Tag Team Championship for a fourth time, with it being Mysterio's third reign. Many expected the new champions to defend their title at

WrestleMania 21 WrestleMania 21, also promoted as WrestleMania Goes Hollywood, was a 2005 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was the 21st annual WrestleMania and took place on April 3, 2005, at ...

on April 3, but after encouragement from

, Guerrero challenged Mysterio to a one-on-one match instead so they could "bring the house down". The two wrestled a match at WrestleMania with Mysterio getting the win. Although visibly frustrated, Guerrero congratulated his partner. After several mishaps in the weeks following WrestleMania, the growing tension between Guerrero and Mysterio finally erupted when they lost the WWE Tag Team Championship to the new team MNM ( Johnny Nitro and

Joey Mercury Adam Birch (born July 18, 1979), better known by the ring name Joey Mercury, is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenures in WWE and Ring of Honor. Birch was trained by fellow wrestler Jimmy Cicero and made his wrestl ...

) on the April 21 episode of ''SmackDown!''. Although the next week they received a rematch to regain the titles, Guerrero abandoned Mysterio, whom he had considered "his family" earlier in the show, costing them the match. At the end of the May 5 episode of ''SmackDown!'', he saved Mysterio from an attack by Chavo and MNM, before attacking Mysterio, leaving him bruised and bloody after

suplex A suplex is an Offense (sports), offensive move used in Wrestling, sport wrestling as well as amateur wrestling and professional wrestling. It is a throw that involves lifting the opponents and Bridge (grappling), bridging or rolling to slam the ...

ing him onto a set of steel steps, turning heel in the process. Guerrero then adopted a new, brooding

. During this time, he also stopped driving his low-riders down the ring and walked to the ring slowly with a frown on his face, gained a new theme which was a darker remix of "Lie, Cheat, And Steal" and started using his other finishing move, the '' Lasso from El Paso'', more often. At

on May 22, Guerrero lost to Mysterio by disqualification after hitting Mysterio with a chair. On the June 30 episode of ''SmackDown!'', Guerrero threatened to reveal a secret about Mysterio and his son

Dominik Dominic, Dominik or Dominick is a male given name common among Roman Catholics and other Latin-Romans. Originally from the late Roman-Italic name "Dominicus", its translation means "Lordly", "Belonging to God" or "of the Master". The most promi ...

. The storyline grew to involve the families of both men, with both sides pleading for Guerrero not to reveal the secret. Mysterio defeated Guerrero again at

on July 24, a match with a stipulation that if Guerrero lost, he would not tell the secret. Yet Guerrero revealed the secret anyway on the following episode of ''SmackDown!'' – telling Dominik and the audience that Guerrero was his real father. In the following weeks, Guerrero revealed the details of the secret in a series of what he called "Eddie's Bedtime Stories". During that time he now had a dark comical gimmick. He claimed that he had a child out of wedlock (Dominik) while his marriage was going through hard times. He claimed he then allowed Mysterio and his wife, who were "having trouble conceiving", to adopt the child as their own. At

on August 21, Guerrero lost a ladder match over Dominik's custody to Mysterio. On the September 9 episode of ''SmackDown!'', their feud ended when Guerrero defeated Mysterio in a steel cage match. Following his feud with Mysterio, Guerrero was named number one contender to the World Heavyweight Championship and given a title match with

Batista Batista is a Spanish language, Spanish or Portuguese language, Portuguese surname. Notable persons with the name include: * Batista (footballer, born 1955), Brazilian football player João Batista da Silva * Dave Bautista, Batista (wrestler) (Dave ...

. Despite this, Guerrero quickly proclaimed himself to be Batista's friend. Batista was well aware of Guerrero's sneaky reputation, and despite eventually accepting his friendship (initially to keep an eye on him), Batista would continually play mind games with Guerrero to expose his true intentions. A series of matches with MNM only supported Batista's suspicions that Guerrero was up to no good, as Guerrero appeared to have reverted to his cheating ways. In response to Batista's suspicions, Guerrero helped Batista win a match against his tag team partners, JBL and

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

. Batista defeated Guerrero at No Mercy on October 9 to retain the World Heavyweight Championship in what would be Guerrero's last pay-per-view match. During the match, Guerrero struggled with a decision about whether or not to use a steel chair to secure the victory, eventually opting not to use it and losing as a result. He would make his entrance the following ''SmackDown!'' using his signature low rider and old entrance theme with Batista, and turning him face once again. Guerrero wrestled his last match on the November 11 episode of ''SmackDown!'', defeating

Mr. Kennedy Kenneth Anthony Anderson (born March 6, 1976) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is known for his tenure in WWE from 2005 to 2009 under the ring name Mr. Kennedy, and his tenure in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, T ...

by disqualification using his signature lie, cheat, and steal tactics, which allowed him to advance to the ''SmackDown!''

team. After the match, Kennedy hitting him with a steel chair. On the date of his death, a triple threat match between himself, Batista, and

Randy Orton Randal Keith Orton (born April 1, 1980) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He has been signed to WWE since 2000, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown brand. Orton is widely regarded as one of t ...

was supposed to take place to air on the following episode of ''SmackDown!'' for the World Heavyweight Championship, in which Guerrero had been booked to win the title so Batista could take time off to heal from an injured back , but that was later denied by Batista in his own book. Yet Stephanie McMahon was adamant that Eddie was supposed to win the World Heavyweight Championship, thus starting his second main title reign. Orton was given Guerrero's spot in the traditional Survivor Series elimination match between the Raw and

! brands at Survivor Series on November 27, which SmackDown! would win, with Orton being the sole survivor.

Professional wrestling style and persona

After the death of his friend

, Guerrero started to use the frog splash in tribute, which became his most common and well known finishing move. He also used to perform 3 sequential suplexes, calling the triad the "Three Amigos”. He would also use a variation of the Texas cloverleaf submission hold, dubbing it the "Lasso from El Paso". Towards the end of his life and career, Guerrero was known for driving low rider cars to the ring during his entrances. He started doing this while tag teaming with his nephew

and continued doing it after the team split in 2004, along with Guerrero carrying on the wider "Lie, Cheat and Steal" gimmick that he and Chavo used as a tag team. He stopped doing this in May 2005 after turning on Rey Mysterio, instead showing a more sinister and spiteful side to his character. He briefly resumed driving the low rider again in October after turning face following his feud with Batista. Also in his later career, Guerrero was known for cheating and breaking rules to win matches, even as a

(heroic) character, most of whom typically try to follow the rules. As a face, this would be used to give his character the quality of a lovable rogue and, at times, balance out cheating carried out by other heels by taking advantage for himself. As a heel, it would instead be used to draw heat from the crowd by making him appear cowardly or dishonest, while gaining an unfair advantage on his opponents. One such tactic, often included in his matches, saw Guerrero employ what commentator

Tazz Peter Senerchia (born October 11, 1967), better known by the ring name Taz (also spelled Tazz), is an American radio personality, color commentator, and retired professional wrestler signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a color commentator f ...

would refer to as “The Smoking Gun"; Guerrero would retrieve a chair, championship belt, or other unauthorized item and toss it to his opponent as the referee turned around from a distraction. As the referee began assessing the issue, returning the item to its original location, or arguing with Guerrero's opponent, Guerrero would gain an advantage of some sort to win the match. Some matches had Guerrero smack a chair on the mat and toss the chair to his opponent and lie on the ground, pretending to have been struck by the chair. When the referee turned around and saw the opponent had the chair, they would assume it was used on Guerrero and call a disqualification in Guerrero's favor. Guerrero was also known for his resourcefulness via other means, such as at

by rolling up

after loosening his own boot while trapped in the Ankle Lock.

Other media

On March 13, 2004, Guerrero (

WWE Champion The WWE Championship, also referred to as the Undisputed WWE Championship since April 2024, is a men's professional wrestling world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, defended on the SmackDown brand ...

), along with

and

, made a guest appearance on ''

MADtv ''Mad TV'' (stylized as ''MADtv'') is an American sketch comedy television series created by David Salzman, Fax Bahr, and Adam Small. Loosely based on the humor magazine '' Mad'', ''Mad TVs pre-taped satirical sketches were primarily parodie ...

'' as he and the other wrestlers "beat up"

Frank Caliendo Frank Caliendo Jr. (born January 19, 1974) is an American comedian, actor, and impressionist best known for his impersonations on the Fox Network television series ''MADtv'' as well as being the in-house prognosticator for ''Fox NFL Sunday''. ...

(portraying

Jay Leno James Douglas Muir Leno ( ; born April 28, 1950) is an American television host, comedian, and writer. After doing stand-up comedy for years, he became the host of NBC's ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Tonight Show'' from 1992 until 200 ...

) while

Aries Spears Nairobi Aries Spears (born April 3, 1975) is an American stand-up comedian, impressionist, and actor from New Jersey. Spears was a regular on Fox's sketch comedy series ''Mad TV'' (1997–2005), appearing in 198 episodes, making him the secon ...

(portraying ''The Tonight Show'' Band leader

Kevin Eubanks Kevin Tyrone Eubanks (born November 15, 1957) is an American jazz and fusion guitarist and composer. He was the leader of The Tonight Show Band with host Jay Leno from 1995 to 2010. He also led the Primetime Band on the short-lived ''The Jay Le ...

) watched on. There have also been several DVDs and books released about his life and career, including ''Cheating Death, Stealing Life: The Eddie Guerrero Story'' (DVD, 2004), ''Cheating Death, Stealing Life: The Eddie Guerrero Story'' (book, released on December 5, 2005), and ''Viva La Raza: The Legacy of Eddie Guerrero'' (DVD 2008). Additionally, the song "We Lie, We Cheat, We Steal" that he performed with Chavo was released on the '' WWE Originals'' CD. Guerrero's catchphrase during the latter part of his career with WWE was "Viva La Raza" (which is Spanish for "Long Live the Race"). In the mid parts of his career, Guerrero took the title of "Latino Heat", which was also his theme song in the early 2000s. He has also been featured in WWE's Best Smackdown matches video of its 15-year Friday Night span, upon the show being moved to Thursday nights on Thursday, January 15, 2015, he features in 5 of the top 15 matches including the number 1 spot where his No Disqualification bout with Edge topped the list of best Smackdown matches. On May 26, 2024, Eddie was the subject of the '' Biography: WWE Legends''.

Video games

Personal life

From 1990 until his death in 2005, Guerrero was married to

Vickie Guerrero Vickie Lynn Benson (formerly Guerrero, née Lara;Guerrero, Eddie. ''Cheating Death, Stealing Life: The Eddie Guerrero Story'', p. 53. born April 16, 1968), better known as Vickie Guerrero, is an American former professional wrestling personality ...

, with whom he had two daughters: Shaul Marie Guerrero and Sherilyn Amber Guerrero, both of whom became wrestlers. He also had another daughter named Kaylie Marie Guerrero during his two-year separation from Vickie. Following several injuries in his career during the 1990s, Guerrero became addicted to alcohol and drugs, including painkillers and performance enhancing substances; he suffered 3 drug overdoses prior to being released from WWE in 2001, following which he worked towards getting sober. Guerrero was a close friend of fellow wrestlers

JBL JBL is an American audio equipment manufacturer headquartered in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California. The company was founded in 1946 by James Bullough Lansing, an American audio engineer and loudspeaker designer. JBL currently serves the ho ...

, and

. He was a

born-again Christian To be born again, or to experience the new birth, is a phrase, particularly in evangelical Christianity, that refers to a "spiritual rebirth", or a regeneration of the human spirit. In contrast to one's physical birth, being "born again" is d ...

Death

On November 13, 2005, Guerrero's nephew

found him unconscious in his hotel room at the Marriott Hotel City Center in

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

. Chavo later explained that Guerrero had passed out in his hotel bathroom with a toothbrush in his hand and that the basin water was running, he added that he was still alive when he was discovered. Upon the ambulance's arrival at the scene, he was pronounced dead at the age of 38. His funeral service was officiated by "Superstar" Billy Graham.

Legacy

The episodes of '' Raw'' on November 14, 2005, and ''

'' on November 18, 2005, were both filmed on November 13 and each aired as tributes to Guerrero. All storylines were put on hold and no WWE employees were forced to perform, although several matches took place, including one featuring Chavo. ''Raw'' started with all the wrestlers and numerous backstage personnel onstage as

Vince McMahon Vincent Kennedy McMahon ( ; born August 24, 1945) is an American businessman and former professional wrestling promoter. McMahon, along with his later-estranged wife Linda McMahon, Linda, is a co-founder of the modern WWE, the world's largest ...

addressed the live crowd, before finishing with a

ten-bell salute In professional wrestling, a ten-bell salute is given to honor a wrestler who has died, especially when the wrestler is a current member of the professional wrestling promotion, promotion or a distinguished former member of the promotion. It is th ...

. In addition to the ''Raw'' and ''SmackDown!'' tribute shows,

TNA TNA may refer to: Organisations * Tamil National Alliance, a political coalition in Sri Lanka * The National Alliance, a political party in Kenya * The National Archives (United Kingdom), a UK public body * Tonga Nurses' Association, a trade union ...

dedicated its

Genesis Genesis may refer to: Religion * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of humankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Bo ...

event (which aired the evening of his death) to Guerrero, while ROH renamed their next show to Night of Tribute. OVW, WWE's then-developmental territory, also paid tribute to Guerrero on their television taping. Many of the wrestlers there wore armbands with Guerrero's initials on them. Other wrestlers, primarily Guerrero's nephew Chavo and friends Mysterio and

Christian Cage William Jason Reso (born November 30, 1973) is a Canadian Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Christian Cage and is the leader of The Patriarch ...

, began paying tribute to him in their matches by using his Frog Splash finisher. CZW also paid tribute to Guerrero with a ten-bell salute during one of their events. Mysterio and

dedicated some of their matches to Guerrero. The

3 Doors Down 3 Doors Down is an American Rock music, rock band from Escatawpa, Mississippi that formed in 1996. The band's music is described as post-grunge, alternative rock, and hard rock. The band's 2000 debut single "Kryptonite (3 Doors Down song), Kr ...

song "

Here Without You "Here Without You" is a song by American rock band 3 Doors Down. The power ballad was released on July 28, 2003, as the third single from the band's second studio album, '' Away from the Sun'' (2002). The song reached 5 on the US ''Billboard'' ...

" was used in tribute videos for Guerrero, as was

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...

's cover of the

Nine Inch Nails Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN (stylized as NIИ), is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1988. Its members are the singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Trent Reznor and his frequent col ...

song "

Hurt Hurt may refer to: * Suffering * Pain * Injury Film and television * ''Hurt'' (2003 film), a Canadian drama film * ''Hurt'' (2009 film), an American horror film * ''Hurt'' (2015 film), a Canadian documentary film * ''Hurt'' (2018 film), an ...

". Guerrero is regarded as one of the greatest in-ring performers of all time. In a poll of the WWE roster, he was ranked the 11th greatest professional wrestler of all time.

ranked Guerrero as one of his top 10 opponents, while

said he was the best performer in the world when he was "on".

named Guerrero as the second greatest professional wrestler of all time, behind

Shawn Michaels Shawn Michaels (born Michael Shawn Hickenbottom on July 22, 1965) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he is the Senior Vice President of Talent Development, Creative, and oversees the creative aspects of th ...

, stating: " ddiecould have been the absolute greatest of all time because when I wrestled, he was still in that top three we were talking about, so Eddie had it all. He was so entertaining, but he also had all the technique. He was such a great wrestler and he got it. He got finishes. He knew how to structure them." WWE named Guerrero one of the most beloved and accomplished WWE superstars of all time, one of the best technical wrestlers ever, and the fifth greatest performer in the history of the company's SmackDown brand.

Championships and accomplishments

Chyna and Eddie Guerrero - King of the Ring 2000

AAA World Tag Team Championship The AAA World Tag Team Championship (''Campeonato en Parejas AAA'' in Spanish language, Spanish) is the main tag team championship (professional wrestling), title contested for in the Mexico, Mexican lucha libre professional wrestling promotion, p ...

( 1 time) – with

AAA Hall of Fame The AAA Hall of Fame is a hall of fame which honors professional wrestlers and wrestling personalities, established and maintained by the Mexico based national wrestling promotion Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA). Inductees Individuals See als ...

(Class of 2008) *

Cauliflower Alley Club The Cauliflower Alley Club is a non-profit fraternal organization, which includes a newsletter and website, comprising both retired and active professional wrestlers and boxers in North America. Established in 1965 by Mike Mazurki and Art Ab ...

** Men's Wrestling Award (2008) *

(

2 times "2 Times" is the debut single of English singer Ann Lee. It was released in Italy in December 1998 by X-Energy as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999), and was issued worldwide the following year. The single peaked at number tw ...

) * Hardcore Hall of Fame **Class of 2015 *

Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South Independent Wrestling Association (IWA) Mid-South (also known as IWA Mid-South, IWA-MS, and IWA Mid South Wrestling) was an American Independent circuit, independent professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion based in J ...

** IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Championship ( 1 time) * Latin American Wrestling Association ** LAWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *

Best of the Super Juniors The Best of the Super Juniors (stylized as the BEST OF THE SUPER Jr. and often abbreviated BOSJ) is an annual professional wrestling tournament held by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), typically in May or June. Originally known as Top of the Supe ...

III (

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

) ** Junior Heavyweight Super Grade Tag League (1996) – with

* Pro Wrestling Federation ** PWF World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with

Héctor Guerrero Héctor Manuel Guerrero Llanes (born October 1, 1954) is a Mexican American former Commentator (professional wrestling), commentator and professional wrestler. He is a part of professional wrestling's Guerrero family along with his father Gor ...

* ''

Pro Wrestling Illustrated ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishing Group. The maga ...

'' ** Comeback of the Year (1999) ** Inspirational Wrestler of the Year (2002, 2004) ** Stanley Weston Award (2005) ** Ranked No. 2 of the top 500 wrestlers in the ''PWI'' 500 in 2004 ** Ranked No. 81 of the top 500 wrestlers of the "''PWI'' Years" in 2003 ** Ranked No. 18 of the top 100 tag teams of the "''PWI'' Years" with Art Barr in 2003 *

WCW Cruiserweight Championship World Championship Wrestling (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of National W ...

(

) **

WCW United States Heavyweight Championship The WWE United States Championship is a men's professional wrestling Professional wrestling championship#Location-specific championships, championship promoted by the United States, American professional wrestling promotion, promotion WWE, defend ...

( 1 time) **WCW United States Championship Tournament (1996) **Battlebowl Championship Ring (1996) ** World Cup Of Wrestling (1995) - with

Lex Luger Lawrence Wendell Pfohl (born June 2, 1958), better known by the ring name Lex Luger, is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, bodybuilder, and gridiron football player. He is best known for his work with Jim Crocke ...

, Johnny B. Badd,

Sting Stimulator of interferon genes (STING), also known as transmembrane protein 173 (TMEM173) and MPYS/MITA/ERIS is a regulator protein that in humans is encoded by the STING1 gene. STING plays an important role in innate immunity. STING induces typ ...

, and

** WWA International Cruiserweight Championship ( 1 time) *

World Wrestling Association The World Wrestling Association (WWA) (Asociación Mundial de Lucha Libre in Spanish language, Spanish) is a lucha libre promotion based in the Tijuana-area of Mexico. It was founded in 1986 by Benjamin Mora Jr.. It featured some of Mexico's best ...

** WWA Trios Championship ( 1 time) – with Chavo Guerrero and

Mando Guerrero Armando Guerrero Llanes (born June 9, 1950), better known as Mando Guerrero, is a Mexican American retired professional wrestler. He also was the trainer for the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling, an all-female professional wrestling promotion. He ...

** WWA World Welterweight Championship ( 1 time) * World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Entertainment **

( 1 time) ** WWF/WWE Intercontinental Championship (

) **

( 1 time) ** WWF European Championship (

) **

( 4 times) – with Chavo Guerrero (2), Tajiri (1) and

(1) **

WWE Hall of Fame The WWE Hall of Fame is a List of halls and walks of fame, hall of fame which honors professional wrestlers and professional wrestling personalities maintained by WWE. Originally known as the "WWF Hall of Fame", it was created in 1993 when An ...

( Class of 2006) ** WWE United States Championship Tournament (2003) ** 15-man SmackDown! Royal Rumble (2004) **

Eleventh In music theory, an eleventh is a compound interval consisting of an octave plus a fourth. A perfect eleventh spans 17 and the augmented eleventh 18 semitones, or 10 steps in a diatonic scale. Since there are only seven degrees in a diaton ...

Triple Crown Champion ** Sixth Grand Slam Champion * ''

'' ** Best on Interviews (2005) ** Feud of the Year (1994)

Los Gringos Locos ''Los Gringos Locos'' (intended to mean ''The Crazy Americans'' in English) were a lucha libre stable in Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA). The stable was originally a tag team consisting of Eddie Guerrero and Art Barr. Gimmick ''Lo ...

vs. AAA ** Feud of the Year (1995) vs.

** Most Charismatic (2004, 2005) ** Tag Team of the Year (1994) with Art Barr as La Pareja del Terror ** Tag Team of the Year (2002) with Chavo Guerrero as

Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') Hall of Fame is a professional wrestling and mixed martial arts (MMA) hall of fame that recognizes people who make significant contributions to their professions. It was founded in 1996 by Dave Mel ...

(Class of 2006)

''Luchas de Apuestas'' record

References

External links

Early life

Professional wrestling career

Early career (1986–1992)

Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (1992–1995)

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (1992–1996)

Extreme Championship Wrestling (1995)

World Championship Wrestling (1995–2000)

Beginning (1995–1996)

Championship reigns (1996–1997)

Latino World Order; Filthy Animals (1998–2000)

World Wrestling Federation (2000–2001)

Independent circuit; New Japan Pro Wrestling (2001–2002)

World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment (2002–2005)

Teaming with Chris Benoit (2002)

Los Guerreros (2002–2004)

WWE Champion (2004)

Final storylines (2004–2005)

Professional wrestling style and persona

Other media

Video games

Personal life

Death

Legacy

Championships and accomplishments

''Luchas de Apuestas'' record

See also

References

External links