All language subtitles for EP-08 - Eddie Guerrero

- Are you ready?

Eddie, this is Chris.

- Hi, nice to meet you finally.

- Chris, how are you doing?

- Nice to meet you finally.

- Nice to meet you.

- How are you?

- Good.

- Thanks for everything.

- How are you doing Eddie?

- Oh, go ahead.

[Hydraulic suspension noise]

- Oh.

- Try it again, this side.

[Hydraulic suspension noise]

- Does that mean you're ready?

- I'm ready.

- All right.

- This is kinda really
where I grew up.

This is my neighborhood, man.

Um, wow.

Right here, the area,
the coliseum, man,

where my dad used
to have the wrestling.

I never ever in my dreams did
I expect to-

to reach where I'm at today.

Enjoy the ride as long
as you can because

it's not gonna be there forever.

But, you know, I shouldn't be
worrying about things that

aren't happening yet.

Heck, I haven't even hit the top
of the mountain yet.

When I was born,
I came out of my mom,

I dropkicked the doctor,
that's right.

- Here's the fourth Guerrero
brother who's name is Eddie.

I've had a chance to see him,
and he's coming along.

- His whole family were just
top-notch workers,

but I think Eddie may have been
the best of all of them.

- What fight, what determination
in this Eddie Guerrero.

- Eddie was just doing
groundbreaking stuff.

- You want some Latino Heat.

- He was just such a different
hero for the culture.

- It wasn't just Latinos who
loved him, everyone did.

- Eddie Guerrero
did the unthinkable.

- You're doing these great
things in wrestling and it's

great, but after you done it,
there's nothing to fill you.

- There was like two Eddie
Guerreros.

- It's a little snowball and
before you know it,

it's an avalanche.

- It's very easy to fall into
any type of abuse.

- I lost my wife, I lost my
kids, I lost my spirit.

- He never had his eyes open
to how close he was to death.

- A stunning tragedy strikes
the world of wrestling.

- I couldn't believe that this
was really happening.

[crowd chants: "Eddie"]

- Driving around the
neighborhood, uh,

El Paso brings back
a lot of memories.

My dad had this Pinto and he
used to give me a ride every day

to school, and I didn't want him
to give me a ride, and he said,

"No, I'll drive you."

I go, "Dad, you don't have to."

He said, "No, no, son.
I'll drive you."

I said, "All right, dad."
You know?

So we'd get in the car
and we'd be cruising.

He'd be going 10 miles an hour.

I'd be crouched down really,
really low in the seat, like,

I didn't want nobody to see me,
you know?

[laughs]

And my dad knew
what he was doing.

He'd do it on purpose.

He was ribbing me, you know?

Describing myself as a kid,
I was a spoiled brat

running around El Paso.

You know, I was
Gory Guerrero's son.

Or Chavo's younger brother
or Mando's younger brother.

You know, I was
one of the Guerreros.

- Eddie is my baby.

My husband and all of his
brothers and my daughters,

we are wrestling family.

- My dad was a legend, you know,
and I'm not just saying that

because he's my dad.

He was a world champion
in Mexico.

He was a promoter of wrestling
in Ciudad Juárez and

in El Paso for many years.

I used to run around with my
dad, you know, in the dressing

room when he was a promoter.

And as I got bigger, you know,
idolizing my dad,

I wanted to be just like him.

- He is always like my husband,
wrestling in the mind.

- Other kids had jungle gyms
in their backyards.

We grew up with a wrestling
ring in our backyard.

You know, we put covers over the
ropes and I'd camp out at night.

- He wanted to be like his
brothers, wanted to be, uh, part

of the wrestling world, and
he would just go in there,

and sure, we'll teach him
everything.

-You know, we were taught at
an early age how to fall,

how to roll.

To us, it was playing, but to
them, they were teaching us.

- It was sometime around junior
high, you know, there was a buzz

that, uh, this kid, you know,
this scrawny little kid, uh,

was related to the wrestling
Guerreros.

Eddie Guerrero of the great
Guerrero family.

- Hector, Mando, and Chavo,
the Guerrero brothers.

- It's hard to live, uh,
under the shadow of a father,

under the shadow of your own
brothers, and Eddie's right

in the middle of it.

- I met Eddie when I joined
the wrestling gym at Thomas

Jefferson High School.

The coach was taking roll call.

All of a sudden, he calls out
Eddie, Eddie Guerrero.

I'm like, "Guerrero?"

So I was just like, "Hmm."

And of course, after practice,
I walked up to him and I asked

him, "Hey, by chance is Chavo
Guerrero a relative of yours?"

- Chavo Guerrero.

- He says,
"Yeah, that's my brother."

Eddie would, you know,
work out with his brothers

and roll around, stuff like that
whenever he could.

I said, "Well, fantastic, you
know, sign me up."

Hello, my name is Hector Rincon.

Thank you.

- I'm Eddie Guerrero.

- We would meet at Eddie's
house about eight o'clock

in the morning.

Anytime we got into the ring,
you didn't see that he was

slacking off, or being lazy,
nothing to that affect.

No, it was go, go, go, go, go.

- First, I will just demonstrate
right here what's called

a standing dropkick.

I'll jump up with both legs and
hit him on the chest, and

hopefully knock him down, okay?

Ready, Hector?

- Yeah, okay.

- Come down from here,
come down here, come back here.

Okay, now the purpose of it
here, this is just a setup.

- Chavo, whenever he was
in town, he would train with us,

you know, show us a few things.

But, I mean,
he was a professional.

It was hard on Eddie.

People think,
"Oh, Eddie had it easy.

He was a Guerrero."

No, that's not true.

He had that reputation
to uphold.

- I remember my dad used
to watch me wrestle,

and I could see him shake his
head like this.

And he knew I was doing
something wrong, you know,

and then I'd tense up.

This was my dad's here.

This is Hector's ring now.

I just get the pleasure of
coming in, jumping in.

It makes me feel good.

You know, Hector's got
the setup just almost like

I did back home, you know.

- Hey, and then you know what?

That's still the original board.

I haven't-I haven't changed it.

I mean, it is the original
board.

[chuckles]

- This is where my weightlifting
career started in the backyard.

- That's what I was
telling her, yep.

Nothing fancy about it.

- You know,
it makes me feel, um,

it makes me feel a little
guilty, and, uh, happy.

Guilty that I didn't, you know,
continue it like this,

but it makes me feel happy that
Hector's done it, you know.

It's like a-- It's like my dad.

I like my dad's here
right now, you know.

It feels good.
[chuckles]

I think the only thing that if
you wanna say a negative was

was, uh, the pressure that I put
on myself when it came down to

athletics, you know, especially
in wrestling, you know.

Living up to the name-

-and being watched all the time.

Always felt like
I was under a microscope.

- Gory could see
that Eddie was ready.

And Eddie, he was beaming
with confidence.

He was ready to go.

- You've seen the workout
and now as you see

our wrestling attire.

We're getting ready for a match.

- As soon as we, um, graduated
high school,

a couple of years after that,

you know, he was
already headlining

the matches in Juarez, you know.

- I got a hundred dollars
from my first match

because of my dad's name.

I mean, the place sold out.

[crowd cheering]

- And of course, being that he
was a young Guerrero, you know,

he had to prove, uh, his worth.

- And they had me in the main
event and the other boys

didn't feel I deserved it.

And they were right.

- And a lot of the times, you
know, he was- he was beat up,

uh, substantially.

They were making him
pay his dues.

- Basically, each match would
turn out to be in a fistfight.

- You know, he'd come back
and his-his chest was purple,

you know, from all the slaps
that, uh, he had received.

- You know, having a Guerrero
name is a plus and a negative

at the same time.

It's a plus because you get
a lot of opportunities a lot

quicker, but at the same time
there was no way I could live up

to it because I didn't have
the time or experience.

- I met him at a nightclub and
my best friend had pointed out

to me that this, you know,
"That's Eddie over there."

And I kind of looked
at him and-and I said,

"He is kind of cute."

He was wrestling on
Thursdays and Sundays,

and I was still working
at the time.

So I would just go on Sundays
to see him wrestle and, uh,

it was quite an adventure.

[chuckles]

He was just starting out, but
to me, he was already a star.

He has a great heart, which made
me fall in love with him.

- Vickie's tremendous.

You know, as a matter of fact,
my dad-

my dad really liked her,
you know?

- When I met his dad,
he was very sick at the time,

so I got his soft heart.

Our wedding,
that was really hard.

His dad passed away, um, that
Tuesday before we got married

and we buried him on Friday,
and then we had the wedding on

Saturday and his dad-
his dad's wishes were,

"Please, you know, go ahead
and get married."

- You know, in my life,
you know, I always wanted

to be like my dad.

I never got to see my dad
in his prime.

You know, I saw him wrestle
later on as he was older.

I wanted to be that person
that I never saw.

That was my focus,
that was my drive.

Hello, my name is Eddie
Guerrero, a friend to you,

but also professional wrestler.

- Eddie Guerrero.

- First time I saw Eddie
Guerrero, I was just a fan.

He came from the Guerrero family
after Mondo, Hector, Chavo,

you know, the youngest
out of all them.

- There is the fourth
Guerrero brother.

His name is Eddie.

I've had a chance to see him
and he's coming along.

- I hear nothing but great
things about young

Eddie Guerrero.

They say he is one piece
of work.

- Eddie Guerrero-

- He conquered Mexico
with his style, lucha libre

[Spanish language]

- Lucha libre it's like
freestyle wrestling, you know.

All the throws and
the high flying.

Lucha libre is fast, very fluid.

It identifies
as a Mexican culture.

[crowd chants "Eddie"]

- Eddie, Eddie, Eddie.

In Mexico, the word Eddie
does not exist,

but that's the way it is.

Eddie, it started with Eddie.

Eduardo.

Eduardo.

They don't say that.

They say, Eddie.

[crowd chants "Eddie"]

- Eddie left from Mexico,
went to Japan.

He mixed many styles in one.

American, Japanese, Mexican.

- It took me about five,
six years, you know,

before I started
becoming successful.

I think wrestling under a mask
in Japan was a-a great blessing

for me because, you know, I
didn't have to be Eddie Guerrero

or one of the Guerrero's
anymore.

I was, uh, Black Tiger.

I stopped living up
to my dad and my brothers.

Yeah, this is where my oldest
daughter was born.

It's the same hospital
my dad passed away in.

And he was-- That's where he was
at when he passed away.

- There's a lot of times
that I regretted Eddie

being out of town a lot.

And he went to Japan, those
were very difficult because

he would be gone
for months sometimes.

And then also when our second
daughter was born,

he missed the birth.

That was really hard
for us to accept.

- I was up in, uh, I was in-
I was in a truck stop in Japan.

Having truck stop spaghetti and
I called home and yeah,

Vickie had just had Cheryl then,
you know.

And I was on the road wrestling,
you know.

So, you know, it's just part
of-- I guess it's just part of

being a-a wrestler, you know.

You hear about it all the time,
you know.

I never dreamt of wrestling
in the States.

I never thought it was possible.

In that time it was the Hulk
Hogan era where if you weren't

6-foot-7, 350 pounds,
you weren't gonna be used.

The smaller wrestler wasn't in
style here in the United States.

But that's when the doors opened
up for me in ECW.

- Eddie Guerrero ascends
to the top turnbuckle.

- I was very much aware of what
Eddie Guerrero was doing in

Mexico, so I brought Eddie
Guerrero into the United States.

Eddie was putting on a
performance that was just gold.

He's already the best of the
Guerreros.

He was destined to become
a top star in the industry.

- Hooks the legs, we've gotta
a new television champion.

- Yeah, I did it.

I -- did it.

The fans loved it.

- You're witnessing
the fulfillment

of a young man's dream.

- When I came into ECW,

the lucha libre style had not
been exposed yet.

Paul Heyman was the one
that started exposing it in ECW.

- Frankensteiner in midair.

He hooks the legs.

Now Malenko rolls over, Guerrero
rolls over Malenko, two three.

He got him, he got him.

- Then later on WCW got a hold
of it and really exposed it.

- Eddie Guerrero, one of the
newest editions to the lineup.

- I've got a roster full of
6-foot-5, 300-pound guys,

and they all more or less worked
the same in the ring.

So I thought, "Okay, well, how
do I do something different?

I know.

I'll create a cruiserweight
division."

Smaller guys that could do all
of the flying, all of the

athleticism, all of the,
"Oh my gosh, did you see that?"

- Look at that.

- People love action, and Eddie,
he brought not only action-

- Eddie springing
on the top rope.

- -and drama, but he did
it with believability.

- Eddie's work was flawless.

I loved working with that kid.

- When you watch early
Eddie Guerrero stuff,

he's maximizing his size
for a five-foot-eight guy.

- It's gonna be high flying,
exciting.

So don't even think
about missing this one.

- The cruiserweight division,
they changed the game, period.

Immediately I started watching
and paying closer

attention to Eddie.

- Oh my goodness.

- He deserved attention.

- Eddie was just doing
groundbreaking stuff that now

is much more commonplace.

But at the time is very
uncommon.

His incredible moves in the ring
head scissors, would do a flip

and bouncing off the rope
and doing a half spin.

- We knew each other from
Tijuana and there was

an instant click.

- You're watching right now
probably the most talented

man in our sport ever.

- Lucha libre is fast-paced,
but he would always tell me

to slow down.

"Tell the story, let the fans
react to what you do."

- I think a lot of Eddie's
success is attributed to the

blending of the lucha libre
style and

the American wrestling style.

You know, he kind of wore his
own boots instead of trying

to fill in his father's.

- There's a new United States
Champion, Eddie Guerrero.

- Eddie became a champion
in WCW,

right along the same time when
the nWo became a thing,

which was a spark for the second
wrestling boom.

A guy from El Paso became US
champion in WCW while Hulk Hogan

is the heavyweight champion,
that's amazing.

- This point in my career, you
know, it was going great.

It was sailing, you know.

Um, opportunities happened that
I had never dreamt about.

You're doing these great things
in wrestling and it's great, but

af-after-after you've done it,
you know, the feeling's gone.

There's nothing to fill you,
you know.

- The lifestyle, the work hard,
play hard, trying to balance

that, being on the road
all the time,

Eddie did struggle with
that some.

- Starts with an aspirin.

Mm, a little bear with an
aspirin.

[chuckles]

Ooh, little smoke over
here about this.

Oh, it feels good all by myself.

Makes it easier to be alone.

- Dealing with demons is
something that I think anybody

in the entertainment
business can relate to.

The roar of the room
is such an incredible feeling.

And then now you get off the
stage and you're

by yourself and it's quiet.

It's very easy to fall into
any type of abuse.

- You know,
I was already drinking.

I started taking a pill here and
a pill there, and experimenting

with other stuff and

just started going downhill,
you know.

New Year's '99, we had a party
that night at-at the house,

you know, and after everybody
left, my wife went asleep.

So, uh, I was hungry.

So I wound up driving
down the road.

I was taking RenewTrient, uh,
which is GHB, uh,

it's the date rape drug.

I was taking it for sleep.

So I say, actually, I was taking
it more for the high.

I don't know why.

I took about three caps,
you know,

capfuls when all it takes is
one, just to put you out.

- I guess it was about 6:00 or
7:00 in the morning,

the phone rang,
"This is St. Joe's Hospital.

We would like to talk to you
about Eddie's accident."

And I started getting that knot
in my stomach, thinking,

"Oh my gosh."

They said, "Ms. Guerrero, they
don't think he's gonna make

it through the night."

- New Year's '99.

Fell asleep at the wheel,
and from what I understand,

I was going, um,

I was going about 130
miles an hour.

That's what they tell me.

I don't remember.

And, you know, uh,
I hit a curve.

Car- the car started
flipping and, uh,

I was shot out of the T-top.

I broke my hip socket, fractured
my collarbone,

punctured my liver, and, uh,
they really didn't think

I was gonna recover from that.

- I remember seeing him when
I just walked into the hospital

and they said it took him
like three hours

to remember our phone number.

It was like a dream.

You know, you just dream this,
that, you know,

he can't pass away.

There's no way that
he's gonna leave us.

And there's a doctor, you know,
saying that, you know,

"You need to, you know, expect
this, that this could happen."

- Was I surprised when I got a
phone call, and was told that

he was in a bad car wreck?

No.

I was very, very
concerned 'cause it was

a very serious car accident.

He could have easily died.

- It was just a blessing from
God that he-

he wasn't ready to take Eddie.

He started getting stronger and,
um, his body started healing

from all the injuries.

Uh, it was- it was amazing how
things can happen so quick.

- It didn't make a dent
on me at all.

I don't know why.

It-it, uh--
I know why now, you know.

I was of a disease, disease of
addiction, you know, and okay,

it wasn't my time.

And then you start
feeling bulletproof.

- Eddie took about four months
at home to heal,

and then he was ready
to go back to work.

- Eddie is fortunate
to be alive.

His first wrestling match
back since the car crash.

Looks very, very good,
in good shape here.

Let's just see how
he can perform.

- He still had a lot of pain.

And so to take away the pain,
that's when he started getting

into the painkillers, for him to
be able to go back to work

as quick as he did.

- I was supposed to be out
for about a year.

Being the extremist that I am,
uh, I pushed it and, uh, I was

back in the ring in six months.

- What song?
The Frog Splash.

And Eddie Guerrero wins his
first match back

since the car crash.

- Eddie had a lot of passion.

- I'm back.

What do you think?

- Some of Eddie's greatest
strengths that made him who

he was in the ring, can
sometimes they can work

against us outside of the ring.

- I'm ready.

- What fight, what determination
in this Eddie Guerrero.

- What Eddie did in the ring,
the abuse that his body had

already taken, and now you
add a really bad accident to it,

it just quadrupled.

And Eddie's not a guy who's
gonna phone in anything.

- Look at this.

Oh, he did it.

- He didn't wanna cheat the
people, but he also wanted

to feel that energy off of them
for what he was giving off.

- I came back too early
and my body was hurting.

And, uh, I was prone
really to pain pills, you know.

I liked them.

You know, I wanted to keep
working, but I needed

to get through the pain.

And, uh, when the pain went
away, you know,

I just continued to use it.

It's a little snowball and
before you know it, it

-it's an avalanche.

Maybe about a year after my car
accident, I took some GHB to go

to sleep, and, uh, it had a bad
reaction and my wife wound up

having to call, uh, 911.

They put me on a respirator.

They-they put a machine down
my throat, you know, to help me

breathe, 'cause my lungs
did collapse.

That was my first OD.

And then a month later, I went
to a pain specialist, you know,

to help out with my pain,
you know.

And, uh,

[clears throat]

they got me on some medicines
and I went to El Paso

for Christmas.

The whole family was there.

And, uh, I started drinking,
you know, mixing.

- I'd say, "Son, I think you
drink too much."

They say, "Oh, no, mom,
this only holidays.

And don't tell me nothing."

They say, "You know me, I'm-
I am in control."

- And I guess about after an
hour he had gone to bed, but

Mando said that he could hear
Eddie breathing really shallow.

Just like, um,- like just deep
breaths, but not grabbing a full

breath, um breath of air.

- Open up his eyes, he had- he
had--

You couldn't see the-the eyes.

It was just white.

And I-- So I started getting
him mouth to mouth.

- He was blue, all his body,
blue, blue, blue here.

[choking sound]

[Spanish Language]

overdose, overdose in the-
in the bathroom.

- Then they called the, uh,
ambulance and, uh, rushed me

to the hospital and, you know,
fixed me up.

[chuckles]

I still wasn't done after that.

- I was, um, very scared at
times because, you know, I wa--

I didn't know how to treat him.

He never had his eyes open to
how close he was to death.

And by me telling him over and
over, it wasn't doing any good,

because it would just
make us fight.

- I mean, I didn't think nothing
was wrong with me.

You almost kill yourself in a
car crash, you OD, and then

a month later you're ODing
again, and-and you-you don't

think nothing's wrong.

- The return of Eddie Guerrero
and he's got

that surly attitude.

- Eddie had some challenges
with pills, with alcohol,

and there was like two
Eddie Guerreros.

There was the lovable, fun,
easygoing, chill Eddie, and then

there was the Eddie that had
a bit of a chip on his shoulder.

I think it was pressure that
Eddie put on himself to live up

to his own expectations.

Let you out?

Eddie was right up in your face.

He didn't care.

- You made me the star.

I didn't do that on my own
in the ring.

- No, no, no.

- I didn't do that on my own
in the ring.

- Often times these
cruiserweight matches aren't

going to be the ones on that
main event.

They were like
supporting characters.

They were the B plot.

- I don't care anymore,
Eric Bischoff.

You got a lot of young talent
here in WCW and

all you do is hold us down.

I wasn't happy anymore
because they weren't-

I didn't feel they were
using me right, and uh,

asked for my release,

called WWE.

- I bring Eddie down
to Vince's office.

They meet, Vince walks out.

He goes, "Bruce, he's so tiny."

And I'm like,

"Yeah, but his personality is
bigger than this building.

He's a Mexican Shawn Michaels."

[crowd cheers]

- Eddie Guerrero.

Oh, my God.

What a Frog Splash.

- He's got "it."

- I was just excited to get out
of WCW man and I was so excited

about working in WWE,
you know, because

Vince gives people
opportunities.

If he sees potential in you,
he'll give you an opportunity.

And I was so determined to show
Vince I had potential.

When I got to WWE, yeah, there
was that sense of I've arrived,

you know, this is it.

I was watching a movie, The
Birdcage with Robin Williams and

his housekeeper, you know, he's
asking him, um,

"You know, why don't you let me
perform, you know, in the show?"

- Armand, why don't
you let me be in the show?

Come on.

Are you afraid of my
Guatemalan-ness

- Your what?

- My Guatemalan-ness.

My natural heat.

- Guatemalan Heat

You know, I was watching that.

I said, mm, Latino Heat.

Take it easy, Mamacita, I know
you're here really because you

want some Latino Heat.

And it got such a big pop
from the audience that, um,

I felt it, you know I felt that-
that's it.

No, no, you don't get it,
there's more to heat

than just heat.

- When Eddie Guerrero created
Latino Heat and, uh, started,

uh, that onscreen relationship
with Chyna, this is where he

showed the other side of him,
the layers that he added and-

and the personality you see ooze
out of him.

- I thought the pairing of Eddie
Guerrero with Chyna was

brilliant to pair this kind of
hyper-masculine macho character

with Chyna, who was not
hyper-feminine.

- That whole Mamacita and the
whole thing, it was just great.

- Who cares about
winning or losing?

As long as we
all dance afterwards.

- Eddie had that way with
people, he would bring out the

best of people and he would
bring out their personality and

he would have them
shine with him.

- I really couldn't resist
your Latino Heat.

- I never pictured myself being
entertaining in that funny way.

- It helped him start to really
express who Eddie Guerrero was,

you know, along with finding a
little character here and there.

- Please forgive me,

find it in your heart to forgive
me, please.

- I kind of wondered what took
Eddie so long to come to the

realization that it's not just
going to be his in-ring skills

that make him so great.

- I felt like, babe, this is a
new start for you.

- You want some Latino Heat,
baby?

- Let's take away all this bad
stuff that's going on in you

and let's enjoy this.

And he was really determined.

He-he always wanted to have
a better life for himself,

but the partying still
continued.

We had a lot of fights.

You know, there was a lot of
times in the restaurants, you

know, the waiters would come up
to me and say, "We're not--we're

not giving him any more liquor."

You know, and there was times
at-at night when it was really

bad, I took the kids and we went
to hotels because

he was just a monster.

It was unbearable.

- I never ever ever once
thought what I was putting

my family through.

You know, her having to leave
the house because I became

violent, not towards her,
just being violent.

You know, now that I realize it
too, you know, it was even

dangerous for the girls
to be in that atmosphere.

- You always think it can't
happen to me.

I'm married to Eddie Guerrero.

You know, we have the house
with the boat and

the pool table and the cars.

This can't happen to us.

- Eddie put on a great
mask at times.

There were demons, um, that
would manifest themselves

every once in a while.

- We were at a TV
in Minneapolis.

I remember Eddie walking in,
coming down the hallway,

but nobody was home.

Eddie went into the dressing
room and sat in the corner

and just wasn't there.

- I showed up to work messed up,
you know, uh, they were gracious

enough to send me to rehab
and I went.

You know, I went because that
was the only way to keep my job.

I didn't want to go.

- I didn't want to be
with him anymore.

He was telling me that he really
wanted to try, but by that time,

I had given up on all the
promises that he had given me

about saying that he wanted
to get sober.

He wanted to have a better life.

He didn't want to hurt me
and the girls anymore.

But I was so discouraged, and I
went, "I don't believe you."

When he was in rehab,
I wrote him a letter asking

for the divorce.

- Coming out of rehab, losing my
wife and losing the family,

my thoughts were, well,
at least I got wrestling.

Everything that I had just gone
through the four months, man,

it just like didn't sink in.

I had kind of accepted the fact
that I can't do drugs anymore,

but there was still
the doubt that, well,

maybe I can handle drink.

I went and picked up a bottle
of wine and I took it home,

and I said, "All right, nobody's
gonna see me here.

I'm not gonna hurt anybody."

As soon as I took that
first drink, there was

a tingling sensation.

I remember it.

I mean, that just went
through my whole body.

One glass led to two and, uh,
two led to the whole bottle and

I went to buy another bottle and
I stayed at the bar and, uh,

I woke up in jail.

- We sent Eddie to rehab.

Upon his release, he went right
out and had a DUI, got drunk,

got a few other instances
with the law.

- That was hard because the girl
saw Eddie's picture on the news

and the paper was
all over the place.

You know, the girls heard about
a time they got back to school.

- Rehab didn't help and this
is now on Eddie.

Eddie needs to get himself
straight and we released him,

we released Eddie from
his contract.

- When I got the phone call, he
told me, "I'm sorry to tell you,

but you've been let go," and my
first thing was,

"Please, don't let me go, you
know.

I've lost everything, I can't
lose this."

I wanted a tattoo
for a long time.

As you see on the tattoo
they're kind of tied together

and it's pierced.

You know, it shows like
it's pierced through

the skin and got blood.

Uh, the piercing means just--
it's a reminder of the pain

I was in when I was going
through my addiction.

You know, I was in a lot of
pain, a lot of emotional pain,

kind of, and there was that kind
of pain, it was kind of like

a piercing inner pain that I
couldn't-- I had no relief of,

you know, and, um, you know, um,
the only person that got me out

of it was Christ and He still to
today, it's the only peace

I find and, you know,
His blood sets me free.

I had gone to recovery group,

that's when I believed
that this is a disease,

man and I don't have
no control over it.

All I wanted to do was have
one glass of wine

and look what happened.

You realize you're not gonna
wake up-

-you're not gonna wake up
with your children anymore.

Everything you've worked for,
you just --

down the tube, you know?

And, you know, you got
no one to blame but yourself.

It's the hardest thing to do
in this life, is to look at

yourself and realize that you
gotta make changes.

- November 9th was his first
day that he got sober.

And you know, at that time,
I was just like,

"Okay, great, you know,

you're sober for a day."

My heart had gone so cold to
him, that it didn't matter if he

was getting sober,
because I never believed it.

- Eddie had hit rock bottom.

I mean, he had lost his career,
he had lost Vickie, and his

girls, and he had lost
everything.

So after that, there was
no way to go but up.

- From El Paso Texas, please
welcome back to the ring,

Eddie Guerrero.

[crowd cheers]

- You know, he was scrambling,
of course,

to try to get his job back.

To see someone who was so
good as a wrestler, as a person,

just bottom-feeding, you know,
and just trying

to struggle to make it, man.

I told him how proud
I was of him.

- WWE said, "You know, the
door's always open."

I didn't believe it.

I guess they were watching.

- I would call just
to check in on him.

He says,"You know, I'm taking
it one day at a time.

Doing my meetings,
doing my stuff."

And that's fine for Eddie to
tell me that.

But when other talent that have
no dog in the fight say,

"Hey Eddie's coming around.

I haven't seen him messed up.

He's not drinking
after the matches."

When you get enough of that,
then we were willing to take

another chance on him because
the talent and the human being,

you couldn't find any better.

- Hey, look at this, JR.

- Oh, there's Eddie.

Oh, wait a minute.

There's Eddie Guerrero.

- Nobody ever questioned
his ability in the ring.

- This guy will do a little Frog
Splashing of his own.

Look at this.

- Boom.

Boom.

- He's always been one
of the best, always.

My job, I felt, was just
give him support.

- Eddie wasn't necessarily on a
short leash, but he did have an

awful lot of eyeballs on him.

Placing Eddie with Chavo was
kind of a security blanket

because now Chavo
could travel with Eddie.

- We're here in Turku, Finland.

- Turku or Turku, ese?

Get it right, vato.

- Eddie was Chavo's uncle, but
they were more like brothers.

A lot closer in age.

It was something that Eddie
could lean on, and Eddie also

adored Chavo and was happy
that he could bring Chavo up.

- And I'll tell you-

- Look out.

- Whoa.

- Chavo Guerrero.

- We used to play in the
backyard, in the ring and we

used to play tag team champions
of the world.

- And Mysterio taps out.

[bell rings]

- The Guerreros are tag team
champions.

- And then we became, you know,
the world champs

and we lived out our dream.

You know, my, my dad, he's, uh,
watching from above.

- Smiling

- You know, the family and-
and, uh, you know,

I'm getting chills right now.

It was just a dream come true.

What else you want?

- He started living for himself
and I was always happy for him.

I accepted our life as me and
Eddie being separated and

sharing the kids and the divorce
still hasn't gone through.

The girls were always
a priority to me and Eddie.

I just said, "You know what, I
want to be your friend, and I-

I don't want to fight
with you anymore."

We just started hanging out
together and having lunch

together, and I fell in love
with him all over again.

- One, two-

You know, it's really amazing
how, when you lose something

and-and you get it back,
even if it's for one day,

how much you appreciate it.

- January 9th of 2003,
we renewed our vows.

- Eddie was living his life,
with his family.

And I think there was
an inner peace there

that made Eddie happy.

Behind the scenes,
and in front of the camera.

- Órale.

Whoo, haha.

- Seeing the progression of
Eddie and his career, I find it

interesting that it's like he
got way more Chicano.

- Hey, holmes, these are
some nice medals, man.

Are they gold?

- Yeah, they're real gold.

- What do you think I'd get out
a pawn shop for those?

- Get out of here.

- Chicano is a Mexican American.

You know, uh, órale, holmes.

You know, my character.

Órale, vato, take it easy, ese.

It's really a part of me, you
know, that those are the guys

I grew up with, you know,
and that were at school.

That's who I portray on TV.

You have any Tabasco?

Tabasco?

I put Tabasco in my ice cream,
vato.

- In some early promos,
he just kind of talked

like a normal American dude.

- You know, as a wrestler, you
try and study your opponent.

- But then, by that point,
he's doing more of the dropping

in Spanish words and phrases
into his English promos.

- Oh, [Spanish language]

You're trying to be Chicano.

[Spanish language]

Let's go get it.

- Come on.

- Órale.

- But I liked that there was
somebody speaking like a Chicano

from El Paso and owning
it on the screen,

even if it was almost
cartoonish at point.

- Can you say more than five
words in a sentence without

one of them being ese?

- I sure can, ese.

That's not a problem, holmes.

You know, uh, when we go to
Mexico- when I go to Mexico,

forsay, you know,
I'm an American citizen.

You know, I'm not
a real Mexican.

That's the way they look at me.

You know, that's the way my
cousins look at me in Mexico.

And when I come here,
you know, living here,

I'm not a real American.

You know, forsay, you know,
I'm a Mexican American.

So, we kind of had
to create our own image.

You know, our own little race.

- Guerrero style.

Lowrider City, baby.

- There's the Latino culture,
and there are,

just like in every culture,
there are subcultures.

- He put it right in your face,
and he put low riders

on national TV.

- Mr. McMahon is doing
his version of Latino Heat.

- There was even a time where he
threw Vince in the car.

- Mr. McMahon is gonna
get a ride from Latino Heat.

- And started hitting it, and
you see Vince,

he's like, "Oh, my God."

He made it cool.

He made it mainstream.

And you could see the joy in his
face every time he would do it.

- Check out el low rider.

- That's a bad ride right there.

- It's an expression of art
Chicano style.

If you go back to the history of
Mexico, you see that there's a

lot of art formastics, you know,
drawings and stuff like that.

Low rider, you know,
spiffied up, you know,

it's beautiful paint jobs.

You got the hydraulics on it.

We're so just proud that WWE is
looking at that now and-and

grasping that and giving the
Latino people that respect,

if you want to say that, that
acknowledgment.

It means the world.

It's that one thing that we've
been working for, and we're

spotlighted now.

You know, that's been the
difference in my career is, once

I started having fun with it,
man, it just, like, took off.

[yelling]

- Woo-hoo.

- Yeah, oh yeah.

The real Eddie Guerrero
is a people-pleaser.

You know, it's a good asset and
a bad asset, too, you know.

You know I don't have
to tell you.

What's up, holmes?

See, I'm a people pleaser.

[chuckles]

I dropped it.

Hey, man.

- Hey, that's okay.

It's not ours, right?

- No.

That's not, ese.

- You know, when Eddie
came back to WWE,

he was visibly
a different person.

- We, uh, borrowed it.

- Like he had a second
lease on life.

He had a second opportunity.

And you could almost feel that
he was- he was about to embark

on the most important
part of his career.

- We lie.

We cheat, we steal.

- The whole lie, cheat, steal
motto was kind of, uh, just came

about as a joke, almost.

- We're here to clean your pool.

- Oh, I didn't order
any pool boys.

- Uh, not clean your pool,
fix your pool.

- That's right, señora.

- We'd talked to Vince McMahon
and said, you know, we want to

do these vignettes about us
lying, cheating and stealing.

- Are you boys almost done?

- Oh yeah, grandma.

Just a couple more tests.

- What do you say
to a little wager here?

Winner takes all.

- Yeah.

- And, uh, the fans, they
caught on to that,

but instead of hating us,

they loved us for it,
you know?

- Easy.

- Yeah, come on, all.

Give me that.

- Because our motto was, yeah,
we lie, we cheat, we steal,

but at least we're
honest about it.

Is that a Rolex watch?

- I don't know.

Ese, what are you gonna
do with that?

- There were some
that were like,

"Oh, this is cool,
this is awesome."

And then, of course, you got
the, you know, the ones

that are like, "Oh, really?

This is what we got.

This is our representation."

- Eddie Guerrero was able to
take stereotypes that most

Mexican Americans or Chicanos
would normally find offensive

and turn them into qualities.

And put the joke that you would
think you would put on him,

back in your face,
with a smile on his.

- Don't forget,
we take plastic too.

- Smart.

- You had to love
everything they did.

- I thought y'all, uh, uh
Freddie got you guys

good with the baby.

- Oh, thanks, bro.

- That's good.

- Because the way Eddie did it.

- You would watch how he would
win and the creative finishes.

- Look at this.

- Caught the smoking sun.

- He's cheated, but in a way
where it was endearing,

and it was fun.

And the result was a performance
that everybody

was entertained by.

He took lie, cheat, and steal,
and made those three words okay.

And that's how good a performer
Eddie Guerrero is.

- He was just so endearing.

You do-- you couldn't help
but cheer for his-his smile.

I'm half-Mexican.

He was just such a different
hero for the culture.

- Eddie, there's toilet paper
in here.

- You can tell he was having fun
because he knew that we were

enjoying it as fans.

And he really loved
to make us smile.

- What the--
what the hell's he doing?

- I'll tell you what he's doing,
Eddie just got Carlito and Jesús

kicked out of the arena.

- Every time that Eddie
was put into a situation,

Eddie stole the show.

- Can we see Eddie's in a
swarm of humanity over here.

- I can't remember
the last time I've seen an-

an entrance like this.

- When you talk about Eddie
Guerrero, you can't just say,

"Oh, my God. What a great
Mexican star he was."

It wasn't the case.

We had a megastar
who happened to be Hispanic.

- Eddie had been clean for
two years, and he had proven

himself to the point that the
WWE decided it was time to go

all the way with Eddie Guerrero.

- [Spanish language]

- Ladies and gentlemen, and
who, in 10 days will meet Brock

Lesnar for the WWE Title at No
Way Out, Eddie Guerrero.

- Eddie's greatest moments were
where he stopped being so tough

and began to wear his heart on
his sleeve and connect with the

audience one set of eyes
at a time.

[crowd chanting "Eddie"]

- You knew him as a person,
a real person.

- Eddie had talked about his
addiction, talked about his

recovery, and it was out there.

- The only thing I have going
for me is that every obstacle

that's been put in front of me,
I have overcome.

- So it's therapeutic to go out
and tell the story and-and be

able to relate to the audience
that may have gone through

a lot of those same issues.

- [Spanish language]

"Eddie, those personal demons
that you battle every day,

they're too strong for you.

You can't beat them."

- He had such intensity,
not just in the language,

but like his face was working to
get these emotions of anger

or frustration across.

- "You'll never gain
your kids back.

You can't do it, Eddie.
You're no one.

No, it is not."

- Being humbled by life,
and not being shaken by that,

I think that's empowering.

- Listen here, addict.

Come this Sunday at No Way Out,
you're not fighting the odds,

Eddie, you're fighting me.

- Truth is, Brock,
I am an addict.

They carried me out of that
arena, and they carried me

straight into rehab.

Two and a half years ago,
I was ready to stop living.

I was ready to
give up my life.

I lost my wife, I lost my kids,
I lost my spirit.

And now, you know,
I'm actually enjoying my life.

Day by day, by the grace of God,
I have earned my way back

into this ring, man.

- "Hey, I've stumbled,
but you know what?

I have an opportunity to go
where nobody thought

I could go."

- Day by day, I have earned
my life back.

If my story can be a positive
influence to one person, then,

you know, I don't care about
my life being out there.

The difference between me and
you, bro, is that I'm an addict,

and I'll do anything to get that
around my waist and become

the WWE Champion.

Órale vato.

[crowd chanting "Eddie"]

- He's good, but is
he that good?

And he wanted to prove
that he was that good.

- For the first time ever, Eddie
Guerrero, who's been in this

business for so many years,
is battling for the WWE

Championship.

- I was just happy
to be there as a fan.

That's one of the feelings I
keep with me still to this day.

It felt like such a relief that
he was finally in that spot,

but if he didn't go through what
he did to get there,

it wouldn't have meant as much.

- I will never forget
all those fans standing,

and you saw the Eddie sign.

[crowd chants "Eddie"]

- They were so behind Eddie
because they wanted to see

a change in the WWE.

[crowd chants "Eddie"]

- How does Eddie Guerrero,
somebody who's never been

in that position, beat that guy?

- Look at that backdrop.

- Eddie Guerrero
off the big backdrop,

and Lesnar's in control.

- Brock's such a complete
wrestler, strong, powerful.

- Eddie Guerrero thrown
halfway across the ring.

- I tell you.

- He looked like he wasn't as
strong as Brock Lesnar,

but he didn't look weak.

- Look at this, here we go.

F5

I told you, he took the turn.

- Into the referee.

- So there's a part of you
that's like, "This is not gonna

happen, but it should."

- And Brock Lesnar lifting
Eddie Guerrero up.

- And now, I told you, Cole.

Here it comes, Cole.

- A counter.

A counter.

- Out of the gold.

- Fire, passion.

That's my brother.

- Come on, Eddie.

Come on, Eddie.

Eddie to the top rope.

Frog splash.

Frog splash.

- No.

- That's one.

- Two.

- Yes.

- No.

- Eddie Guerrero is Champion.

[crowd cheering]

- You work so hard all your
life, you know, for something.

And sometimes, this dream seemed
so unattainable to me, you know,

that-that it was hard for
me to believe when

it actually happened.

- Eddie Guerrero
did the unthinkable.

Eddie Guerrero is the new
WWE Champion.

- When he won the title, it was
like we were all one big family

celebrating someone we knew,
which we've never met before,

we've never had
a relationship with.

But he just let us in so
much that we felt like

we all won the title.

- I was there.

I was there,
and I was so happy.

When I saw this match.

I feel more proud of him.

- Eddie Guerrero's mother, Eddie
Guerrero's brother, Mando,

in attendance, to watch Eddie
Guerrero climb the mountain.

- We're a tight family, but at
the same time, we push each

other, and we expect the best
out of each other.

It's sometimes hard to get that
approval, you know.

And I got that approval
from my mom that night,

and it meant the world to me.

I knew my dad was there,
spiritually, watching me.

And I looked up and, uh, you
know, I said, "Hey, Dad.

You know, this one's for you."

- That's all he talked about,
was just making it, you know,

to the top.

I just cried for him,
and when he called,

I couldn't stop talking.

[laughs]

I was just so happy, and he
worked so hard for that.

And, um, I just thank God for
that blessing because he-

he deserved it.

- I just wanna thank you.

- For what?

- For standing behind me.

[laughter]

- Vickie, girls, I love you.

[Fans chant "Eddie"]

- [laughs]

- It truly was a game changer.

- 5'8" dude from El Paso, Texas,
crossing the border back and

forth to go wrestling, ended up
wrestling all over the US,

Mexico, Japan, WWE,
and got the championship.

You can't write a better story.

- Ladies and gentlemen, it's my
pleasure to introduce to you,

the new WWE Champion,
Eddie Guerrero.

- A celebration for the new WWE
Champion, Eddie Guerrero.

- Eddie Guerrero, the wrestler
or the person, was the same

thing for every
Latino out there.

Latinos were portrayed
one way on television.

We were always criminals.

- Hey Smiley.

- Hold up, ese..

Let me get his money first.

- We're trying to rob banks,
we're shooting people,

we're killing people.

It's rough to have to watch that
as a kid, and have everyone that

speaks the same language as you
be a horrible human being.

Eddie Guerrero was
something different.

He was a hero.

Not only was he a hero,
he was the world champion.

- The support of the fans has
allowed Eddie Guerrero to fight

back, fight through all his
problems over the years.

[crowd chants "Eddie"]

- You know, it was huge.

He wasn't just some
new wrestler.

Its-it's somebody that I
followed for a very long time.

And so to witness that whole
process was pretty awesome.

- Usually, I'm a little bit more
shy, you know what I mean?

[laughs]

But as for tonight,
you know what

vatos locos.

I can stand in this ring and
say,

Órale I am the WWE Champion,

or should I say,
we are the WWE Champion.

[crowd chants "Eddie"]

- When Eddie Guerrero
wins the WWE championship,

he goes from being
a favorite of WWE fans to

somebody that
the world recognizes.

Eddie Guerrero starts
showing up on Mad TV.

- No, no, no, no.

I tell you what, chicks dig,
homes Latino Heat.

- He's on magazine covers.

Eddie is now a mainstream star
and a household name.

- Viva la raza.

- That's right, holmes, Viva la
Raza.

- Viva la Raza means like,
long live the race.

Viva la Raza encompasses
national pride, like where we're

from, like Mexico, but also this
ethnic pride, from a specific

region with a specific history.

- As huge as Eddie became, both
nationally and internationally,

nowhere was he a bigger star
than at home in El Paso, Texas.

- You know, there's not
a lot to do, but the people

there are so
homey and loving.

They're just, uh, very
family-orientated people.

When you go there, man, they
just greet you with open arms.

- Thank you.

- You're welcome.

You're welcome.

[laughter]

- Eddie was one of the guys.

- I love Eddie.

- Around here.

Actually around downtown.

And somebody recognized him,
and they were driving their car,

and they honked,
and they yelled "Eddie."

- Eddie.

- That's the type of guy that we
as El Pasoans envision

Eddie to be.

One of us.

- Chico's Tacos is right here,
holmes.

See the- see the guy with a hat.

- And to have seen one of us
triumph in, in, in primetime

American cable was-was a treat.

- We gotta go in
and have a taco.

- In El Paso, there's a lot of
family trauma, whether it be

because of a lack of a father
figure, drug use, alcoholism,

which are all prevalent due to
our proximity to a border where

drugs run rampant.

- Eddie Guerrero, is that you?

Hey, man, I need your autograph.

- I got it.

- It's very important for a
young kid to see somebody who

looks like him, somebody who
speaks the language that he

does, and be able to say,
"I can do that too,"

and that's very profound,
very powerful.

- Okay, who wants some tacos?

Everybody want some tacos?

- The way he treats people and
how he prioritizes his life,

I learned from him, you know,
what life is all about.

He's just a big kid, and he has
a good young heart.

- I'm-I'm getting ready to start
making Chicos Tacos.

- Well, he was really
my first hero.

- At that point, not a lot of
people got outta here.

I guess the most infamous person
to come outta here at that point

in the '80s, uh-uh, was Richard
Ramirez, the-the Night Stalker.

So, once Eddie Guerrero made it,
not just outta here, but you

know, to the highest levels of
wrestling, and he's the world

champion, that meant something.

- He was the first individual
from El Paso who a lot of people

saw at the County Coliseum,
on Friday nights, as a teenager,

make it into primetime
on Monday nights.

So it's-it's very organic.

- It's funny 'cause this is the
area of the Coliseum, man,

when my dad used
to have the wrestling.

I've wrestled back in El Paso
ever since I'm-I've been in

WWE, but never, in all my life,
did I wrestle in the coliseum.

This where my dad held
the wrestling for, God,

12 years, I think, straight.

You know, I've been here and,
you know, done all of it.

Set up the ring, you know, you
know, pass out flyers, and sell

tickets, you know,
run the contracts back and forth

to the boys.

It's the first time I'm gonna be
wrestling in it, and, man, it's

not just special, it's like,
"Wow-

-full circle, full circle."

- And from El Paso, Texas.

Weighing in at 228 pounds,
he is the WWE Champion,

Eddie Guerrero.

[crowd cheering]

- Eddie won the big one.

The WWE championship.

And there was not a way that you
could be in El Paso

and not feel a sense of pride.

- I never treated him as Latino
Heat or as a wrestler.

Uh, because he's my friend.

I was so happy that he had
just come full circle.

- He was the first wrestler from
El Paso to have reached the

highest level of wrestling,
at a time where there was

a bunch of superstars.

But Eddie made it in one of the
most competitive times ever.

- How does it feel to be world
champion, homie?

[crowd cheering]

- And it's a testament to the
grit and enthusiasm that people

from El Paso bring to their-
to their respective industries.

- See, 'cause the way
I look at it, holmes,

this isn't mine, it's yours.

[crowd cheering]

- El Paso Coliseum, but I not
only came back as a wrestler,

I came back as your champion.

There's something that I've
realized, carrying the belt is a

lot harder than just getting it.

When I lost it all, when I lost
my family, when I lost this job,

I could go back, and I could
reflect on everything that I've

done and, uh, you know, when I-
when I sobered up, you know,

I asked God, I said, "God, you
know, if I ever get the

opportunity to go back to WWE, I
don't want everything.

All I want is the opportunity to
say, 'I did my best, I gave it

everything I had.'
And, um, today, I can say that.

Now, what I didn't realize

[chuckles]

is, there's a lot more to give.

But that's a day-to-day thing.

I can only imagine what
tomorrow's gonna bring.

'Cause, like I said, everything
is gravy for me now.

You know, it's just, I never,
ever in my dreams did I expect

to-to reach where I'm at today.

You know, and I know it's only
by the grace of God that I'm

here, and the way I look at it
is that I'm-I'm not here for me,

I'm here to serve others.

- After he had went through his
demons, and he had faced the

challenges that he had faced, he
had gotten saved,

re-introduced his life to God,
and it was just a bundle of joy

to be around him.

Eddie would break
out scriptures.

Especially if you were feeling
down and out and you needed

someone to talk to, he would
always find a perfect scripture

to handle whatever situation
you were dealing with.

And by the time you were
done talking to Eddie,

you felt uplifted.

And he was always helping other
people out as well.

Tell them what they were doing
wrong, or what they were doing

right, and encourage them.

- There was one guy who
was just constantly on my side.

He was constantly supporting me
and backing me and feed my ego,

and that was Eddie Guerrero.

He's just relentlessly
supportive of me.

[laughs]

It was getting an education
while having fun.

- Personally, he went through
good times and bad times, we all

do, but he never ever sacrificed
it when he stepped in the ring.

Every night, and this is
something that

Eddie Guerrero instilled in me,

"Do good work, and do your best
to entertain the audience."

- In the business, from the
outside looking in,

you don't see the, you know,
the toll that it takes.

Being a world champion is the
hardest part of the business.

And Eddie would come in,
and a lot of times,

he would look really,
really tired.

- He was one of those guys,
behind the scenes,

he would walk like
he was an old man.

And once he went through that
curtain, and went out there,

he was Eddie Guerrero,
Viva La Raza.

- Both of these men are
world-class athletes,

tremendous superstars.

- The WrestleMania 20 was
special in itself because the

WrestleMania before, I was in,
uh, a three-way tag team,

you know, and in this
Wrestlemania,

I was one of the
three main events.

What an honor.

- I never saw anyone that was
damn good, that loved the

so business so much.

- Eddie, countered.

- And that wasn't Eddie at his
best.

That was Eddie after
he was pretty beat up.

- There are master storytellers
that, regardless of the movie

they're in, you're gonna
go see the actor.

You're just gonna.

- But wait a minute,
Eddie's untying his boot.

What the hell is he doing?

- You may say, "Yeah, the movie
was no good, but man,

so and so was great."

- Wait a minute,
the boot went flying.

- His boot came off.

- Look at this,
small package.

One, two, there, he wins.

[bell rings]

- Once you put Eddie in the
story, it wasn't just the story

that was legitimate,
his opponent became

even more legitimate.

- Eddie Guerrero outsmarted Kurt
Angle, remains WWE Champion.

- Eddie took pride in whatever
it was that he was doing.

He brought up whoever
he was up against.

John Layfield is a perfect
example of someone that

a lot of people had doubts.

Like, "Ah, you know what, he's
Bradshaw, and I don't know if he

really can ever be a top guy."

Eddie was like,
"I'll make him a top guy."

- I'll be damned,
it's Eddie Guerrero.

- I think we look back on JBL as
one of the biggest villains that

Smackdown ever saw.

I truly believe the only reason
for that is because of his

rivalry with Eddie Guerrero.

- Eddie sacrificed his own
career for me in-

in a lot of ways.

And this ain't personal,
my friend.

- I'll make it personal.

- And Eddie wanted
me to succeed.

Eddie used to call me all the
times, at night, and say I've

got a storyline for you.

Here's what I want you to do."

Take me back to New York City,
now.

- New York City?

- Hey, whoa.

- He molded the JBL character.

He took it up personally,
that he was the champion,

and that he, as champion, he
should be able to make anybody.

And Eddie took that personally.

And he can take this guy who was
a barroom brawler and make him

into a world champion.

- The new WWE Champion,
John Bradshaw Layfield.

- The belt, don't get me wrong,
I love it, and it's great,

and it's a wonderful blessing,
but it's materialistic.

Everything that I did to
receive that belt,

that's what
it's really all about.

It's all the hard work and
everything that I did to get

there, that's who I am.

- I thought he had the title
for a long time, you know.

It felt like it.

But he didn't have a very
long title run.

And I think he started
getting to a point where

he could help others.

He was getting to the level of
Undertaker, Shawn Michaels.

You get to that level, and it's
like, you've made it, and you're

helping make other stars because
you're already that star.

[crowd cheers]

- There was something about him
that one second could be so

lovable and so funny, and the
next second could just be so

despicable and hateful.

- Hey.

- He could flip that switch like
nobody I've ever seen.

- What the hell
is this all about?

- It was definitely weird
seeing, uh, my dad and Eddie

go at it in front of the camera,
knowing that they were

such good friends.

- Eddie and I had something
very, very special.

It was just a bond that-that
only we can understand.

- You are stealing
my Latino Heat.

- It happened inside the ring,
it happened any time we were

around each other.

- Great American Bash,
I was sitting there, ringside,

and they're just killing
each other.

To me, this is crazy that these
two friends that, you know, are

in the back, hugging each other,
playing around, and then next

thing you know, they're out
there trying to kill each other.

So for me, it was definitely a-
a different environment.

- I'm your father, Dominik.

[crowd cheers]

- I'm your Papi.

- That feud was so much fun
between Eddie and Rey

when Dominik became into the
picture of this custody battle,

which we were very
nervous about.

- Is it true, Dad, is it really
true?

When the custody of Dominik
first got presented to me,

I think it was more of like a-
an idea.

Because they-- I guess,
at the end of the day,

they needed my green light,
if I wanted to do it.

And, uh, my dad told me, he's
like, "Hey, they're, uh, they're

gonna pay you, you won't have to
go to school," and I was like,

"Huh, I won't have
to go to school?"

We went to a park, and there's a
huge camera crew there, and they

had a-a bunch of, like, actors
kids, for, like, the background.

And I started getting a little
embarrassed, and I was like,

"I don't know if
I wanna do this."

- Hey, Dominik,
Come here man, come here.

Yeah.

- But, yeah, then Eddie
was like,

"Come on, miho, it'll be okay."

So then I was like, "All right."

- [Spanish language]

You want some candy?"

- So when we started filming it,
I just remember, after every

take and even in-in between
takes Eddie would give me, uh,

some Twizzlers and some candy,
in between, just to kinda help

the time fly by, and it was
always a good time with him.

- Yeah.

- It was a story that was beyond
what we could ever imagine.

- Eddie Guerrero and Rey
Mysterio for custody

of Dominik, SummerSlam?

- And to work with Dominik
and-and Rey,

Eddie had a great time
with them.

- You're on.

- Ladies and gentlemen, for the
first time in the history of the

WWE, the custody of a child,
will be determined in a match.

- He would go out there
and give it his all.

And the reason I can tell that
he would do that was because,

how he treated me out there.

- And all Rey Mysterio could do
is watch Eddie Guerrero climb

the ladder and take down those-

- He's in pain, Cole,
he's in pain.

- Wait a minute.

- What the hell?

- Wait a minute.

- Dominik, get out of there.

- Dominik trying to shake the
ladder, but he can't move it.

- Not strong enough.

- I was in the corner, after I
shook the ladder, and he was

just very intense in the middle
of a match, just yelling at me,

and then I know he would
never lay a hand on me.

But in that moment in time, I
was-- it was so intense and,

like, just backed up in a
corner, where I-I didn't know

what was gonna happen.

- This-- Look at this
son of a bitch, wow.

- Hey, Rey.

- Wow, God.

- Rey Mysterio with
the right hand.

- Eddie really put Rey on the
map, as far as WWE is concerned.

Took him to the next level.

- Look at this reversal.

- Flips him.

- Rey reversed it.

- I was able to display myself
to the world on

a different level.

Eddie gave me that opportunity.

- Come on, Rey.

Yeah.

- Yeah.

- Yes, Rey Mysterio has
Dominik back.

- Besides everything that
happened, the reason why this

match was so special
to me because

that was my last match
with Eddie.

- Eddie had been doing great,
and he conquered drugs and

alcohol and had been living his
life healthy and-

and really doing great.

And one day we're in
Minneapolis, someone said,

"Hey, there's a really bad
rumor going around.

They found Eddie Guerrero at a
hotel."

- If God were to take me today,
I can honestly say that,

you know, I'm satisfied.

I really am.

I'm- I'm- I'm- I'm pleased with
the way my career has gone.

- November 13th, 2005.

It changed my life.

- I was walking into the Target
Center there, in Minneapolis,

and I saw Rey, and he was
overcome with emotion.

And, um, I knew something
terrible had happened.

- Couldn't believe that this was
really happening.

None of us could.

None of us could.

- A stunning tragedy strikes
the world of wrestling.

- Hotel security of downtown
Minneapolis Marriott found

38-year-old Eddie Guerrero dead
in his room this morning.

- His widow says it was from
heart failure caused by a past

filled with drinking and
drug abuse,

combined with working out all of
the time.

- It just-- Eddie's heart gave
out brushing his teeth, and-

and it was horrible.

It just was a huge hole
in my heart.

And I- and I think a hole
in the industry, overall.

- He had a huge heart.

One of the biggest hearts of any
person that I know personally.

And I know that he's going to be
missed, not just by the family,

not by the wrestlers,
but by the fans, tremendously.

- Obviously, we're all
deeply saddened by-

by Eddie's, uh, passing.

Um, and, um, it's gonna be tough
to get over, but Eddie would

want, uh, the show to go on.

And that's what we're gonna
try to do here tonight.

[crowd chanting
"Thank you Eddie"]

- Even in the wake of Eddie
Guerrero's death, wrestlers

said, "The show must go on," so
they could pay tribute to one of

the most popular stars
in the business.

- I walked into the arena, and I
saw all these signs that said,

"Rest in peace, Eddie."

And as a kid, I just--
it didn't quite hit me.

I just was a little confused.

[crowd chanting "Eddie"]

- So this guy walked up to me
and goes, "Did you hear?

Eddie Guerrero passed away?"

And I just remember everything
at that moment,

just stopped for me.

And then I took a look around,
and I saw those signs again.

I was like,
"This can't be real."

[crowd cheering]

- Eddie Guerrero
has passed away.

Eddie was in the prime of his
life, 38 years old,

in the prime of his career.

So tonight, we celebrate the
life of Eddie Guerrero.

[crowd cheering]

- It's different when
somebody's ill, and you know

that, potentially,
it can lose their lives.

With Eddie, they came
from left field.

We had no idea.

- The whole building,
everybody, the crew,

the wrestlers, the audience,
everybody was just devastated.

Still haven't gotten over it.

- You'd think after all these
years it'll be easier to-- but--

Eddie Guerrero loved
this business.

He ate, he breathed, he slept,
he bled this business.

[crowd chanting "Eddie"]

[birds chirpping]

- I miss you,

and I wish
you were still here.

Man, we talk about
you all the time.

You inspired so many of us.

I love you for that.

- Eddie is always with us.

And so to give tribute to-to
Eddie, and to give him

recognition, it just shows
our love and that,

um, we're never gonna
forget about him.

Eddie made it a point to
make himself better.

- [laughs]

What's your name?

- And I am very proud of him.

- All right.

He's a man that went down
to the bottom and climbed

all the way at the top.

[fireworks]

- His ability to connect with
not just Latinos,

but everyone makes
him a unicorn.

Eddie had something special
where he brought the best of

Lucha libre to a mainstream
style of wrestling and was so

good at it that he then inspired
multiple generations

to do the exact same thing.

- Dominik wasting no time.

Gonna show 'em how it's done.

Frog splash.

- It's odd, you know, when you
don't know somebody,

but they've literally
affected your life.

They've inspired you, they've
made you change

the way you live.

You deal with loss,
you lose your heroes,

but Eddie hit different.

- 100 years from now, people are
gonna look at Eddie Guerrero,

and they're going to be
entertained because he was one

of the greatest entertainers
that has ever lived.

- [Spanish language]

- And by the way, he happened
to be able to wrestle-

-his ass off.

- Eddie to the top rope.

Frog splash.

- I think the reason he
became so beloved,

is because he was authentic.

When you see Eddie, you're
probably seeing an uncle,

you're probably seeing
a family friend,

you might be even
seeing yourself.

And that's what made Eddie so
special and charismatic,

that he was one of the people.

If you go through our
underpasses, there's murals of

Eddie Guerrero, almost 20 years
after his death.

- You know, um, wow.

I've never been here

I've been here, but ooh,
it's been a while since

I've been here.

I wanna check it out.

You come out here, man, you see
these murals in 2000 years from

now, you know, and this may
still be standing up like the

ruins, you know, and they'll be
looking at this like our art,

you know?

There's a lot of things I wish
my dad could have saw,

like winning the WWE
championship.

These are days I wish
he could have been there.

You know, I-I always wanted to
make my dad happy.

I think every child wants to,
you know, uh, strives for that.

And, uh, you know, I got my mom,
and I got my kids and my family.

Now, these are days that you
just wish, uh, I wish my dad

could have seen, you know.

This is a dream I'm living
with my dad.