(from left to right) Gory, Héctor, Mandó, Linda, Mary, Herlinda, Chavo, and Eddie
El Santo (left) and Gory Guerrero (right)
Other than the illustrious El Santo from my previous Passion Blog Entry (subtle plug) the most famous Mexican wrestler from the Golden Era was Santo’s tag team partner, Gory Guerrero. He and his family members that followed in his footsteps are responsible for several of wrestling’s highest honors as well for popularizing the Lucha Libre style in America.
Backtracking to the beginning, patriarch Gory was the original star of the bunch. He had already accumulated enough of a fortune by his early twenties and decided to open the El Paso County Coliseum in 1942. Several notable names have passed through the Coliseum including hundreds of wrestlers, James Brown, AC/DC and Elvis Presley. The running of the venue was a family affair and all of Gory’s children played a role. Chavo, Héctor, Mandó, and Eddie all wrestled themselves to varying degrees. The daughters, Mary and Linda worked alongside their mother Herlinda selling tickets and supervising the finances. In fact Mandó is credited for inventing the moonsault, an aerial wrestling move that involves the performer backflipping from the top rope, in the 1970s. Gory’s most popular successor by far though was Eddie.
Eddie (left) and Chavo Jr. (right)
Eddie Guerrero was the youngest of the six children and was born at a time when the eldest, Chavo, had already begun training to enter the wrestling world. He’s spoken several times about how growing up in a reputable family was very hard for him but also motivating. Shortly after debuting, Eddie skyrocketed to main event status and was given opportunities to work in major companies such as CMLL, NJPW, AAA, ECW, WCW and WWE throughout his career. Don’t get me wrong though, while his name was able to get him through the door, his skills and natural charisma are what got him to the top. That, and near perfect timing.
2002 to 2008 is known as WWE’s Ruthless Aggression Era. Eddie’s heel character of a suave smooth talker worked wonders over the crowds of this time period even though they were supposed to be rooting for the opposite side. Around this time he started to popularize the frog splash, another aerial move that is associated with Guerrero by anyone that uses it till this day. He also started tag teaming with his nephew Chavo Jr. under the banner of Los Guerreros. The two of them popularized the cruiserweight division and fans were able to see relatively smaller guys in the main event scene on a regular basis. The moment where Eddie was able to pin Brock Lesnar and win the WWE World Championship was historic for the Guerro family, latino wrestlers, and cruiserweight wrestlers alike.
Shaul Guerrero (right)
Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to hold on to this prize for long due to injuries. Additionally it was speculated that Eddie wasn’t in the proper mental state to be a champion and carry the weight of the entire company. The pressures of living up to fans expectations had taken a toll on him and he’d also become addicted to the painkillers he was taking for the aforementioned injuries. While he was able to reach and maintain sobriety for the last act of his life, the stress and drug abuse had already taken a toll on his body. Eddie Guerrero died on Nov 13, 2005. The Guerrero family’s legacy is carried on by Eddie’s daughter Shaul, his godson Dominik Mysterio, and several nieces and nephews.