Before I say anything about anything, before I explain my absence, before any of that...
In Memory of Eddy Guerrero
This one is tough to write. I've always been a huge fan of Eddy's- and when I say always, I mean since 1995, when he showed up in WCW. Obviously, his arrival, along with Chris Benoit and Dean Malenko ushered in a new era of wrestling on a national scale.
While Malenko was always my favorite, when it came to people who could hold a world title, I stuck with Eddy. Even when he was just the generic Hey, I'm the new good guy, don't you like me? when he first arrived, I loved watching his matches. Whether it was against Malenko, Benoit, Misterio, Psicosis, Flair, Konnan... they were always fun.
This past Sunday, I was at work when a coworker came up and said that his girlfriend just told him that Eddy had passed away. I didn't believe him, because he usually likes to say dumb stuff just to get me going. So I went to 411, and there it was. Eddy found in his hotel room.
I felt a numbing wave come over me- this one hurt. And it hurt bad. Like Csonka said, Owen's death was horrid because it was a horrible accident. Candido's death was sad because it didn't seem fair.
That's how I feel about Eddy. It isn't fair. He didn't continue to abuse his body even though he knew it was bad. He quit his vices. He found a faith system that helped him cope. He was loving what he was doing. And just like that, he was gone.
I'm of the belief that the good die young. I believe that we're here until we've proven ready to go on, and that if you're a horrible person, you'll live a very, very long life. That if you are a good person, you'll live a good sixty or seventy years. That if you're a true example, you'll be taken far too early.
Whoever's running shop up there, proved me right again. Eddy's greatest professional moment was my personal favorite of the last 8 years: Cow Palace, No Way Out, 2004. I stood alone amongst my friends, the only one who could possibly fathom Eddy beating Brock. I had said in January of 2000 when the Radicalz first jumped that it would be Eddy- not Benoit- who would win a title first. And he flew through the air, dropped the Frog Splash, and won the title. It was one of all time favorite moments in wrestling.
I cried through RAW, and I'm sure I'll do the same during Smackdown. Eddy Guerrero always had fun in the ring, and it always showed. He could make any kind of dreck seem okay, even that horrid feud with Rey this past summer. Now he's gone.
Eddy, I miss you, and as a fan, I love you.
Here's three chest slaps in your honor...
Now, in much less important things...
It's been a little over two months since my last column. I'm sure my two devoted readers were wondering why, and the answer's simple: I had nothing to write about. There just hasn't been anything to get me motivated. And I wanted to make sure that the Forum Trolls approved of my next column, so I put it off.
If you'll recall, my last column was regarding my joy over Hulk Hogan's dominance of Shawn Michaels both in front of the camera and backstage. Some took huge offense to this, saying that I based my whole opinion on Shawn's RAW interviews, and that I was just falling for the "work" of it all, as Shawn was obviously just playing the part. I was accused of being a huge "fanboy" of Hogan, and of having no credibility.
Because, as we know, PRO WRESTLING COLUMNISTS are usually LOADED with credibility! I'm obviously a Hogan fan, I've always said it. And I obviously hate Shawn Michaels; I've always said that, too.
Which brings me to the point of this column. We as wrestling fans should always have some sort of unity. I understand that I've pushed for the split my 3 years here, as I've always spouted anti-smark rhetoric in favor of a more mark approach. I also feel that it's a fair thing to do. I've never understood why you'd want to watch a product that drives you crazy, and it seems to me that most smarks are very unhappy with the product, because they're not getting THEIR every wish fulfilled. Oddly enough, me as the dumb mark, I usually get a lot of what I want to see. Hogan beating Michaels. World Champion Bradshaw. World Champion Cena. Flair beating Triple H. Psicosis back. My Dago Nunzio as a Champion. That's why I don't have the same beefs. I get what I want, and I don't worry about the things I don't get.
But many fans feel that if you don't like who they like, you're an idiot. Oh, you like Hulk Hogan? You're a fucking idiot. You like Randy Orton? You're a fucking idiot. You want Bret Hart to come back? You're a fucking idiot. Why don't you like guys like Benoit, Michaels, and Angle? You're a fucking idiot.
Why would you attack your wrestling brethren in such a manner? It isn't like some non-fan gives a shit about who you like. Why don't you go explain to your friend who thinks wrestling is gay why you like that guy who comes out to the Sexy Boy music with leather chaps and hearts on his tights?
At least when you explain it to a fan, even one like me who hates Shawn Michaels, I'll actually listen to what you have to say. But to attack others simply because they like / hate someone that you have the opposite feelings for, makes no sense. Wrestling fans have become cannibalistic, and I blame the downswing of the business.
In the late 90's, we had the PTC, the Florida Trial of that 13 year old kid, Phil Mushnick, etc. all coming after the big ratings monsters WCW and WWF. They were all attacking us- US. US, the fans. US, the wrestlers. US, the business as a whole. If someone said that Shawn Michaels was a huge wife beating drug addict just cause he was a wrestler, I'd have stuck up for him. It was easy.
Now, things are slow. No one's taking notice of our baby. We don't have outsiders out there to tell us why we're fucking idiots for watching this shit.
So, the smarks do it for them. They try to murder anyone's opinion that doesn't match their own. They don't want to be associated with guys who like the Hogans, the Masters, the Edges, the Simon Deans... they want to be associated with Puro Snobs who'll talk about Misawa, Kawada, Kobashi, Muto (cause Muta is SO lame), and how you have to know 5 years of history and 8 other matches to get why that ONE Puro match is the best ever. They want to be associated with ROH snobs who'll talk about the flippy floppy 25 minute spotfest that was freaking awesome! ANYTHING but the WWE fans. Those guys are idiots.
Until something horrible happens. Something like Eddy passing away. Suddenly, the smarks forget all that, and they're actually able to mingle with us fucking idiots. We can all share the same stories. Why? Because all along, we've ALL been fans of the same product. We've ALL watched the same matches, the same stories, with the same characters. We've ALL been there. Some of us just happen to like other parts of the show than others. That's not a crime.
But trying to act like you're better- or even worse, that others are fucking idiots- because you've found a niche that YOU personally prefer... that's the worst crime any fan of professional wrestling can do.
We should stick together.
Cause we're already the bastard children of the entertainment world.
Viva NorCal.
Viva Eddy.
Viva La Raza
