It has been 24 hours now since I learned of Eddie's passing and I am still in shock. The last memory I will have of Eddie is how he made me laugh on Friday Night Smackdown playing the chair trick on Ken Kennedy. This weeks Raw and Smackdown will be very emotional as both shows will be paying tribute to Eddie. Here is the latest on the passing of Eddie Guerrero.
You can view the Press Conference with Vince McMahon and Chavo Guerrero herePress Conference Highlights Vince McMahon and Eddie's nephew Chavo Guerrero held a press conference at Target Center a few hours ago to talk to local media about his death. Chavo and Eddie Guerrero travelled from Phoenix to Minneapolis/St. Paul last night around 12:30 a.m.
Chavo said he found Eddie's body arround 7 a.m. when a member of security tipped him off that he missed his wake-up call. He found him in his room and turned him over and he was nonresponsive. Later in the press conference, he gave the impression Eddie opted out of having breakfast in favor of room service, but was supposed to meet them at the gym later. He said he did have a meal with Eddie in the early a.m. hours after their flight from Phoenix arrived, before they went to sleep.
Vince McMahon said tonight's Raw and Smackdown will both be dedicated to Eddie Guerrero. "You'll see the human beings, not so much as performers, but friends of Eddie," said McMahon. The shows will include highlights of Eddie's career.
"Everything we do is voluntary. There is nothing that says you have to compete," he said, in reference to tonight's show going on. "(Our wrestlers) want the show to go on."
McMahon said the show is "changing drastically, changing as we speak."
Chavo said he is wrestling tonight. He said he was given the option to return home, stay in his hotel room, or be at the show. Chavo said his family is devastated, including his wife and three daughters (ages 12, 10, and 2). Chavo said he called his sister, who told his mother in person, and said they broke the news to his wife in person this morning.
Chavo said Eddie recently celebrated four years of sobriety from alcohol and prescription and pain killers. A reporter asked McMahon if there was ever a case where someone's body "shuts down" years after becoming sober. McMahon said he has no idea what contributed to or caused his death.
McMahon said Eddie's family will receive royalties "forever."
McMahon said it will be tough to get over, but "Eddie would want the show to go on, and that's what we're going to try to do tonight." Chavo added: "Eddie would have wanted the show to go on. He is 100 percent business... He had a huge heart, one of the biggest hearts of anyone I've known personally. He had a lot of love for the fans. He is going to be missed tremendously."
Update on Eddie from local newspaper, Quick Notes from Raw and Smackdown tribute tapings The Minneapolis Star Tribune's top headline this morning is "WWE wrestler found dead in Minneapolis hotel room."
The story clarifies the timeline of Guerrero's day, noting that while he ate with nephew Chavo Guerrero earlier in the day, it was actually before they went to sleep that night after arriving in town, rather than in the morning for breakfast as reported here yesterday. The story also says police say no foul play was suspected and there are no indications of suicide.
As reported yesterday here at PWTorch.com, a WWE source says that Guerrero was discovered with a toothbrush in his mouth or hand, indicating he died suddenly while brushing his teeth. Chavo, Chris Benoit, Rey Mysterio, and Dean Malenko visited Guerrero's room and had a chance to pay their respects before his body was taken away.
"With Eddie's history... that no doubt takes a toll on your body, and whether that had anything to do with his untimely demise, I don't know," McMahon said at Sunday's press conference.
An autopsy is planned. Guerrero, said Chavo at a press conference yesterday, had just celebrated four years of sobriety. There are sources within WWE who believe that while Guerrero kicked his drinking habit, he may have been taking pain pills recently "just to get by." At the tribute show at Target Center, wrestlers noted that Guerrero looked to be in pain backstage all the time, but once he walked through the curtain, the adrenaline kicked in and he seemed to be feeling great.
"I never saw him at work anything but sober," one WWE source says. "If he was taking anything, it wasn't out of control and it wasn't ever apparent at the shows or visible to Vince (McMahon)."
Fans at Target Center last night were respectful of Guerrero throughout the show, staying silent for the ten bell salute, chanting his name at various times, and seeming to be genuinely moved by the tributes to him by fellow wrestlers. The crowd loved when Chavo used an famous Eddie technique of taking a phantom bump to trick the ref into thinking JBL hit him with a chair, leading to the ref scolding JBL.
Batista appeared to be emotionally devastated on his way out of the hotel to the arena early Sunday afternoon, wearing sunglasses and hanging his head. He was equally emotional in a Smackdown-opening speech which will air on Friday. John Cena referred to Eddie as a "father figure" to him when it came to passing along wisdom about the industry. Benoit was by far the most emotionally moved, outright bawling during the opening tribute to Guerrero and during his pretaped segment as he detailed what Guerrero meant to him as his best friend. Many wrestlers spoke about Guerrero's love for the business.
To read the Star Tribune article,
click here
Superstar Billy Graham talks about Eddie on Wresling Observer Live, additional comments from Bret HartCredit goes to Robert Fahrmeier of the Wresling Observer for this reportLong Live Eddy
It’s a tough mood tonight as Dave reports the news. This is just bad, and
both Dave and Bryan are in shock. Bryan got the news as he was just waking up.
Eddy Guerrero didn’t have an enemy in the world, and was one of the best of our life times. His drug problems are an open book, and actually he has a book coming out soon. As you have probably read already he is suspected of dying of a heart attack but toxicology and autopsy reports are not in yet. Superstar Billy Graham will be on after the break to talk about Eddy.
(Commercials)
Superstar is on the line. Superstar calls it a tragic event and that it’s just a tough day. Outside of the ring Graham and Guerrero were very close and Eddy looked up to Graham.
Superstar talked to Vicky (Eddy’s wife) this morning, funeral will be at Billy Graham’s church and will be conducted by Graham and a friend. Vicky talked to Eddy last night at 2:30 am, and Eddy felt fine. Graham hopes that it doesn’t turn out to be a brain aneurysm from the chairs shot that Eddy took.
Dave says that if this had happened 4 or 5 years ago, he wouldn’t have been shocked. Eddy just passed the 4-year anniversary of his sobriety a few days ago. Superstar compares this to Road Warrior Hawk’s death. Eddy just moved into a new house in Phoenix days ago. Graham reports a story about how Guererro ran into Eddy at the Homecoming and talked about the move. They talked about going out together. It appears that their wives really bonded because of the bond of similar suffering
My signal cuts out but picks up when Graham talks about Vicky buying the plot for Eddy in Phoenix and buying the plot next to him. Valerie (Billy’s wife) took the phone call when they found out this morning and was screaming when she found out and told Billy.
Service is 1:30 Wednesday afternoon. Eddy just turned 38 so it’s a big shock. Graham talks about calling Eddy the day after Guerrero won the world title and how humble he was, saying, “why would Superstar be calling me?” Superstar calls Eddy almost humble to a fault.
(Commercials)
Dave talks about how winning the world title was a breakthrough for Eddy because of his size. It was a true sign of his dedication and talent. Billy Graham was a “true mark” for Eddy, and he often just watched Smackdown to see Eddy work.
Someone from the office called Vicky to try to get the funeral as soon as possible so they could go on the tour, however a number of wrestlers wanted to stay for the funeral. Some of his closest friends according to Superstar wanted to fly back with Eddy’s body. The boys were so insistent on attending the funeral that they forced the company to postpone the European tour.
Dave talks about the closeness of Malenko, Guerrero and Benoit, starting back in Japan and Malenko and Benoit going to Jim Ross to get Eddy help. Superstar confirms that it was Malenko and Benoit who were flying back with Eddy’s body.
Dave talks about Raw and Smackdown being tribute shows. Bryan chimes in that so far it’s just been matches and highlights from what he’s heard. Vince is taking this one very very hard. Dave talks about how hard Eddy worked to get back in the company. Superstar talks about how Vince loves when guys like Eddy and Superstar turn their lives around. Vince was mad that Curt Hennig and Elizabeth could not turn their lives around.
Vicky was telling Superstar today how Eddy loved being around the boys in the locker room.
I edited out Bret talking to Superstar, next up is Bret commenting on Eddie)(Commercials)
Dave says that Bret could probably relate to Eddy’s story, being the son of a legend, and his brother’s entering the sport before him.
Bret calls the situation a real shame, calling Eddy a hard worker, and just a good guy. He says that probably no one worked harder than anyone. Bret said that when they were in WCW together, that he told Benoit that if he and Eddy if he wanted to make it to the top they had to go to the WWF.
All news courtesy of Pro Wrestling Torch and Wrestling Observer
