It's been a while since I last posted and I have a lot to write about, particularly the Asian Spirits party (woot!) and the sweet, sweet day I met Constantine Maroulis (double-woot!), but I'm gonna put that on hold for now and dedicate this post to something more important.

I'd been losing interest in the WWE since last summer because all I saw on my TV set was bad storyline after bad storyline, a number of good wrestlers getting fired and a greater number of pretty but incredibly useless girls getting hired. And because TNA has the better Hardy :P Anyway, two Saturdays ago, I tuned in to JackTV (one of the only three channels that I choose to watch) to see what was on and I saw a commercial with Eddie Guerrero and Batista. Guerrero and Batista? Talk about a powerhouse! I thought to myself. The details of the commercial weren't all that significant, basically it just made me want to watch wrestling again. Which was a good thing, really. Hell, I blew over P10,000 on wrestling VCDs, posters, pins, soundtracks and magazines, I might as well make this a lifetime commitment, right? (My mind works in mysterious ways.) What a shame it would be if all my wrestling paraphernalia just rotted away in a corner in my room.

The Monday after, however, I was tuned in to JackTV when an Eddie Guerrero commercial came on. An a cappella rendition of "Amazing Grace" was playing, and they showed Eddie's greatest moments in slow, fade-in fade-out to white transition. Now, they usually have promotional commercials for various wrestlers like Triple H or Randy Orton, but I'd never seen one made in this style. The promos were usually in fast-forward, the WWE Superstar destroying opponents and flexing his muscles while some heavy metal rock was playing---you get the gist. This Eddie commercial was the exact opposite of a regular WWE promo. Here's my train of thought while watching the Eddie promo, as how I remember it (the sequence of events is in normal font, my thoughts are in italics):

As I fixed myself a glass of water, I heard "Amazing Grace" on the TV set, prompting me to turn my head towards the TV to see what was on. I saw Eddie Guerrero, waving the Mexican flag in slow motion. Hey, what a weird Eddie promo.

Eddie winning the Championship. Eddie hugging his family. More scenes of touching Eddie moments play onscreen. Aww. Must be an inspirational-type commercial. Wow, never seen that before.

A strange feeling stirs up inside me. I get worried. Is this really an Eddie Guerrero promo? As if WWE's target audience is looking for anything other than blood, gore and T & A! This is UPN, not the Hallmark channel!

Eddie's picture fades in from white onscreen, as do the words "Eddie Guerrero." This feels like the announcement of CJ's untimely demise during the flag ceremony, all over again. Don't tell me he's d...no! Okay, it looks really odd, but it's got to be a promo! Oh God...this is just a promo, this is just a promo, this is just a promo...

Fading in below the text "Eddie Guerrero" is "1967-2005." Holy shit.

And below that text appears "We will miss you." This can't be happening! I'd just seen him on Smackdown a day or two ago, and now he's gone?

I could only wish that this was just a sick, cruel joke or a misinterpretation of information, but it's all real. And reality hit me hard that day. Found dead in his hotel room, Eddie Guerrero passed away from unexplained causes at the age of 38. I sobbed quietly in my room that night for a very long time.

Heel or face, Eddie had always been one of my favorite wrestlers, just because he was so entertaining. It was magical---whenever he stepped inside a ring, I knew it was going to be a good match, no matter who the opponent. I remember that time he was in a handicap match against the Basham Brothers: at one moment Danny Basham had both hands clasped under Eddie's chin in a headlock as Eddie stood outside the ring, when WHAM! No one saw it coming, but he managed to grab the huge metal air filter from his low-rider and smash Danny's face with it. I laughed until the tears rolled.

I remember his title match against Kurt Angle at Wrestlemania XX. My brother and I thought he was doomed because Kurt had him in a vicious Ankle Lock, but right when it seemed to be the end, he managed to wriggle his foot out of the boot Kurt was twisting, taking advantage of a bewildered Angle and pinning him for the three-count (Eddie used the ropes too, I think).

I remember how loudly the crowd would cheer when "Viva la raza!" came booming through the loudspeakers in the arena, with Eddie going down to the ring in his low-rider. I remember his hilarious one-liners like the one about JBL's limo ("So this limo...does it have hydraulics?" *wide grin*).

"I lie, I cheat, I steal," goes Eddie's famous tagline. He definitely stole our hearts---without lying or cheating. He didn’t have to. That's just the kind of guy Eddie was, funny and charming as hell, and always winning fans over with that impish grin of his.

If I only had the chance to watch you work your magic in the ring one more time, Eddie, I would. The angels took you away from us far too soon, but thank you for the memories, and thank you for being an inspiration to me and many other people. One day, I hope to overcome my own obstacles the way you did.

Heaven had better get ready, because it's about to get a huge dose of Latino Heat! Eddie, even if you're in that big ring up in the sky now, we'll always be rooting for you.

Viva la raza!