Lyin' Cheatin' Stealin' Cryin'

Those who know me, know I'm a wrestling fan. (See my previous post on CM Punk for details.)

Those who really know me will know that one of the few things that really makes me angry is the high number of deaths of professional wrestlers when they shouldn't be dying. Even excluding Owen Hart's tragic death, the number of pro wrestlers who die young is out of proportion. And this weekend, we lost Eddie Guerrero. And I mean we. Because we, the pro wrestling fans, establish connections, however imagined, with these people.

Eddie was only 38 years old. You're not supposed to die in a hotel room when you're 38 years old. And you're certainly not supposed to die after you've managed to clean yourself up, get free from drugs and alcohol and stay clean.

Eddie was not supposed to die. He had turned it all around. He had made the sacrifices and did what he needed because he wanted to live. And yet, I'm sitting here, knowing that his wife and kids, his friends, his family have lost someone close to them. And we, the wrestling fans, have lost one of the greatest talents of our time.

Eddie was gifted in the ring. He wrestled in Japan, Mexico and the United States, and succeeded everywhere he went. He was charismatic, he was entertaining. There were times when Eddie could make a terrible show into Must See Television, just by being Eddie. He was funny, he was intense, he was great.

I always got emotional watching Eddie and Chris Benoit at Wrestlemania XX, both holding championship gold, basking in the cheers of the crowd, knowing that what I was seeing was two friends, whose paths were almost identical, sharing a perfect moment. And now, that footage, which had previously make me think of redemption, validation and perseverance, will now forever remind me of just how fleeting those moments are.

If there's a heaven, and I have to believe there is, I'm sure Eddie is there. And what makes me truly sad is that Eddie has been reunited with the rest of Los Gringos Locos, Art Barr and Louie Spicoli, and they're probably wrestling Owen Hart, Brian Pillman and Davey Boy Smith.

Its not fair that heaven gets all the good people before we're ready to give them up.

RIP Eddie, and thank you. Thank you for doing what you did, and for being who you were.