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MIKE JOHNSON REVIEWS WWE'S STEALING DEATH, CHEATING LIFE: THE EDDIE GUERRERO STORY
by Mike Johnson
This article originally appeared on PWInsider.com on March 30, 2005
The WWE's latest DVD release, Eddie Guerrero: Cheating Death, Stealing Life, is an excellent production that shines a spotlight on the best wrestling matches in Eddie Guerrero's career as well as some of the worst moments in his life. With a main program made up on the excellent UPN special from several months ago, Guerrero, his family, and closest friends discuss the different stages of his career, from growing up to Mexico to ECW to WCW to WWE.
Slicky produced and well edited, the program doesn't hide Guerrero's issues with painkillers and his overdoses. Guerrero himself admits that he needs to take his life one day at a time in order to keep himself from slipping back into his demons. His own closest friends in the business, Dean Malenko and Chris Benoit admit that they stooged him off to WWF management and ended up causing him being sent to rehab, out of concern for his own good. This was especially spooky watching the same week as the anniversary of Brian Pillman's death, knowing that unlike Guerrero, no one tried to step in to help Pillman, which has agonized a number of top names in the business for the last five years.
Guerrero, his wife and brothers discuss his various overdoses and his New Year's car accident that should have left him dead. In the end though, it turns into a positive story of Guerrero turning his life around, reclaiming his family, winning the WWE championship, and headlining the biggest PPV of all time, Wrestlemania XX. After he's won his belt, the first thing he does is call his wife and thank her for all the support she has given him. It's a nice ending to the story.
Of course, in recent months, there have been several issues involving Guerrero including his backstage physical incident with Kurt Angle, a recent car crash, injuries and more. If anything can be learned from this DVD, it is Guerrero's own comments that he needs to take his life one step at a time or risk falling back into his demons. With the analogy to Brian Pillman I've just noted and the current noticeable issues, one hopes that WWE continues to provide the support they've publicly stated they give Guerrero on this DVD so that there are many, many more years of classic matches added to the ones that have already been given to us.
There are five hours of extras on the DVD including some really great wrestling matches. Among the highlights are Eddie Guerrero & Art Barr as Los Gringos Locos vs. El Hijo Del Santo & Octagon in their classic Double Hair vs. Masks Match from AAA/IWC When Worlds Collide, which is also Guerrero's PPV debut. This match was so state of the art in 1994 and it remains so today, although WWE has made the decision to cut off the post-match haircuts. Also highlighting the DVD is the excellent Guerrero vs. Dean Malenko farewell match from ECW, with such crowd heat that one immediately misses the intensity and intimacy of Extreme Championship Wrestling.
Guerrero's WCW run is well documented as well with classic matches with Chris Jericho, an awesome match with Rey Mysterio (it's amazing how small Rey looks compared to today), and another hair vs. hair match, this time with Chavo Guerrero. Eddie's WWE run is also spotlighted, including his awesome WWE championship win over Brock Lesnar, a ladder match with Rob Van Dam, a great match with Chris Benoit, and a great WWE Tag Team championship bout with Edge & Rey Misterio vs. Chris Benoit & Kurt Angle vs. Eddie & Chavo Guerrero from the Paul Heyman era of Smackdown.
Several of the matches have commentary, although thankfully Todd Grisham is nowhere near as grating as he was on the Chris Benoit DVD. Another fun extra is a match from the lone AWA PPV with Hector, Mando, & Chavo Guerrero vs. Cactus Jack Foley & The Rock n Roll RPM's in December 1988 which also doubles as Mick Foley's long forgotten PPV debut.
The DVD also features several of the Los Guerreros vignettes, several music videos (nothing wrestling related), WWE Confidential stories on Guerrero, and deleted scenes from the UPN special. There are also several Easter Eggs including a tremendous video package from the final ECW appearance of Guerrero, which made me as interested in watching him wrestle Dean Malenko than anything I've seen on WWE TV in the last year.
Overall a great DVD that doesn't hype or gloss over Guerreros' negatives while at the same time reminding everyone of all the positives and the tremendous matches he's performed in over the lost decade plus. If you love good wrestling and have an emotional attachment to great performers, this is a DVD you'll want to own.
COMPLETE LISTING OF EDDIE GUERRERO DVD FEATURES
Main Feature:
"Born into Mexico's first family of sports-entertainment, Eddie Guerrero's career choice was only natural. In the ring, Eddie was unbeatable. He was part of the most popular tag team in Mexico. Fans worldwide were captivated with his high-flying style. Soon, he moved to Japan and experienced similar success.
After returning to the United States, Eddie faced a challenge he was not prepared for - addiction. Surviving a car accident that almost killed him, Eddie felt he was bulletproof, resulting in reckless behavior that put his life, career and marriage in jeopardy.
Then it all fell apart.
The true test of any man is how he handles adversity. In one of the most inspiring stories in the history of sports-entertainment, Eddie Guerrero not only regained his life, he surpassed his wildest dreams. This is his story."
There are five hours of extras on the DVD including:
*Hector, Mando, & Chavo Guerrero vs. Cactus Jack Foley & The Rock n Roll RPM's (AWA SuperClash III, which is also the PPV debut of Mick Foley)
*Eddie Guerrero & Art Barr vs. El Hijo Del Santo & Octagon - Classic Double Hair vs. Masks Match (AAA/IWC When Worlds Collide and Guerrero's PPV debut)
*Eddie Guerrero vs. Dean Malenko (ECW - Best of Three Falls Farewell)
Alternative commentary with Guerrero, Malenko, and Todd Grisham
*Eddie Guerrero vs. WCW Cruiserweight champion Chris Jericho (WCW Fall Brawl '97)
*WCW Cruiserweight champion Eddie Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio - (WCW Halloween Havoc '97)
Alternative commentary with Guerrero, Mysterio, and Michael Cole
*Eddie Guerrero vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr. - Hair vs. Hair Match (WCW Bash at the Beach '97)
*Eddie Guerrero vs. Rob Van Dam - Ladder Match (Monday Night Raw)
Alternative commentary with Guerrero, Todd Grisham, and Van Dam
WWE Tag Team champions Edge & Rey Misterio vs. Chris Benoit & Kurt Angle vs. Eddie & Chavo Guerrero (WWE Survivor Series 2002)
*Eddie Guerrero vs. Chris Benoit (WWE Vengeance 2003)
*Eddie Guerrero's WWE championship win over Brock Lesnar at WWE No Way Out 2004
*All five "Viva La Raza" Los Guerreros Vignettes
Seven Special Extras, Made up of Deleted Scenes from the UPN Special:
*Gory Guerrero
*Eddie vs. The Monkey
*Moonsault
*Fighting for Honor
*Injury
*Los Guerreros
*Wrestlemania XX
Six WWE Confidential Pieces on Eddie Guerrero:
*Behind-the-Scenes YJ Stinger
*YJ Stinger Spot English
*YJ Stinger Spot Spanish
*Behind-the-Scenes Low Rider Magazine
*Outside the Ropes
*Eddie Guerrero Celebration
*Three Music Videos:
Finger Eleven "One Thing"
Seether "Gasoline"
Soil "Redefine"
Six Easter Eggs:
Easter Egg: Hector Guerrero Discusses the Gobbledy Gooker
How To Access: On Disc One, Go to Extras. Click left on AWA Superclash and the clip will play
Easter Egg: Eddie Guerrero vs. Dean Malenko
How To Access: On Disc One, Go to Extras. Click left on ECW and a video on the classic Malenko vs. Guerrero feud will play
Easter Egg: Triple Threat Tag Video
How To Access: On Disc Two, Go to Extras. Click left twice on WWE Survivor Series and a video promoting the Benoit & Angle vs. Los Guerreros vs. Edge & Mysterio bout will play.
Easter Egg: Eddie Guerrero vs. Brock Lesnar
How To Access: On Disc Two, Go to Extras. Click left twice on No Way Out and a video on Lesnar vs. Guerrero will play.
Easter Egg: Eddie Guerrero's first Match
How To Access: In the Extras Session, click left on Fighting for Honor. A clip of Guerrrero discussing his first ever match will play.
Easter Eggs:
Easter Egg: Eddie's tattoo
How To Access: On Special Extras, click left twice on Injury. Eddie will discuss the cross tattoo on his left arm.
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