Eddie Guerrero had been a growing star for the long time, and on February 15, 2004 at No Way Out, he reached the pinnacle of his career by beating Brock Lesnar for the WWE Heavyweight Championship.
Earning his stripes
Whether it’s earning his stripes, paying his dues, or whatever other phrase we want to us, they all apply to Eddie Guerrero. He was a hard worker that pushed himself through barrier after barrier from his tag team partner, Art Barr, in Mexico passing away, to joining ECW and winning the ECW World Television Championship.
He was consistent and could play a variety of roles from heel to face and everything in between. He was a calming influence and confidant for others like Chris Benoit when he moved on to WCW where he continued to grow.
In a couple of years, he had achieved everything he’s set out to do in WCW (United States Champion and Cruiserweight Champion) except become a main eventer. At the time WCW was stacked with main event talent despite the promotion taking on water, and Guerrero felt it was time to move on in 2000.
This is part of the reason WCW failed as they were so tied to their aging talent they didn’t seem to have time on their shows to really push their mid carders (Kinda sounds like the current WWE, doesn’t it?). Maybe the talent didn’t want to move out of the way or other factors were involved, but it’s been something many have commented on.
WWE Champion
Joining other WCW stars like Chris Benoit, Perry Saturn, and Dean Malenko, Guerrero quickly made a name for himself and rose through the ranks.
All of his work paid off in 2004 at the No Way Out pay-per-view as his feud came to a head with WWE Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar.
It was a match Guerrero was expected to lose. He was smaller, he was lighter, and Lesnar is the Beast Incarnate that destroyed stronger opponents than Guerrero, but Guerrero had the heart of a champion and Vince McMahon recognized it.
Finally, Eddie Guerrero reached the top of the mountain when he pulled the upset of a lifetime by beating Lesnar for his first world championship.
More than for himself, Eddie Guerrero became the first Latino-born WWE World Heavyweight Champion since Pedro Morales in 1971.
He’d always shown the ability, and he became a true icon. It’s was overdue, but it was also one of the greatest moments in WWE history.
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