WWE's Dominik Mysterio Looks Back On The Death Of Eddie Guerrero

The number of early deaths in wrestling is one of the more difficult things for fans to reconcile about the sport they love. There was arguably no bigger loss during the decade of the 2000s than Eddie Guerrero, who died from heart failure in 2005 while an active member of WWE's roster. Given just how popular he was with fans and colleagues alike, Guerrero's death remains one of the more tragic moments in a sport already filled with them. Speaking to "No Contest Wrestling," Dominik Mysterio pointed to Guerrero's passing as the first time wrestling broke his heart. 

"I was still young at the time," Mysterio began. "I don't remember showing emotion as a kid unless I was like physically hurt... I always kept to myself. So I remember when we're watching at home when Eddie had passed, and the video package that they played with the Three Doors Down song, and I just remember crying as a kid watching this. Remembering him, and just what he had done with me, and just everything that like we had gone through and that angle, you know? So I remember that as a wrestling fan, because I knew I wasn't gonna see him again."

Mysterio's connection to Guerrero dates back long before Mysterio ever stepped in the ring himself. 8-year-old Dominik was a central figure in the infamous 2005 storyline involving Guerrero, his father Rey, and the question of Dominik's true parentage. The purely fictional storyline created a unique bond between the two, which Mysterio said made the loss even more personal. 

"I get to appreciate his work so much more now," Mysterio added. "Because I'm living through it, trying to honor it, and just looking at his matches and seeing how good he was. It makes me appreciate so much more the time I did get to spend with him."