Ring of Honor – three words that became synonymous with the independent wrestling boom of the early to mid 2000s that saw the rise of not only future wrestling superstars, but also the changing of pro wrestling’s very in-ring dynamic presentation. Using monthly issues of “Pro Wrestling Illustrated”, various websites usually connected to angelfire.com, and the trading of VHS tapes, I became familiar with names such as “Reckless Youth”, “The Fallen Angel”, Cheetah Master, and Trent Acid just to name a few. Ring of Honor was meant to be a true showcase for all the budding or solidified indie wrestling talent. Instead, ROH turned into one of the premiere wrestling organizations in North America by capitalizing on the fall of wrestling’s “Attitude Era” with a product more similar to mixed martial arts than Extreme Championship Wrestling. Being a fan of ROH since its inception in February 2002, I’ve witnessed a majority of the company’s moments both significant and less-so live or through video. And just like any wrestling promotion, there have been decisions made and circumstances play out leaving this ROHbot wondering, “What if…?”
Today I ask: “What if Eddie Guerrero didn’t leave ROH in 2002?”
What Really Happened?
Eddie Guerrero was born & bred to be a pro wrestler. The son of legendary competitor Gory Guerrero and the youngest of four alongside three brothers who too became grapplers like their father, Guerrero plied his trade while naturally showcasing a talent unlike any other in his family. It wouldn’t take long before Eddie found himself underneath a national spotlight, but it wasn’t until 1995 that Guerrero would get the credit due to someone leading the charge for a new generation of wrestlers alongside other competitors who traveled around the world to improve themselves as performers. Guerrero’s abilities would take him from ECW to WCW prior to arriving in the WWF in 2000 alongside Perry Saturn, Chris Benoit & Dean Malenko. Unfortunately for Guerrero, a car accident that happened during his time in WCW led to a drug addiction that eventually halted his budding WWF career as a drunk driving incident resulted in him being released from his WWF contract.
Eddie’s firing was a wake-up call for him that forced him to find solace in the business that helped him gain so much in his life. Guerrero immediately hit the indies; working with familiar faces like Rey Mysterio and Psicosis as well as up & coming indie talent like CM Punk and Low Ki. During the inaugural Ring of Honor event, Guerrero faced former ECW Television champion Super Crazy in the show’s semi-main event; a match originally planned to close the show. Though Guerrero lost, the performance warranted a return and further cemented his credibility as a phenomenal wrestler while he got his personal life in order. Guerrero’s time on the independent wrestling scene only lasted five months with the third event in ROH history being his last as Eddie successfully teamed with The Amazing Red to defeat Red’s cousins Joel & Jose Maximo, The S.A.T. Guerrero would go on to become a WWE legend; winning championships and being a part of tremendous stories before his untimely death in 2005.
What if…?
Instead of ROH’s third event being a night of celebration for Eddie Guerrero’s short time in the company, the foundation of a partnership would’ve been established during that April night in Philadelphia. After a successful partnering with The Amazing Red against The S.A.T., Guerrero would find himself mentoring the man many die-hard indie wrestling fans called the next Rey Mysterio. The similarities between Mysterio and Red were endless during that time including their innovative offense being a perfect match for any style and any type of wrestler including Red’s own tag team partner. With the announcement of ROH’s first championship, a tournament would be held to determine who would challenge for the ROH title. In the opening round, Red and Guerrero find themselves standing across the ring from one another with the intent of putting each other out of the tournament. In one of the earliest upsets in ROH history, Red avoids Eddie’s patented Frog Splash; rolling up Guerrero before he could react for the pin fall. Disgusted with the loss, Eddie would tease not following the Code of Honor (a handshake done before & after a match to showcase respect & sportsmanship); inevitably embracing his protege.
History remains the same with Red failing to overcome Low Ki in the latter’s successful quest to become the first ROH champion. Eddie would vocalize his disappointment with both himself and Red losing in the tournament; showcasing a demeaning tone toward Red in interviews. Taking Guerrero’s words in stride – accepting Eddie’s statements as tough love – Red continues to team with Eddie as they prepare to become the first ROH Tag Team champions. And like their respective intents to win the ROH champion, Red & Guerrero would find themselves without gold to their names when they lose to The Prophecy of Christopher Daniels & Donovan Morgan with Red being the one to take the fall for his tandem.
Once again, Guerrero’s attitude toward his student adds a wedge in their relationship heading into the first “Final Battle” as Eddie would spend the next few events in one-on-one matches while keeping Red on the figurative bench by making him watch from ringside. Eddie’s belief that Red is the weak-link in their unit would be proven somewhat true to Guerrero and maybe the fans as “Latino Heat’s” win over AJ Styles in their first encounter makes him the number one contender for the ROH title held by Xavier of The Prophecy faction. In another shocking turn of events, Red’s inability to stop the mounting numbers of The Prophecy would cost Guerrero the ROH title at “Final Battle”. Being consoled by Red, Eddie snaps; attacking his pupil while shouting obscenities & proclaiming his superiority. Styles would have to save Red from the thrashing unleashed upon Red by his idol.
Guerrero’s hatred for old rival Rey Mysterio manifests itself through his loss to Red six months prior; declaring himself better than Red, Mysterio, and anyone else though stats say otherwise. Red doesn’t take the betrayal lying down; finding himself aligned with Styles against Guerrero and the debuting Psicosis with the latter making his sole ROH appearance in victorious fashion as Guerrero pins Red following the Frog Splash. Guerrero, determined to put the final nail in this feud with himself and The Amazing Red, accepts the idea of competing in the company’s second “Fight Without Honor” – a match stipulation in ROH where there is no following of the Code of Honor and the bout only ends in a submission or pin. The spectacle of Guerrero versus Red in a Fight Without Honor during ROH’s first anniversary event would be something for the ages and is considered an early ROH classic encounter. In the end, Red counters a super power bomb with the Code Red through a table to pin his old partner-turned-enemy. One event later, Red & Styles would overcome The Prophecy to become the new ROH Tag Team champions as they did in reality while Guerrero, who actually re-signs with WWE leading to his final encounter with Red, returns to WWE to begin a fruitful partnership with cousin Chavo Guerrero.
Remain or Change?
There’s little to no chance Eddie Guerrero would not have returned to WWE after his firing considering how much talent he had. Add that to the fact friends like Chris Benoit & Rey Mysterio and family like Chavo Guerrero were all active in WWE during 2002 and beyond, Guerrero’s time as an indie wrestler would’ve been on borrowed time no matter what. But if Eddie did have some more time to wrestle in ROH he would’ve been the perfect foil to establish Red as ROH’s Rey Mysterio – a smaller wrestler with must-see offense who could become of the faces of an entire company. The thought of a partnership growing into a feud rooted in Eddie’s jealousy not for Red, but also because of his failures against Mysterio in WCW would’ve provided some grand storyteller during the early days of Honor while presenting a main event level villain not associated with The Prophecy.
But having Guerrero away from WWE in 2002 would remove his rivalry with Rob Van Dam over the Intercontinental title, his matches with Edge during the latter’s formative years as a potential singles main event star, his interactions with Steve Austin & Ric Flair, and the creation of the “Smackdown Six” alongside the “Smackdown” version of the WWE Tag Team Championship. Without those moments as a part of the WWE roster in 2002 there’s a chance Eddie Guerrero as the WWE champion may never occur; a definitive piece of wrestling history that shaped an upcoming generation of wrestlers. With great confidence his character development & match quality in 2003 would give certification that Eddie Guerrero had all the tools to be a World champion, some extra time helping the likes of Red, Styles and others would’ve only strengthen Guerrero’s legacy as one of the best to have ever laced up a pair of boots.
