Book Review: Cheating Death, Stealing Life – The Eddie Guerrero Story

Cheating Death, Stealing Life is the posthumously released autobiography of Eddie Guerrero. It is difficult for me to review this book impartially because Guerrero is quite simply a hero of mine and has been for many years prior to his death.

The book itself tells the fascinating story of a man who overcame emotional obstacles as well as personal demons in order to get his life back on track and ultimately rise to the top of the profession that he gave his life and soul to. The book is of course given an unwanted added dimension because the book was written by Eddie Guerrero but released after his death, leaving the reader with an uneasy feeling in certain sections of the book.

As soon as you can overcome the sense of loss that you will get from reading the book, the story of Guerrero’s life is not only fascinating but takes you through a rollercoaster of emotions. An inspirational story of a man who overcame odds in both his profession and his personal life in order to become a success.

Guerrero is brutally honest about his problems with addiction and does not hold back. In what is almost the complete opposite of Pure Dynamite – the autobiography of the Dynamite Kid, Guerrero rarely points the finger of blame at anyone but himself. And believe me, this is a man who was fully aware of how much he had to hold himself accountable for.

The book takes you through a lot of emotional lows, such as the passing of Eddie’s best friend Art Barr as well as the highs. I defy anyone to not get a little bit choked up when Eddie tells of how he managed to re-unite with Vickie and his daughters.

Cheating Death, Stealing Life is almost a specially written guide to the dangers of professional wrestling. Drink addiction, drug addiction and injuries, they’re all here in abundance.

The ultimate story though is the life of a man who grew up in a famous wrestling family, overcame the big man culture in the United States aswell as countless other obstacles and became the champion of the biggest wrestling promotion on earth. It’s a story fit for hollywood and its written beautifully by ghostwriter Michael Kurgman.

One downside to the book is the way it glosses over Eddie’s career in Japan as Black Tiger II. Predictably he also bashes WCW to kingdom come while WWE comes out of the book smelling like roses. One can’t help but wonder if Vince and his company would have been given such a favourable review if Eddie had known how they would go on to exploit his death, but that’s another story for another day. It’s a minor gripe however and one that cannot be held against a man who was given a second chance by the company and eventually the WWE championship.

Final thoughts:

If you haven’t read this book already, go out and read it now. You won’t be disappointed. It is one of the best wrestling autobiographies you will read and a damn inspirational story on a human level. No matter who you are, you will not put this book down without taking something from it. There is something here for everyone. At times humorous, at times tragic this is a book you have to read if you’re a wrestling fan.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Raw Rant – 17th September 2007

Well, that might be the most random episode of Raw I’ve seen in a long, long time. So much weird stuff I don’t even know where to start.

- Firstly we find out Dad Cena’s real name………..MR.!!!! And then we discover Mr. Cena will take on Randy Orton in the main event.

- There was a unicorn in Vince’s office. I was watching this segment just trying to get some sort of grasp on what on earth I was watching. Still, made me laugh, which I assume was the purpose.

- Jillian Hall’s “LEAVE BRITNEY ALONE!!” parody was a nice little touch.

- Santino decided to enlighten us all by telling us he used to pleasure himself to Britney Spears. Thanks Santy.

- Possibly the most random match I’ve seen on Raw in a long long time. Hacksaw Jim Duggan vs Daivari. No, no that’s not it. It was also a capture the flag match. Daivari also now is officially the least credible wrestler on the roster for losing to Hacksaw Jim Duggan in this day and age.

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Anyway, some proper thoughts now.

Triple H really needs to turn heel and stop squashing everyone. The tag division has looked alright recently, Cade and Murdoch are good champions and Kendrick/London are decent challengers. But Triple H decides he needs to fuel his ego a little bit. Rather than wrestling a normal 1 on 1 match, which would be oh-so beneath him, he wrestles a handicap match against the tag champions, wins, and then proceeds to demolish Carlito and Kendrick/London just for good measure. I can’t see what there was to gain from that. All they have done is ruin the recent push of Cade and Murdoch as the best team in the WWE.

I like John Cena, but I thought his acting was pretty off. He was handcuffed while his dad was getting systematically destroyed and all he kept doing was telling Orton to look into his eyes. WHOA CALM DOWN THERE JOHN~! He should have been flailing about doing anything to get free.

Match of the night? Jeff Hardy/Shelton Benjamin.

Raw goes another week without Snitsky. Goooooood.

Beth Phoenix is still number 1 contender. Good. She is far too talented to be sitting around in a division full of non-talents.

Overall Show Rating: C

WWE PPV Review: Unforgiven 2007

Pre-review notes:

Firstly I have to comment on the match order. 3 World Titles devalues the idea of being champion enough in my eyes, but when you have 3 World Title matches and not one of them is the main event, I think it sends out the wrong message. WWE.com recently ran an article on the history of the World Heavyweight Title, dating it back to its NWA days. They ended the article claiming its prestige had only increased since coming into WWE. They obviously didn’t want to finish the show with the horseshit ending to Cena/Orton, but they didn’t value the World Heavyweight Title enough to have it in the main event, so what does that tell you? The match order was an issue for me all night, but I’ll touch on that later…

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ECW Title Match – CM Punk (c) vs Elijah Burke

This was a shocking pick for the first match on the card. Starting the night with a World Title match is just plain ludicrous and it does nothing to help a title in desperate need of some credibility. The match itself was very good. They were given enough time to work a match well and CM Punk sold the back nicely, and avoided using the GTS, which would have irradicated the back selling, so well done to him there. CM Punk picked up the win at around the 12 minute mark with a flash pin in what was a really well-worked match. Fans were behind Punk, which was nice to see.

Prediction: CM Punk

Winner: CM Punk

Match Rating: *** – very good for a match shy of 15 minutes long and everything seemed to flow well. One minor hiccup off an irish whip to the buckle.

Memorable moment: Burke’s leg trip off the Apron to the floor looked brutal

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WWE Tag Titles – Matt Hardy & MVP (c) vs Deuce & Domino (w/ Cherry)

This would have been a much better pick for the opening match in my opinion. Regardless the match was more comedy than good wrestling. It served its purpose but also made Deuce and Domino look fairly weak until Hardy was in there by himself. The sequence of MVP and Hardy stealing each others moves got the crowd really into the match and this match did a good job in furthering the MVP/Hardy feud. Difficult to see where the tag titles are going to go from here though.

Prediction: Hardy/MVP

Winners: Hardy/MVP

Match rating: ** – nothing offensive, just nothing spectacular either. The purpose here though was comedy and Hardy/MVP’s constant desire to better each other.

Memorable moment: Matt Hardy’s “Baaaalliiiin’!”

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Triple H vs Carlito – No DQ for Carlito only

This was predictable really. Just a glorified squash for Triple H and the kind of match people really don’t want to see from him. There was no point in the match where anyone thought Carlito might win, even with the rules in his favour, so really this served to devalue Carlito as a potential top dog and give Triple H a further boost. I have no idea where he’s going between here and a title match, but I would expect another pointless little feud like this just to make sure fans realise he’s still there. Triple H wins with the pedigree at around the 11 minute mark.

Prediction: Triple H

Winner: Triple H

Match Rating: ** – again, nothing unwatchable, just nothing worth writing home about.

Memorable moment: I’m really scraping the barrel to find one. Carlito scurrying out of the ring after the abdominal stretch.

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Women’s Title Match – Candice Michelle (c) vs Beth Phoenix

This was fairly good as predicted. Beth dominated and Candice bumped for her. Simple psychology in this one, occasional comebacks from the face with the heel dominating for the most part. Candice really doesn’t get the credit she deserves. She was hired for being hot and she has really taken to wrestling like a duck to water and I admire her for making a real effort. Beth Phoenix carries herself with a confidence we haven’t seen probably ever from a woman in the States. She executes her moves very well and just looks the part that she’s playing and that was what stood out in this match. She’s very reminicent of a Joshi star and strikes the balance WWE like between talent and being aesthetically pleasing on the eye. Candice wins with a flash pin. The 2nd of the night, but I won’t hold it against them because both worked well in the context of the match. I would expect to see this feud continue.

Prediction: Beth Phoenix

Winner: Candice Michelle

Match rating: **1/4 – perfectly acceptable for the time it was given.

Memorable moment: None really stood out, but it wasn’t that type of match.

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World Heavyweight Title match – The Great Khali (c) vs Batista vs Rey Mysterio

The wrestling in this was certainly nothing to write home about, although they managed to keep it from being dull and Mysterio added another much-needed dimension to the match. This one was kept short thankfully. Probably the shock result of the night, although that’s not necessarily a good thing as I’m not sure what Batista holding the title again will gain. Batista picks up the win after 9 minutes with a Spinebuster.

Prediction: Khali

Winner: Batista

Match Rating: *3/4 – Not great, but short and to the point.

Memorable moment: Khali getting tied up Andre-style and not botching it.

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World Tag Titles – Trevor Murdoch & Lance Cade (c) vs Paul London & Brian Kendrick

This was the longest match of the night, which is suprising but also good. This was also the best match of the night, so what does that tell you? Anyway, basic tag wrestling 101 in this one. Murdoch and Cade beat down Kendrick for the most part and London came in for a series of hot-tags, while the champions tagged in and out frequently. Match lasted 13 minutes before Murdoch & Cade retained the titles after Cade hit a sit-out spinebuster and Murdoch covered for the 3. Hard to argue with keeping the titles on the most polished active team in the company.

Prediction: London/Kendrick

Winners: Cade/Murdoch

Match Rating: *** – really solid tag wrestling.

:::::MATCH OF THE NIGHT AWARD:::::

Memorable moment: London’s shooting star was nice. As was Murdoch’s elbow drop, which he got some wicked height on and hit perfectly.

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WWE Title – John Cena (c) vs Randy Orton

Well I predicted Dad Cena involvement and that’s what we got. The match was just getting started when the bullshit finish came about and Cena got DQ’d at the 7 minute mark. Horseshit. This was my prediction for match of the night after their Summerslam outing, but feel miles short. Post-match, Orton dumps Dad Cena head-first on the floor. But Dad Cena kicks Randy Orton in the head. Cena holds on to reach the 1 year mark as WWE champion.

Prediction: Cena

Winner: Cena in reality. Technically Orton by DQ. Cena keeps the title, so he’s the real winner.

Match rating: * – ending ruined a match that was just getting started.

Memorable moment: Dad Cena lands on his head.

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The Undertaker vs Mark Henry

Interesting choice for main event I have to say, and personally not one I agree with. Don’t think The Undertaker came back with too much venom here either, he didn’t look like someone on a revenge mission at all. Still, the match was not bad and served its purpose. Taker wins with what the commentators called the Last Ride, but what I would call “Barely a powerbomb” at the 11 minute mark.

Prediction: Taker

Winner: Taker

Match Rating: **

Memorable moment: Taker gestures that he wants his title back

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Predictions score: 5/9

Aftershow thoughts:

Another just-good-enough PPV from WWE, which is not a shock when you consider the backseat this PPV took in the weeks leading up to it. We now have 3 weeks to No Mercy and hopefully that will be built up more effectively.

Batista winning the title is baffling when it looks as though Taker is going to challenge. They may aswell have made us suffer for another month with Khali as champion so they can at least have a face/heel title feud.

Murdoch/Cade vs London/Kendrick is well worth tracking down if you missed this PPV. As is Punk/Burke. Otherwise, if you didn’t purchase this PPV you haven’t missed out at all.

WWE Unforgiven 2007 Preview

This Sunday, September 16th, WWE presents Unforgiven.

Firstly I have to comment on the build-up for this Pay-Per-View. Or should I say the lack thereof? This PPV had a total of 3 weeks to be built up. Not very long as the best of times, but when you consider that WWE’s main effort in that 3 weeks was to build the Illegitimate Son storyline, the PPV has taken somewhat of a backseat, meaning the build-up for the event has been one of the weakest in recent memory. That said, here is a look at each match aswell as a prediction.

WWE Tag Team Championships – MVP and Matt Hardy (c) vs Deuce and Domino (w/ Cherry)

The build-up for this has been rather interesting in that it has focused more on the United States championship and Hardy/MVP’s battle over that rather than the tag titles. The champions are playing the good old-fashioned “unlikely champions” role that we’ve seen so many times in the past, and I can’t see them dropping the titles just yet. Not least because I don’t see what Deuce and Domino can really achieve with winning them back. The tag division on Smackdown is far from over-crowded and I can only assume they will keep the titles with MVP and Hardy until another team can establish themselves.

Winners: MVP & Matt Hardy

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World Tag Team Championships – Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch (c) vs Paul London & Brian Kendrick

The trading of the tag titles on the recent WWE tour of South Africa makes this one hard to call. The build-up for this one was quite rushed because of the Cryme Tyme situation, as Cryme Tyme were clearly being groomed to take the titles from Murdoch & Cade. Murdoch and Cade have nowhere to go without the titles, and both have failed in singles runs before re-uniting so it would make sense to keep the titles on them for the time-being. That said, London & Kendrick are over with the crowd and I can see them taking the titles here.

Winners: Paul London & Brian Kendrick

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WWE Women’s Championship – Candice Michelle (c) vs Beth Phoenix

This is probably the match with the best build-up with the exception of the main event. Beth Phoenix has looked impressive since her return and Candice has improved leaps and bounds in recent months so I expect a fairly good contest here. My gut feeling is that Phoenix will win and they will push towards a Mickie James/Beth Phoenix feud in the next few weeks.

Winner: Beth Phoenix

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ECW Championship – CM Punk (c) vs Elijah Burke

I’m a big fan of Burke’s in-ring ability and nobody can deny Punk is a worthy champion for the ECW brand. The build for this one has been completely non-existent though. They might have been better off booking this as a tag match involving Boogeyman vs Big Daddy V because at the moment that is a feud that is established and perhaps needs PPV time. That said, I think it’s a no-brainer that Punk will retain. If Burke wins this one I will be more shocked than when Morrison won the ECW Title . This might be a contender for Match of the Night, although I’m not sure it will be given enough time for that.

Winner: CM Punk

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Triple H vs Carlito (No DQ for Carlito only)

This is the type of match that annoys a lot of people when it comes to Triple H’s backstage influence. The stipulation has been put there purely to make it seem as though Triple H has odds to overcome in order to put Triple H over. Triple H would be much better suited to a role as a heel, working main events and occasionally putting over faces ready to be elevated. Triple H will walk out of this one with the win. I hope it will be a good match, but Carlito has been somewhat lacking in recent months and I can’t see it being better than average.

Winner: Triple H

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The Undertaker vs Mark Henry

The second of only 2 non-title matches and the return of the Undertaker. This return is much the same as his other returns in the last 3 years. I don’t expect anything unique. The Undertaker will win this, it will be fairly short and hopefully that will end this feud so Mark Henry can move onto something fresh and ‘Taker can get back to the main event matches. I don’t understand why they are trying to hype this on their website with lines like “Can The Undertaker add Mark Henry to his list of victims?”. He already has. How many times does he need to do that?

Winner: The Undertaker

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World Heavyweight Championship – The Great Khali (c) vs Batista vs Rey Mysterio

I’m sure by now most people will agree that Batista’s constant title shots are rather repetitive and boring. Hopefully this will be the last. Mysterio will not win the title here because he hasn’t had enough time to build towards that yet. There is nothing to be gained from putting the title back on Batista. I assume the plan here is for Khali to retain and go on to a programme with the Undertaker.

Winner: The Great Khali

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WWE Championship – John Cena (c) vs Randy Orton

At this event last year Cena won the title. The Raw after Unforgiven will mark one year as champion for John Cena and I fully expect that after allowing him to keep the title for this long they will allow him to reach that milestone. Cena’s PPV matches this year have all been very good and I don’t expect anything different here. The rumour is that the two will face off again at Cyber Sunday and the only way I can think to keep the feud going is for the match to end under dubious circumstances. Expect interference from either Dad Cena or Cowboy Bob Orton and expect a good contest as usual from Cena, who really hasn’t been getting the praise he deserves for his WRESTLING this year.

Winner: John Cena

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Final thoughts: I don’t expect a great show, although I’m assuming the lack of build will mean more focus on putting on good matches, which can only be good. The Undertaker’s re-appearance always gets the fans going, and despite my feelings on him as a face, the fans will be right behind Triple H. The crowd for the Cena/Orton much cannot really be predicted as reactions to Cena are usually mixed, sometimes more-so than others. I expect Orton/Cena to be the Match of the Night quite comfortably and I would suggest the safe money for Stinker of the Night is the World Heavyweight Title match.