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

The name Guerrero is synonymous with professional wrestling. They are a proud, Mexican family all with the drive and passion to deliver each and every time they get into the ring. It’s arguable that the most iconic member of the Guerrero family was Eddie Guerrero. If you ask any wrestling fan about Eddie Guerrero, they’ll likely tout his three-word motto, ‘lie, cheat and steal’ or refer to him as his trademark title; Latino Heat. My earliest memories of wrestling were from the Ruthless Aggression era and there wasn’t a week that went by I wasn’t seeing the larger-than-life wrestler literally stealing the show every time he was on camera. Not only was he equipped with an endearing and charismatic personality, he was able to back up his smack talk with a unique wrestling style that made his matches so fun to watch. It’s a tragedy that Eddie passed away at the age 38, during a point in which many would agree was the crescendo of his wrestling career. For me, there will never be another Eddie Guerrero and now that I’m a little older I wanted to respect the legacy he created by picking up and reading his own autobiography that he wrote and released not soon before he passed.

Written by Eddie Guerrero with the help of Michael Krugman; Cheating Death, Stealing life: The Eddie Guerrero Story is a personal accounting of the wrestler’s life as he worked his way through the wrestling business all the while dealing with a plethora of addiction issues relating to alcohol and drugs. It starts off by recounting his younger days as a child living under the guidance of his late, great father Gory Guerrero. It follows his early adoption into the world of wrestling within the Luca Libre profession in Mexico and his eventual big break into promotions like WCW and WWE. Along with his wrestling career, the book also takes great care to dive into the personal struggles Eddie faced both inside and outside the ring, tackling his addiction to pain medication and his struggle with alcoholism and the sad effect it had on his family life. It’s a very open and reflective story from a first-hand account of the man who lived the dream while struggling through his own personal nightmares.

Biographies and memoirs are a deeply personal genre of book to dive into, especially considering they’re written by the actual people themselves. Eddie Guerrero doesn’t come off as arrogant of self-absorbed like many of these kinds of books can. In a lot of ways this is the most transparent autobiography I’ve read in a long time. The stories Eddie tells are honest and down to earth, he doesn’t shy away from talking about the highs and lows with a great sense of clarity. The life lived by Eddie Guerrero is anything but peaceful, and the struggles he’s faced come off as relatable and upfront. I never really knew about this side of Eddie Guerrero in all honesty. As a kid, you often just see the persona they live on the camera and in the ring, but this book does a beautiful job in fleshing out the humanity behind Eddie and what makes him such a lovable person. His ability to suffer yet persevere though it all and come out of it a much happier man gives inspiration to all that it’s possible to overcome any kind of addiction.

There’s also a great level of intrigue Eddie is able to layer into his recounting of the history of his career. It was compelling to hear about his days in Mexico and Japan making a name for himself, followed soon after by his eventual climb into the ranks of ECW and then WCW. Eddie takes a lot of pride in airing out some dirty laundry too, it’s clear that he held some notable resentment to some people in the business. Yet there’s also a clear adoration outlined in his book, he showcased his love for the wrestling business and those he worked alongside. Whether it’s his colleagues or his family, Eddie was clearly a man with a lot of love to give for anyone he felt deserved it. It’s really endearing to see how selfless and honoured he was for the opportunities he was given throughout his career too.

Reading this book brought out a lot of emotions in me. It was written by a man who already lived through a lot but was proud to come out of it on the other side. Eddie Guerrero was happy to reflect but ready to start a brand-new chapter with an invigorated lease on life. To know not seven days after the release of this book that Eddie died tragically, it feels so unfair. He finally got his life on track and was ready to live every day to the fullest, to see all that aspiration dissipate with his death hurts me even more today than it did when I was an 8-year-old boy who found about it at the time. This book reinforces why there never will be another Eddie Guerrero, he was a truly unique element in the world of professional wrestling and we all miss him dearly to this day.

Rest in Peace Latino Heat.

Viva La Raza!