5 Eddie Guerrero dream matches that we never got to see

12 years ago in 2005, on November 13th, tragedy struck the wrestling world when then WWE SmackDown Superstar, Eddie Guerrero, was found dead in his hotel room.

Guerrero, a charismatic wrestler and character, was only 38 at the time, when he allegedly died from heart failure.

12 years later, in 2017, wrestlers of the past and present, wrestling fans and of course Eddie's family still mourn his passing.

Although the now Hall of Famer died at such a young age, Latino Heat had a pretty long career in pro wrestling, with his time in Mexico, NJPW, ECW, WCW and WWE, spanning 18 years.

Many considered Eddie the complete package, as he was entertaining both on the mic and in the ring. Remembered fondly for his days in WWE, the one-time WWE Champion was often portrayed as the ultimate underdog as he used any tactic possible to win, both as a heel and a babyface.

In this feature, I have decided to mark the 12th death anniversary with five Eddie Guerrero dream matches that we never got to witness.

Before we Frogsplash my article, I have listed below a few other fantasy match-ups that we never got to see unfortunately, but did not quite make the cut for my Best 5.

Notable mentions:

-- The Miz

-- Daniel Bryan

-- Sasha Banks

-- Dolph Ziggler

-- Sheamus

-- Cesaro

-- Kenny Omega

-- Finn Balor

-- Kalisto

With that done, let's go through the narrowed down list of Eddie Guerrero dream matches.

#1 Eddie Guerrero vs. Shawn Michaels

This is one match that could have headlined WrestleMania

If you are a pro wrestling fan, your mouth should be watering right now thinking about this match that never was.

As a pro-wrestling fan, you may also be shocked to hear that despite being with the company at the same time, Eddie Guerrero never faced Shawn Michaels before.

Many people would agree with me when I say that Guerrero and Shawn Michaels were probably two of the greatest technical wrestlers of all time.

Michaels was better than ever between 2002 and 2005 (onwards too) after returning from a 4-year injury lay-off. In 2003-2004, Eddie's popularity with the fans saw him win the WWE Championship (vs. Brock Lesnar) and become a main event player in WWE.

Unfortunately, the pair had this success on different brands - HBK on the flagship show RAW, and Guerrero on SmackDown (which was better than ever with the likes of him, Lesnar, Benoit, Edge and Kurt Angle in their primes).

The two never wrestled against each other before Latino Heat's death in November 2005. Despite them not being on the same show, it seems there was still a chance it was going to happen eventually.

This is because since Guerrero's death, there has been speculation that at WrestleMania 22 in 2006, WWE were planning to have the two square off.

Maybe it was too perfect of a match for us to see.

#2 Eddie Guerrero vs. AJ Styles

A literal Styles Clash between Guerrero and AJ would have been...Phenomenal

'Let's go, Eddie, AJ Styles' - just picturing fans chanting this gives me goosebumps.

Eddie Guerrero and AJ Styles are two guys who would get a reaction out of any crowd, no matter heel or face, they could do it. Both guys who can make a poor wrestler seem as good as they are. And both guys who put their lives at risk for the enjoyment of the pro wrestling universe.

They were so similar in all of those ways, but unfortunately, the former WCW guys took different career paths in 2002. Styles went through the TNA and Ring Of Honor route, while Guerrero went back to WWE after having a short spell on the indies.

In their respective companies, the two would become stars. Styles did not step foot in a WWE ring until 2016, 10 years after Guerrero died. AJ, now a two-time WWE Champion is showing WWE what they missed out on by not having him in their company long ago.

I honestly think that Styles is currently the best wrestler in the world, and has been for a while. And I think that prior to today's date in 2005, that honour belonged to Eddie (and maybe Shawn Michaels too).

Their movesets are beyond compare, and if we had seen Styles and Guerrero in a match-up against one another, it would have been beyond spectacular - a WrestleMania main event worthy match for sure. Styles Clashes, Phenomenal Forearms, Frogsplashes, Suplexes, all in one match.

Now that would have been awesome.

#3 Eddie Guerrero vs. John Cena in his prime

John Cena and Eddie Guerrero faced off but it was before Cena became a star

Yes, Eddie Guerrero did wrestle against John Cena a few times on SmackDown, including in a Parking Lot Brawl and a US Title match in 2003.

And although the now Cenation leader won a few of the matches, Cena was merely a rookie back then, who was coming to grips with 'Basic Thuganomics' gimmick.

In 2005, Cena won his first WWE Championship at WrestleMania 21, and was soon drafted to RAW, and never got to face the SmackDown Superstar Eddie Guerrero again before Guerrero's passing in November of that year.

Once he won his first World Championship, Cena really started to hit the heights of his career, specifically when he won the WWE Title for the third time in September 2006 and then held it for over a year until October 2007. The lengthy reign which only ended due to injury confirmed any doubt fans had about Cena being WWE's new biggest star.

Still, Cena was criticised a lot by fans at this time for his lack of moves in the ring and his poor matches. Although this was largely unfair to Cena, it was true.

Cena stayed on top for many years after this due to his popularity with younger fans, but hardcore WWE fans have only started to appreciate him now as he seems to get better in the ring with age, with classics against former Indy guys like Kevin Owens, AJ Styles and Seth Rollins.

However, I think if Eddie Guerrero was still alive in 2007, he would have changed that perception about Cena much more quickly.

Fans often say that the level of in-ring pro wrestling is better than ever, but in my opinion, Eddie Guerrero was way ahead of his time back in the early 2000's in that regard, and would definitely be at the level of wrestlers like Owens, Styles and Rollins.

Cena's matches with these guys show that with agile, energetic talent, he can have great matches.

So, if Guerrero was alive, by 2006 or 2007, Cena and Guerrero would have most definitely faced off in much higher-profile circumstances than their 2003 matches.

There is no doubt that if the dream bout of the established Cena vs. the veteran Guerrero occurred, Guerrero's talent and experience would have come in handy for Cena. It is a safe bet that he would have helped to show that the 'you can't wrestle' chants in the direction of Cena to be false.

#4 Eddie Guerrero vs. Braun Strowman

One came out of cars, the other comes out of garbage trucks

A veteran like Eddie Guerrero would have been the perfect opponent for Braun Strowman.

Excluding his recent loss against Brock Lesnar at September's RAW No Mercy PPV, "The Monster Among Men" Braun Strowman has been booked in a way that definitely reflects the nickname, with dominant displays in matches against the likes of Roman Reigns, Sami Zayn, Big Show and Apollo Crews.

However, as good as these guys are at selling for Strowman, none of them could have put Strowman over like Guerrero would have.

Like I mentioned at the beginning of this feature, Eddie Guerrero was a genius at making his fellow competitors' moves look amazing, but also cleverly protected his reputation too by getting in a lot of offence.

As a babyface especially, there was and is no one better than Guerrero at pulling off the underdog role. Maybe only Daniel Bryan could do that as good as 'Viva La Raza'.

If the late Superstar was still alive today, at the age of 50, Latino Heat would have been probably nearing the end of his career.

Hence, I think Guerrero (and Vince McMahon) would have loved to put Strowman over, as he always was unselfish during his career.

The match between would have been great.

Eddie would have got the fans behind him as he always made them believe that he might be able to win any match no matter who was standing across the ring from him, getting in a good bit of offence. Imagine him trying to cheat against Braun...

But whenever Strowman would obviously be the dominant force in the match, and anytime he would have got a move in, Eddie would have made him look a priceless asset in comparison to a million bucks. Guerrero was so great at selling manoeuvres against the smallest of guys, so just think about how well he would have done for an enormous figure like Strowman.

In the end, Strowman would come out on top looking like more of a monster than ever, and Eddie would not have looked bad either - "The Guerrero Effect" is what I call it.

It may not have ROARED into your head at the beginning of this feature, but Guerrero vs. Strowman would have been fantastic big man vs. smaller man contest.

Eddie is probably looking down on us right now with approval.

#5 Eddie Guerrero vs. (any of) The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins)

Would The Shield have put the lying, cheating and stealing ways of Eddie Guerrero to Justice?

'Sierra, Hotel, India, Echo, Lima, Delta, HE STEALS' (you get it, instead of 'The Shield', 'He Steals'), has a nice ring to it (at least in my mind), but a battle between Eddie Guerrero and either of the three members of The Shield would have been even better.

Eddie, unfortunately, died 7 years before Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns started on the main roster of WWE.

If he was still alive by their debuts in 2012, Guerrero would have been 45 years of age, and I think it is safe to say Latino Heat would have still been wrestling at that stage.

It is a real travesty that Guerrero didn't live to see Ambrose, Rollins and Reigns in WWE.

As The Shield, the trio call themselves 'The Hounds of Justice', and Eddie's gimmick was to 'Lie, Cheat and Steal', so a feud over their different values could have easily have happened.

Guerrero against either of these three guys when they became singles stars would have been amazing.

Firstly, Guerrero vs. Rollins, they had and have elite athletic ability and stamina. Latino Heat and The Architect would've put on a wrestling clinic, and the duo's sneaky, cunning ways as heels would've taken the feud to the next level.

Secondly, Guerrero vs. Ambrose. Ambrose's unorthodox style is something that Eddie would have loved to go up against in the ring. Their crazy personas would have been a cool mix both in promos and the actual wrestling between the men.

And above all, Guerrero vs. Reigns is something that I think even Roman Reigns' haters would admit to secretly wishing for it. Eddie and Roman, both with pro wrestling in their bloodline, would've had tremendous chemistry and the right kind of intensity between the ropes.

I think it is fair to say that once The Shield split up, The Big Dog became the biggest star out of not only the faction, but in the whole of the WWE, whether you like it or not.

Guerrero would have relished grappling with a top star like Reigns in my opinion.

It does not matter which one of them is the best though, WWE would have collapsed over the past few years without the trio. Each of the three would have created magic versus Guerrero if he had been still around, together or separately.

I guess we just have to let our minds think of what never was to be.