The Complete History of the WWE Championship - Part 12

Eddie Guerrero (February 15, 2004 - June 27, 2004)

Eddie Guerrero: Destiny was achieved at No Way Out 2004

Eddie Guerrero achieved what many believed was impossible at No Way Out on February 15, 2004.

The five feet six inch Guerrero did not fit the typical headliner mold that WWE preferred. However, Latino Heat's charisma, Lie, Cheat, Steal persona (which stereotypical as it was, connected with the WWE audience) and strong singles push in 2003 forced WWE to push Guerrero into the main event bracket.

He did not disappoint. The man who had reigned as Cruiserweight Champion in WCW became Heavyweight Champion in WWE when he pinned Brock Lesnar in a stunner of a bout. The match told the perfect David versus Goliath story as the cocky Lesnar took his smaller foe too lightly then realized to his horror much too late that he had underestimated him.

Following Guerrero's shock victory, he next became embroiled in a feud with Kurt Angle. In order to solidify his credibility, Guerrero defended his belt against Angle in a technical battle at WrestleMania XX.

So far so good. However, Guerrero was being to crack under the pressure as champion and was already voicing to WWE that he wanted to be relieved of the strap.

SmackDown to whom Guerrero was exclusive was not blessed with much headline talent in mid-2004. The departure of Lesnar following 'Mania was a huge loss. It was one that had not been adequately filled in the post 'Mania draft lottery. Booker T and Rob Van Dam could have been pushed into that bracket when they were transferred from RAW but WWE stuck them both in mid-card feuds instead. Shockingly, their choice for Guerrero's next title feud was long-time tag team wrestler, Bradshaw.

The APA member was repackaged as JBL, a JR Ewing-style millionaire character, who despised Guerrero for his ethnicity and became an anti-immigration campaigner, beating up Mexicans trying to cross the Mexico/United States border in one unforgettable SmackDown segment.

It was an abhorrent storyline but yielded an extremely heated match at Judgment Day on May 16. Guerrero lost so much blood in that battle that doctors advised he undergo a blood transfusion. Latino Heat refused and he went into shock backstage and was hospitalized for several days. Guerrero smashed JBL with the title belt which earned him a DQ loss.

That finish was designed to prolong the feud which lasted another month and saw the pair clash in a Texas Bullrope Match. Guerrero had been expected to exact his final revenge on his challenger for his nefarious deeds. It was not to be. It came as a Wall Street sized shock then that Guerrero lost the title to JBL at the Great American Bash on June 27, 2004.

Guerrero would never regain the Heavyweight title and died the following year on November 13, 2005, at the age of 38.