'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Eddie Guerrero was a successful WWE Superstar who managed to win some big matches and Championships during his time in WWE. However, his time in the ring was cut short as he tragically passed away at the age of 38 just when he was hitting his prime.
Eddie Guerrero was seen as a major figure on WWE SmackDown, and his passing shook the entire WWE Universe. Even though Eddie passed away in mid-2005, he managed to inspire several youngsters during his time competing in the ring.
WWE has also benefitted from Eddie Guerrero, as there are several current WWE Superstars who’d been inspired by The Latino Heat to enter the ring for the first time.
In this article, we will look at the five WWE Superstars who were inspired by the late Eddie Guerrero.
#5 Sin Cara was inspired by Eddie Guerrero
Former WWE NXT Tag Team Champion Sin Cara was seen as someone who tried to carry on the Mexican wrestling culture in WWE. Sin Cara revealed during an interview with Sports Illustrated what it meant growing up in the same town as Eddie Guerrero and how the WWE Superstar inspired him.
“Growing up in El Paso, Texas, which is where Eddie Guerrero grew up, I spent time as a young kid watching Eddie wrestle. I was about 8 years old when Eddie started wrestling at 18, and I got a first-look when he began to wrestle. It was awesome to see him evolve as a performer through the years and see what he became as a WWE world heavyweight champion.
In the Latino culture, Eddie is still remembered. In the case of some of my coworkers, like Sasha Banks, Bayley, and Kalisto, we still talk about the impact Eddie had and certain things he used to do in the ring. He was one of those guys who went through the whole indie scene, also coming through Mexico City, AAA, ECW, New Japan, WCW, you name it. Eddie went all over the world trying to improve his craft. He influenced a lot of us through the years. In the case of myself, I was able to do a lot of things throughout my career admiring Eddie Guerrero. I’ve always worked hard and tried to be the best, and that’s the legacy Eddie has left behind.”
While Sin Cara was released from his WWE contract in late 2019, he managed to make a name for himself in the company before his departure.
#4 Peyton Royce was inspired by Eddie Guerrero
WWE Superstar Peyton Royce kicked off her career in Australia and then made her way to the United States where she signed up with WWE in 2015. Royce is one of the many WWE Superstars who were inspired by Eddie Guerrero.
Royce has opened up about how Eddie was her favorite, and she even wanted to learn Spanish so that she could talk just like the legend.
"He was so charismatic. He would make me feel happy. He would make me laugh. He was so amazing to watch in the ring. He was so athletic and entertaining. I wanted to be able to speak Spanish, actually, I am taking Spanish now. I wanted to take Spanish in school because I wanted to talk like him, he was a big inspiration for my life."
Royce has managed to make her way into the same company that made Eddie Guerrero into a major Superstar, and she has managed to win the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship with Billie Kay in WWE.
#3 Bayley took inspiration from Eddie Guerrero for her heel character
Bayley is one of the best heels in the business today. Even though the WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion was playing one of the most lovable babyface characters on television for a long time, her transformation to a heel has been seamless. During a podcast with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Bayley had revealed that she saw Eddie Guerrero as someone who she'd like to base her heel character on.
“I remember watching him — this was like a couple of years ago, so I was already here — and I was watching his old matches in WCW when he was just a heel coming out with his hair soaking wet. He looked miserable! You don’t get that anymore out of heels being like coming out like they’re completely miserable. And then he’d get into the ring and be so nasty and just have that look of like disgust and he was too good for it all. I always told myself too if I were to ever be heel I want to make myself so miserable because that’s one of the most hateable things, I think.”
The Role Model’s current heel character seems to have taken a lot from Eddie Guerrero’s heel character, and we’ve seen her lie, cheat, and steal her way out of many situations.
#2 John Cena learned a lot about wrestling from Eddie Guerrero
John Cena may be one of the biggest WWE Superstars of all time, but the 16-time World Champion hasn’t forgotten where he came from when he first started in the company. Cena was pretty close to Eddie Guerrero when both men were on WWE SmackDown, and Eddie influenced Cena’s wrestling style early on in his career.
Cena appeared on the After the Bell podcast with Corey Graves and spoke about the impact Eddie Guerrero had on his wrestling style and also how he inspired him.
"I remember the first time Eddie was like, 'Okay, just you and me here tonight. I'll see you out there tonight.' It was an outdoor tennis court in South Africa, and we went 25 minutes, and it was awesome. He was kind enough after the match, and I would be like, 'Eddie I heard this out there, why did you tell me to do that?' And that's when his face lights up like, 'Okay, now I get to tell you some of the secrets. This is what you do, this is what you don't do, this is why I did this, did you hear when they were like this, and I said this, and I said shut up, and don't do anything that's because we missed it. It was too late.' So, like, that's how I learned to wrestle."
Not only did Cena learn a lot from Eddie Guerrero during his initial days, but the two men also had a great rivalry on WWE SmackDown. John Cena was one of the Superstars who paid a rich tribute to Eddie Guerrero after he tragically passed away.
#1 Sasha Banks sees Eddie Guerrero as her biggest inspiration
Sasha Banks is one of the leading women in WWE today, and The Boss is also one of the most successful women competing in the company. Eddie Guerrero played a huge role in her life, and she has revealed his impact on her on several occasions.
Speaking to Sports Illustrated, Banks told the WWE Universe that Eddie Guerrero has always been her favorite WWE Superstar and the reason for her coming into the company.
“Eddie Guerrero is my number one. He is the reason I am in the WWE. I wanted to be the female version of him.”
Banks also revealed that Eddie’s wife Vickie Guerrero has been very kind to the former WWE RAW Women’s Champion, and even gifted her a pair of Eddie Guerrero’s tights.
“She once actually gave me a pair of Eddie Guerrero’s tights, and she has absolutely no idea what that means to me!”
“I just hope that I am just making Eddie and his name proud. I am not related to them, but he had a huge impact on my life. I wouldn’t be here as a person if it wasn’t for Eddie Guerrero.”
“It’s cool to see, when I do autograph signings, people actually get me to sign things of Eddie, yet there are a lot of people who’ve never seen an Eddie Guerrero match.”
Banks is making waves in WWE, but she has shown her love for Latino Heat by wearing gear inspired by the late Superstar and also by performing a couple of his moves in the ring.
