Cheating Death, Stealing Life: The Eddie Guerrero Story Review

Rating 4.25 out of 5

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Eddie Guerrero: Cheating Death Stealing Life

Cheating Death, Stealing Life: The Eddie Guerrero Story
By Eddie Guerrero with Michael Krugman
Published by WWE Books
Released on December 20, 2005
345 Pages (Hardcover)
Available in Hardcover & Paperback

Born into a wrestling family, Eddie Guerrero became the most popular as well as the best wrestler of the family, and many would say of all-time. Eddie started wrestling in Mexico, but also worked in New Japan (as Black Tiger), ECW, WCW and WWE. It would be in WWE where he would achieve his greatest success - winning the WWE Championship from Brock Lesnar in 2004. Sadly, Eddie passed away in November 2005.

Eddie's catchphrase may involve lying, but he is very honest here about his demons - including drug and alcohol abuse - that almost cost him his life even sooner and did cost him his job at one point. He explains how he was able to conquer these demons and try to live as normal of a life as he could. Some of the topics Eddie writes about are growing up in a wrestling family (with a brother old enough to be his dad), wrestling for EMLL and AAA in Mexico, working for WCW and its backstage politics, his car accident and near death, moving to WWF, Chyna and the Latino Heat character, being fired after a DUI, his religion, working the indies, his WWE return, Los Guerreros and winning the WWE Championship.

Especially because the book was released after his tragic death, it is very touching. Even if he hadn't died, it would still be a great story, and it would have had much more of a "Hollywood" ending. It is very much a tale of falling to great depths before reaching even greater heights, which always makes for an engaging read. Any big fan of Latino Heat will should read Cheating Death, Stealing Life, and not be surprised if they shed more than a tear or two while doing so.