"He would be alive today if he would have done that" - Kurt Angle on Eddie Guerrero's issues in WWE
Kurt Angle believes fellow WWE legend Eddie Guerrero should have sought medical advice more than a year before he passed away.
Guerrero died from heart failure brought on by a blocked artery on November 13, 2005. A year earlier, Angle noticed that his friend clearly had problems during their lumberjack match on the September 9, 2004, episode of SmackDown.
Speaking on Rene Dupree’s “Cafe de Rene” podcast, the Olympic gold medallist claimed Guerrero might still be alive if he had undergone medical tests.
“You can’t blame it on the WWE,” Angle said. “Eddie needs to take the blame because he knew something was wrong with himself and he just didn’t wanna find out, I don’t think. I’m not saying Eddie wanted to die on purpose. I’m saying Eddie just didn’t wanna take the extra time to find out if something was wrong with him, and I think he should have. He would be alive today if he would have done that.” [1:27-1:50]
In hindsight, Angle thinks he and other wrestlers should have done more to speak up about Guerrero’s wellbeing at the time.
The moment Kurt Angle sensed something was wrong with Eddie Guerrero
#OnThisDayInWWE 16 years ago, Eddie Guerrero took on @RealKurtAngle in an Lumberjack Match on #SmackDown https://t.co/XzKZBmbd2F
The aforementioned SmackDown match lasted 15 minutes and ended in a no contest after the lumberjacks ambushed the ring.
Reflecting on Eddie Guerrero’s physical condition that day, Kurt Angle recalled how his opponent was unable to perform basic moves.
“That lumberjack match, that was a big sign that there was something seriously wrong with Eddie. Because he could not go. I couldn’t get him to go. He was holding onto the ropes like, ‘Don’t touch me, don’t touch me.’ I’m like, ‘I have to! This is a wrestling match, Eddie! We gotta do the next spot.’ ‘I don’t wanna go, I don’t wanna go.’ I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh.’” [0:47-1:07]
Angle viewed Guerrero as “the greatest wrestler of all time,” and found it “crazy” that someone with his ability could barely finish the match.
What is your favorite Eddie Guerrero memory? Let us know in the comments section.
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