November 11th, 2005 would mark the last match of Eddie Guerrero.
There, Mr. Kennedy battled the “Latino Heat” on Friday Night Smackdown. As the referee suffered an inadvertent bump from Kennedy in the corner turnbuckle, Guerrero seized the opportunity. Eddie would grab a steel chair from ringside and taunt Mr. Kennedy with it. However, Guerrero quickly threw the chair into Kennedy’s hands and fell to the mat, as if Kennedy had struck him with the chair. The referee turned his head back to the competitors at that moment, forcing Kennedy to be disqualified. Therefore, Eddie Guerrero won his final match.
Two days later, Guerrero unfortunately passed away.
In speaking with Steve Fall of NBC Sports Boston, Mr. Kennedy explained how he felt being Guerrero’s last televised match opponent.
“It’s kind of–I don’t know how to answer that question honestly,” Kennedy admitted. “It just sucks that he’s gone. I’m fortunate, I’m happy that I was able to be a part of his history at all. Just the fact that I was able to get in the ring with him a few times and learn from him.”
“I remember after that match that night, we came back and he had some [words], trying to get me to slow down a little bit,” he explained. “It’s just like [I] got to listen to the people a little more. And if I watch back, I could see those areas, those parts where I was rushing. But I don’t know, it was just a great honor to have wrestled him at all. Unfortunately, it just sucks that it happens to be, that was his last match.”
Mr. Kennedy continued on to acknowledge the ongoing tributes to Eddie Guerrero following his death. Frog splashes, the Three Amigos, and Eddie’s signature dance would become staple examples of his legacy.
“Nobody does it (the dance) the way Eddie did it, though. Even people that tried The Three Amigos, just I’ve never seen it done the way that he switches those hips,” Kennedy recalled.
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