Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Two Radicalz

Eddie Guerrero came from a wrestling family. Perry Saturn started wrestling after a 4 year stint in the U.S. Army. Their careers intertwined for a while in the later years of WCW and their early time in the WWE.
Wrestlers like Guerrero and Saturn were too often overlooked in the modern era. They lacked the huge (often unnatural) size that many promoters desired. Together with Chris Benoit and Dean Malenko, they were teamed as the Radicalz upon their entry into the WWE.
After that angle, Guerrero's career seemingly was initially more successful. Guerrero became a champ multiple times, while Saturn stayed at the midcard.
Unfortunately, Guerrero died of heart failure at the young age of 38. As always, there were rumors of steroid abuse, but in Guerrero's case, there was also a history of other drug and alcohol abuse. Guerrero was said to have conquered his demons and was living clean and happily at the time of his death.
Saturn drifted in and out of wrestling and has apparently drifted out of view entirely. Nobody is really sure where he is or what he is doing.
I met the pair at the Pillman Memorial Show many years ago. I rode in an elevator with them and there wasn't much room left for me. Saturn was quiet, but Guerrero was his usual outgoing self. He joked with everyone.
Eddie Guerrero, Perry Saturn and me in Cincinnati, OH-May 2000.

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