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When the fans are out of the building - either before a show or after a show - the real character of a pro wrestler comes out.

Colleagues know a wrestler better than any fan sitting in section 300, row J, seat 5. They've seen a wrestler on a good day and a bad day. Does he or she blow off a fellow wrestler going through a rough day because his or hers is worse? Does the wrestler go out of his or her way to do a media appearance or autograph signing because it's the right thing to do?

Judging by the remarks from Eddie Guerrero's closest friends and family members shown at the end of the Eddie Guerrero DVD when reflecting on Eddie's life, it's clear Eddie's impact was more important outside of the ring rather than inside with TV cameras rolling.

I haven't talked about Eddie's Christian faith in the review series yet, but Chris Jericho discusses the importance of Eddie's faith in one of the more poignant "moments of reflection" on Eddie's life contained on the DVD.

While behind-the-scenes footage is being shown of Eddie interacting with wrestlers and colleagues and agents and other talent to show the real Eddie in action, Jericho describes Eddie this way.

"He was the type of guy that everyone in the locker room knew they could come talk to if they were having a problem," Jericho says on the DVD. "He was also very spiritual. Eddie was always available. He knew his Bible very well. He would always be there with a Bible verse or some kind of parable to tell.

"If you wanted to hear it, Eddie would tell you and very strongly tell you. If you didn't want to hear it, he wouldn't be one of those guys that would push it on you. So that also made him very trustworthy. Eddie was a very trustworthy guy."

Chavo Guerrero adds, "Once you knew him, he was your best friend. I've seen him take his shirt off and shoes off and give them to people. I've seen it with my own eyes."

Eddie's faith made him stronger, helped him overcome many of the personal obstacles he put in front of himself during his WCW and WWE career, and allowed him to be a strong witness to others because of the personal redemption he experienced personally.

As I've detailed during this DVD review series, Eddie nearly lost the respect of the locker room during his first WWE run because he wouldn't clean himself up, but by the time he returned and won his first WWE Title against Brock Lesnar at No Way Out 2004, Eddie was the locker room leader he was born to be. Not only in the ring, but behind the scenes.

"Eddie was a good mentor to a lot of people," Jim Ross says on the DVD. "He was a great role model in a lot of ways. Hopefully if we all can live our lives as well as he did his, especially toward the last few years, we'll meet again at some point."

Included on the DVD is Eddie's final wrestling match, airing on Nov. 11, 2005 where Eddie defeated Mr. Kennedy in classic "I lie, I cheat, I steal" fashion and flashed that classic Cheshire cat grin toward the hard camera following a ref bump.

Looking closely at Eddie during the match, he simply looked tired. His body had been through so much stress from the years of substance abuse and also the wear-and-tear of trying to be the best wrestler in the ring while maintaining a body size that was too large for his frame.

The DVD doesn't detail much about his death. There's no explanation on what happened. There's no mention of the Wellness Policy being implemented afterward. The DVD is more of a "career highlights" look at Eddie's career, with WWE barely dipping its toe into the more-difficult issues. But, I'll save the complete overview of the DVD for tomorrow.

Included below are select quotes from Eddie's colleagues at the very end of the DVD reflecting on Eddie's life outside of the ring.

Quotes from colleagues on the DVD

Jeff Hardy - "I think Eddie Guerrero will be remembered for his sense of humor and his wrestling, man. He was one of the best wrestlers to ever grace this planet."

John Cena - "He was just very, very exciting to watch. He was so smooth and he could do almost anything."

Mick Foley - "I miss knowing that every week on television, there's going to be an entertaining and possibly breath-taking match of his to watch."

Ric Flair - "I think Eddie brought a level of commitment, desire, unbelievable athletic ability, and passion to be the very best. No matter how great a match he had that night, he wanted it to be better."

Chavo, Sr. - "I was his idol when he was small and he became my idol - he was that good. I would watch Eddie and he would make me laugh and convince me that it was real. And that's good, man!"

Vickie Guerrero, fighting back tears - "I miss his laugh. His laugh."

Dean Malenko - "He had that contagious smile where he'd walk in a room and everyone could feel his presence. Eddie was real, real close."

Matt Hardy - "He was very inspirational. He was a guy I could look at and model myself after to a degree. I considered him a friend, definitely."

EDDIE GUERRERO DVD REVIEW ARTICLE LIST

-- Day 25 - Eddie's final PPV match vs. Batista.
-- Day 24 - Eddie vs. Rey II.
-- Day 23 - Eddie vs. Angle in a match-up made for a wrestling ring
-- Day 22 - JBL cage match; Kurt Angle mirror image.
-- Day 21 - Sickest Match Ever vs. JBL.
-- Day 20 - Eddie as True Champion; vs. Rey Mysterio.
-- Day 19 - Eddie's Greatest Moment as WWE champion.
-- Day 18 - Guerrero Family Rivalry.
-- Day 17 - John Cena learns wrestling psychology.
-- Day 16 - The life-saving bond with Chavo Guerrero
-- Day 15 - Must-See Match of the DVD vs. Edge.
-- Day 14 - Working with Jeff Hardy.
-- Day 13 - RVD match; Eddie overcomes personal pain.
-- Day 12 - Matt Hardy match; void in life unfulfilled.
-- Day 11 - WWE debut against Chris Jericho.
-- Day 10 - Personal tragedy with Vickie Guerrero's public commentary.
-- Day 9 - Battle with Juvi; personal issues bubbling below surface.
-- Day 8 - WCW front office issues and vs. Ultimo Dragon.
-- Day 7 - Eddie the in-ring Technician vs. Dean Malenko.
-- Day 6 - Rey Mysterio classic and character adjustment.
-- Day 5 - vs. Chris Jericho and no one cared.
-- Day 4 - Rubbing shoulders with Ric Flair.
-- Day 3 - Stealing the show at Starrcade '95.
-- Day 2 - Breakthrough in ECW - Eddie vs. Dean Malenko.
-- Day 1 - influence of Art Barr; Eddie vs. 2 Cold Scorpio.
-- Intro on DVD review series.

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