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(I can't even begin to wrap my head around the whole Chris Benoit situation. I get a sick feeling in my gut just thinking about it. I am certainly not in the right frame of mind to write about it, and even at a later date, I may not want to discuss it. The sad fact is I am tired of dealing with death, whether it's my own family, my friends, or the brotherhood of pro wrestling. When Eddie Guerrero passed away I wrote the following column celebrating humor in the world of pro wrestling. I think we could all use a tall glass of levity right about now, so I hope you enjoy this quick stroll down memory lane to some of the best in the business at making us smile and laugh.)

Eddie Guerrero passed away. I couldn't believe it when I read the news. How tragic. How sad. And just plain awful. My heart and prayers go out to his family and loved ones. As fans of Eddie Guerrero, we will all mourn in different ways at different times and for different reasons. I do not want to use this column to mourn Eddie Guerrero today. Rather, I want to celebrate his talent of bringing humor and fun to professional wrestling. Nothing but respect is intended.

Eddie Guerrero. I always liked him. He could flat out wrestle any style against anyone. I dug that. These past few weeks in his program with Batista, he's also showed some of the best psychology we've seen in pro wrestling in quite a while. Whether he was doing it with facial expressions, his body language, the spoken word or with his wrestling holds and moves, the man knew how to work in every way a pro wrestler is supposed to be able to work. Inside the ring and out, he was giving us 'old school wrestling' BIG time. He had been perpetuating a great but seemingly lost art with his every performance: Psychology. And of course, as we mentioned earlier, fun. Lots and lots of fun. He gave us all much levity and laughter with his brilliant in-ring and backstage humor, some of the best that the WWE, and all of pro wrestling for that matter, had seen in a long time. The 'chair shot...not!' spot that he used to cause his opponents to get disqualified for 'clobbering Eddie' with the foreign object was as old school as it was brilliant. Eddie was an example of all of the good things about professional wrestling. You could be proud to be a fan of Eddie Guerrero. He did not embarrass his trade, much to the contrary, he was a master of his craft. We wrestling fans all benefited that Eddie Guerrero was a professional wrestler. Thank you for all of the smiles you've given us during your career Eddie, and thank you in advance for the smiles we will have every time we think of you. God bless you Eddie Guerrero.

Today, as a bit of a tribute to the smiles that Eddie Guerrero has provided us, we will talk a little bit about the humor in professional wrestling. What makes us smile the most. We're talking about true COMEDY. It takes material, timing and delivery. It may also require, among other things, body language and/or facial expressions. Those special folks who have the gift to make others laugh are few and far between. Especially in wrestling. Not everybody can pull it off. Some people involved in wrestling have 'the gift', while others, hard as they may try, simply do not. Let's talk about a few who have had 'the gift' over the years.

Bobby Heenan: Need I say more? From his interviews to his 'weasel suit' matches, to his color commentary, Bobby Heenan is probably the greatest 'comedic wrestling personality' ever. This cat is a full scale riot when he is on his game. Hosting 'Prime Time Wrestling' with Gorilla Monsoon was probably his most well known body of work, and some of his best work as well. His promos in the much less politically correct 1970's and 1980's in the AWA are true classics. Get a tape or two my friends and you will not be disappointed. From his ethnic slurs (and he was equal opportunity there, no race or religion was safe from the barbs that he used to incite the fans and fill up the arenas with people wanting to see him get his comeuppance) to his complete, utter, and absolute 'disdain' for 'Mean' Gene Okerlund, 'The Brain' was truly one of a kind.

Ric Flair. Over the years, we've seen Ric Flair do some amazing things. He's won titles and respect everywhere he has wrestled. He's been a wheeler-dealer and a kiss-stealer too. But he also has the amazing talent to make us laugh. Whether we chuckle as he falls flat on his face during a match, better than anyone not named Ray 'The Crippler' Stevens or Nick Bockwinkel no less, or calling someone in the crowd 'fat boy', the ol' 'Nature Boy' delivers the comical goods. We've seen him turn chicken spit into chicken salad time after time after time. Once, in an effort by WCW management to diminish his value and self respect, his on-air character was sent to an insane asylum. I would have loved to have seen the look on the face of whoever conceived this angle in hopes that it would FINALLY bury Flair in the fans eyes as these segments featuring Flair became the highest rated segments on WCW television shows during that time. Then in the WWE a few years later, Flair single-handedly took the absolutely most ill conceived idea pro wrestling had seen since the Russo administration, the 'musical chairs' segment seen on RAW, and made it not just bearable, but downright jocular. For EVERBODY no less. Fans and detractors alike basked in his impish smile as he strutted around the chairs, and they desperately wanted in on the fun, evidenced by their collective applause, laughter, and delight. Amazing when you consider that scant moments earlier the live crowd, and the entire wrestling world for that matter, let out a collective moan of mammoth proportions when they found out that there was going to be a 'musical chairs' segment on RAW that night. Flair saved the day like nobody else could have. Anyone who watched that show knows exactly what I'm talking about. Just classic improvising by the master. These days, somewhat ironically when you think about it, his comedy comes partly from the fact that he is 'the dirtiest player in the game'. You'd think that violence and comedy would automatically be somewhat of a contradiction, wouldn't you? Foul, dirty, illegal fight tactics are certainly nothing to laugh about, right? There is nothing funny about unbridled violence, correct? As wrestling fans we all know better, obviously. Yet, one usually tries to watch a wrestling show with the supposition that it's not predetermined and that it is in fact 'real', as a way to get caught up in the action and lost in the fantasy of it all. So big props to Ric Flair and his talent to be able to portray to the fans that not only is he is truly hurting someone, but that it's okay to laugh about it too. Only a select few true blue pro's can do this kind of stuff. Mick Foley using his 'sweet shin music' is a great example of someone who can make pain look funny, but Flair probably still does it the best. Take for instance when he's grabbing his opponent by the 'goodies' (meaning 'below the belt' for the goodie impaired) and then proceeds to strut and dance around the ring in the most jovial manner. Not only does it make you snicker because it's visually humorous, in your mind you're thinking "Ouch that would hurt." So it's violence that is funny. Kind of like the Crusher's 'popcorn spot' we spoke about a few weeks ago. Some popcorn to the eyes (It's hard to fight when one is blinded by popcorn--a great example of comedy plus strategy equal some fond memories) and down the trunks (I can't imagine having popcorn induced jock itch, and I plan to keep it that way) of his opponent made for great visual comedy at a wrestling event. Admittedly, while it's probably not what purists would call true wrestling, it most certainly qualifies as some of the very best aspects of 'sports entertainment'.

Now, I'm going to shift gears here ever so slightly and talk about one of my favorite forms of comedy in pro wrestling: The 'delusional heel'. What is a 'delusional heel' you ask? Here are two of my favorite examples.

The Honky Tonk Man. When he arrived in the then WWF in the mid 1980's, he coveted fan approval in a deep way. He would sing for them. He would dance for them. He would kiss up to them any way he could, almost PLEADING for an autograph seeker, ANYTHING to get that approval he so desperately craved and needed. Much to his chagrin, the fans COULDN'T STAND HIM! What's a Honky Tonk Man to do? Why, pretend they love him of course! So he would be in the ring before his bout, grab the microphone, and begin his promo with "I know, I KNOW, you wanna hear the Honky Tonk Man sing! (The Rock was not the first person to speak in the third person y'know!) You wanna see the Honky Tonk Man dance! Well, I won't disappoint you, TURN ON THE MUSIC!" and he would proceed to, naturally, sing and dance for his 'adoring crowd', swiveling hips and all. He would end all of the grandeur and spectacle of course with a disingenuously gracious, curled lip, Elvis-type (Or as Honky would ask, "Elvis who?" Another part of the denial that made Honky Tonk Man funny!) of "Thank you...thank you very much". I don't quite remember, but they may even announced over the P.A. system, "Ladies and gentlemen, the Honky Tonk Man has LEFT the building!" once his match was over. If they didn't they should have. A 'delusional heel' in one of it's funniest, most glorious forms.

Who could be as delusional as the Honky Tonk Man, you ask? Well, 'Triple H' of course. No, not THAT Triple H. I can't stand that guy. Water spitting idiot. I'm talking of course about the one and only true 'Triple H'. That's right, 'Hollywood Hulk Hogan'! This hurts to say because I'm not a Hulk Hogan fan (The bloody ONE time I wanted that guy to win, he goes and drops the belt to that painfully horrible imposter of a wrestler Ultimate Warrior at Wrestle-Mania! Agh!), but at the zenith of his heel run in WCW Hogan flat out cracked me up. He would be in the ring with Eric Bischoff doing a promo, and Bischoff would urge him "C'mon Hollywood, give the people what they came to see!" and Hollywood would oblige his 'fans' (The ones booing and throwing debris at him, yes those are the ones.) with his stellar bodybuilding type poses, but he wouldn't stop there. He would then proceed to take his championship belt, hold it high above his head, and run laps around the ring as he 'soaked in' the crowds (Bronx) 'cheers'! He then would use the belt as an 'air guitar' and play it for all of his 'adoring Hulk-A-Maniacs'. He was a GREAT 'delusional heel', just about as good as it gets, and again, this is coming from a guy who does not particularly care for ol' Hollywood. I can't stand his wrestling character, and the politics he's played over the years (like never putting Ric Flair over clean) will bother the wrestling fan in me forever, but I have to call it like I see it-- For a short time there when he was a 'delusional heel', the brother cracked me up, and I have to give him his due.

Who have been YOUR favorite 'delusional heels' over the years? Or, what 'comedic wrestling personality' have you enjoyed the most in all of your years as a fan? You can let me know at Myshack33@aol.com. Until next time, 'Good Wrestling' everybody!