Chavo Guerrero - What is it?

[MisterRob]

I haven't seen Chavo Guerrero doing much of anything in WWE recently until I saw him on Superstars wrestling JTG. During the match I got to thinking about Chavo Guerrero's career, from his days as a Cruiserweight in WCW to his days as a Cruiserweight champion in the WWE to his tag team with Eddie Guerrero and finally to recent times where he's been a nothing heel used sparringly and never able to really get over.

My question is why?

Chavo's had successes in his career, he's been Cruiserweight champion on many occassions and tag team champion with his uncle, Eddie. He was clearly over with Eddie in Los Guerreros. He's clearly a good wrestler, he's even got more charisma then some, not to mention he's far from as horrible on the mic as countless other superstars in the WWE past or present.

So what is it about Chavo that has prevented him from really standing out on his own and becoming a singles star to any permanent degree?

What's held him back from becoming more then a forgettable heel who just can't get over at all now?

I'm really curious to hear people's thoughts on this. And please try to answer it seriously and not just trash Chavo with "he sucks" answers.

 

[thebrownmenace]

The main thing holding him back is his size. Since the WWE did away with the Cruiserweight title, all they have had him do is be associated with some other superstar as a kind of lackey. If they would have done the same thing they did with Rey when Eddie passed, kind of have him as the guy that is trying to uphold his great family's legacy, then I could have easily seen him as a mid card champion because truth be told Chavo is a damn good wrestler. Is he a Kurt Angle or a Shawn Michaels? No, but if you go back and look at some of the matches he had on ECW with CM Punk, he is very capable of putting on an entertaining match.

Also, Chavo will always be forced to remain under his uncle's shadow. Not only was Eddie a great wrestler, he was also a tremendous entertainer and could connect with the crowd whether he was a babyface or a heel. Chavo hasn't been able to draw emotion from a crowd since he was riding around on a wooden pony(Pepe) in WCW.

 

[kirkt690]

yeah but he also had his run as ECW champion. and hes a good enough wrestler to maybe make it to at least a mid card level(intercontinental champion/US champion). hell id be happy if u just put him with alberto del rio

 

[Ace333]

Chavo is just in the shadow of Eddie. When I see vickie i picture vickie but when i see chavo i want to picture eddie. Chavo is great on the mic, he is also a great wrestler. He is missing the it factor that brings out a reaction.

 

[Lying Retarded Crybaby Troll Bitch]

Chavo will always be in Eddie's shadow. I'm kind of surprised such things didn't seem to happen with Bret & Owen, etc.

Doesn't help that Eddie & Chavo tagged together, so it's easier for me to connect them.

 

[StraightEdge for Life]

It is unfortunate for Chavo because he really is a good wrestler, but he will always be in Eddie's shadow.

It also didn't help that he was Swagger's Swagger Soaring Eagle as that was a joke.

But it also has to do with Chavo last year jobbing each and every week to Hornswoggle.

And as someone did mention his reign as ECW Champion, he did lose the title in 8 seconds to Kane on the biggest stage at WrestleMania 24.

 

[AnthonyMango/NoFate007]

What I don't understand is how in 4 seasons of NXT, Chavo hasn't been one of the pros. He doesn't do anything, so it isn't like he's too busy to take on the role (ala Edge, Cena, Orton, Taker, etc), and he certainly isn't some newbie that would look ridiculous in a pro role (ala the Usos or Tyler Reks or something). Perfect person to throw on there and they haven't done it yet.

When it comes to Chavo as a champ or anything though, he got his big moment with his ECW title reign. The same goes for Mark Henry and Matt Hardy. I like Henry, but that was the peak of his career and his consolation prize for being around so long and never being world champ. Originally, I figured that would be Kane's as well until this latest title reign, to try to make up for his 1-day championship run back in the late 90s. So that was Chavo's big thing and we won't be seeing him get anywhere higher than that.

 

[zman21]

its his size and age (40) thats whats holding him back. b4 he get released i would like to see chavo become i.c or u.s champion and hopefully perform at 1 more wrestlemania

 

[Malenko316]

I'm a little confused here, people are praising EG, yet saying Chavo's association with him is what holds him? You could argue Chavo was under EG's shadow when he was alive, but dead men don't cast shadows.

However, there is an exception to that. EG's demise, like Owen Hart and to a different degree, Benoit, is not something WWE likes to make reference to. (I realise the huge role Vicki plays on SD, and quite frankly it makes me sick, but the heat she draws outweights any negativity via association. And when was the last time you heard anyone in wwe make reference to her as EG's widow?) If you put Chavo on TV regularly, especially on NXT where there's naff all to be the commentators busy, then at least some reference will be made to EG.

Yes, EG was a true legend and yes, his death was an accidental tragedy. But, it was caused by drugs and steroid abuse and the whole issue of wellness policy at the time did not paint the company in a very good light. Add that to the Guerrero 'tradition' of 'Lying, cheating and stealing' and you get a bundle of associative material that does not sit well with a PG audience. Given Chavo is a 210lb 40yr old, he doesn't have the draw to outweigh the potential bad image.

True wrestling fans might be pleased to see him do well, and look past the potential negative image to the real character of the Guerrero name (blood relatives I mean, not vicki). But the current product is aimed at 5-12yr olds and their often reluctant families, who are ignorant of tradition and so the current image is all that matters/

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I just dont think he is particularly interesting, and will always be in the shadow of his Uncle.

He has never really impressed me on the mic, and while he can wrestle a decent match, he is no better than alot of the younger talent that the WWE has right now, and who will be pushed due to their future longetivity. As Chavo is becoming a veteran now, he is unlikely to be given a major push ahead of all these wrestlers who will carry the WWE into the future such as Bryan, Punk, Del Rio, Morrison etc.

He is a useful guy to have on the roster, he can wrestle and get fairly decent heel heat, and should be used in a more enhancement role, which is can do well, and occasionally be given a little feud to get him some TV time. That is where I see his role in the company now

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

I think as you mentioned Misterob he is a good wrestler as well as a good mic worker. But thats it. If you look at a guy like Chavo the first thing that you think about is that he is going to be a useful commodity. He was not World Championship material ever. He was always the lesser figure in his tag team with Eddie Guerrero.

He has always had enough potential to be a useful midcarder but he has always been passed up when it comes to higher level pushes because as I said earlier he is not a special talent like his uncle Eddie was. You have to be more than just good to earn a push in the WWE.

 

[itbewilly]

I look at Chavo now days the same way i view Goldust..... They are simply there to do one thing and one thing only most of the time. They are there to put the new guys over and give them their first taste of performing on t.v and in front of live audiences and such. It kind of sucks really because the things that Chavo and Goldust and in the past Brooklyn Brawler and anyone else who has ever jobbed for new blood usually lead to better results then some of the guys they are jobbing to.

Think where Sting would be had him and Flair not had all those great matches back in NWA... Sure...he Still would have been successful likely but what Flair did for him back then helped give him the momentum to become one of the best to ever get in a ring. Same for Rock and Austin and any other big name wrestler. At some point someone whether established or just a curtain jerker had to put these guys over when they weren't so great yet..

Guys like Goldust and Chavo and Brawler really aren't given the credit they deserve for helping make some of the rookies we see into the superstars they become.Hell even Orton at one point didn't look that great in the ring.He had a nice dropkick and some good moves but it took guys like Michaels to help elevate him to the level hes at today.Taker has instantly made stars out of some guys(see Jeff Hardy vs Taker Ladder Match for the title).. They really should have special rewards for the guys who probably aren't getting paid close to what the stars they helped create are and really give them the credit they deserve... Maybe with Tough Enough coming back that will be Chavo's calling. Wasn't he part of it before?

 

[Mr. Artistic guy]

yeah but he also had his run as ECW champion. and hes a good enough wrestler to maybe make it to at least a mid card level(intercontinental champion/US champion). hell id be happy if u just put him with alberto del rio

I like that idea. He is known as a heel so sticking him with del rio with give him something better to do than run round in a bird costume and also make himself and del rio look more formiddable. I wouldn't mind some kind of a mexican stable if they could find another guy to help out. I t would make del rio look great and chavo and whoever else better than they do currently.

 

[Ferbian]

I'm quite frankly not sure why. I'd like to think that Chavo Guerrero is severely underused and underrated in terms of how he's being used in WWE.

My best guess as to why this is, is most likely due to the fact that, well it's Chavo Guerrero. He will never be Eddie. He'll always be.. Just Chavo. And now certainly being just Chavo is more than enough to warrant yourself a decent career I'd like to think. Chavo is pretty good in the ring, he's decent on the microphone, and he's certainly nowhere near as small or less build as some of the other talent that has excelled in WWE history.

However, Chavo will always remain Eddie's nephew. He'll never just be Chavo, a Guerrero wrestler. And that is what I think hurts him in terms of what he would've been able to achieve, and as to why he's underutilized.

 

[RicSpade]

Really its not his lack of drawing power I think its just out of necessity that they keep Chavo around in some capacity. Now think about it Chavo got his championship in ECW which was his last major title in that same breath you had Eddies best friend Rey win the World Heavyweight title and marked it as him doing it for Eddie.

Now it seems like to me like Chavo got shoved aside for someone who had better drawing power again, but is Chavos in ring ability bad? No I have seen him wrestle live in the last year against Evan Bourne and that was a high star high quality match. I mean Rey isn't very good on the mic but he's more popular than Chavo, and its pretty bad that you have to resort to being Swaggers mascot to have TV time.

Who knows maybe you will have Chavo come back out with his stick horse pepe and will see another Santino but who knows nowadays

 

[lgreene9187]

Chavo is a very talented entertainer. He, like others, is a victim of poor booking. If you were to allow him to craft his own character where he would be comfortable, he would thrive. Not a world champion, by any means, but a successful mid-carder. His ECW Championship run was very entertaining, I though. He put on good matches and was very good on the mic. He needs to be a full-fledged heel, which he can pull off. But, WWE killed him with the Hornswoggle feud, which was absolute garbage. I would have rather not have him on TV versus that crap. He deserves better.

 

[WolfNyte]

I knew someone would bring up the Hornswoggle / CG thing more than once.

Did anyone bother to see Chavo's twits during the fued? Did anyone see his comments on it all? They were even posed on WZ so either you missed it, didnt read it or forgot about it.

More than once Chavo said he was "having a blast" working with ole Horny and that he "enjoyed this program emensely and did not want it to ever end" he also said the IWC needs to lighten up alot at one point and take a chill.

Personally I think Chavo is at the point where he just works when they need him and is happy with that. He does not have to travel all over the place and can spend time with family. Remember he is 40 years old and its harder than ever on the body to take the bumps and do it all on a regular basis at this age..trust me I am 41 and when I play football with my friends we all hurt for days after. You reach an age that it takes more time to heal and get over bumbs and bangs. Look at Trips even he is going to be going less wrestling and more office stuff by his own admission.

Chavo is in a seat where he does not have to work all the time he has a nest egg I am sure and so can pick and choose and work behind the scenes and yes he does that according to him and loving it.

 

[Vintage]

I think its simply the same thing that we've seen time and time again with Golddust, Booker T, Santino, etc.

Once typecast comedy character, forever will it dominate your destiny.
He'll always have a job but any hopes he had of having people remember him for his in ring work are fading fast. Its a shame, he probably wanted to be worlds champ as a kid and he has the talent to make it work but some ppl are just happy to entertain anyway they can.

 

[LSN80]

Chavo did get his moment of glory, and that was as ECW champion. He was able to hold the belt for 2 months, and even got a clean victory over CM Punk at No Way Out of that year to retain the title. At the time, it was the ECW World Title, so its not like it was looked at as a crap belt. But it was a lifetime achievement award, as it was for a Matt Hardy. Thats as close as someone like him is going to get to a World Title.

Chavo just doesnt have the "IT" factor that's needed to be successful. He doesn't have the connection with the audience, as a heel or a face. His mic skills are average at best, so that just leaves us with his in ring ability, which is pretty good. I was holding out hope that when Vickie was announcing one of the pros for season 4 of NXT, it would be Chavo, because it would give him something to do. He'ld be a better fit then Masters, thats for sure.

Chavo has done alright for himself, but ever since being a lackey in La Familia, he hasnt been relevant. That stable was only to get over Edge and help him retain his championship, and it hurt all the other members in the process. Their main role was getting the crap kicked out of them each and every week. Between his disaster in La Familia, and his comedy jobbing to Hornswoggle, it would be darn near impossible to make Chavo relevant in any way again. He had a nice run for a long time. But like a Finlay or Regal, he's not young anymore and his sporadic use is only to serve as enhancement talent at this point.

 

[NotHarlanClark]

Personally, I think he's holding back. He just doesn't seem to have that attitude he did back in the days of Los Guerreros. I don't see it as an age thing, and I don't think he's stuck under Eddy's shadow. He could easily ask for a match, Face or Heel, and put on his old persona and get over.

But, (though I don't know exactly what his role with the company is) I think he's sticking around family and friends, and maybe helping with booking. I think after Eddy died, his love for wrestling has been fading.

 

[GangstaPriest15]

Chavo can definitely put on decently entertaining matches and he isn't bad on the mic, but there are 4 things that hold him back: Age, Size, Eddie Guerrero, and the way he's booked.

Age-Hes like 40 years old and isn't BIG enough to stay around even if it was as a manager or cutting promos i.e. Flair, Hogan, Bret Hart

Size- Back in the day the E had opportunites for these smaller wrestlers. Nowadays the smaller guys get screwed, it's just the way it is

EG- The thing with this is simply because he was so over with the crowd that when he died most fans didn't want to accept it. I think they kind of looked to Chavo in a way to live up to their expectations. He just doesn't have the charisma Eddie did to do that, and the only way to get away from that would be to do something else that made his career look bigger than Eddies which won't happen.

Booking- Like StraightEdge For Life said, when your getting matches book against HORNSWOGGLE and getting beat....your basically getting booked worse than Santino. Its sad that he's treated like this, but let's not forget he always has the option of leaving and heading to TNA....just saying with all the stars they've taken lately they'd likely give him something better than the E is. Maybe not moneywise but definitely bookingwise

 

[MMSoldier]

Mainly his size. Look at the rest of the roster. The smallest person is Mysterio, and he's a multi time champion. His size handicaps him.

 

[Mr. Artistic guy]

I don't agree with his size being an issue. Evan bourne is doing well, when he's around, daniel bryan is the U.S. champ, CM punk is main event material and rey mysterio is also a former world champ... not to mention A.J. styles was recently named the best wrestler in the world by PWI. It's a pretty accepting age for the smaller guy so that can't be it. I'd put my money on age as the main culprit, the older guys fill out the insubstantial roles like goldust, finlay when he was still doing T.V. regal and most guys around and over 40. If he never got a push before now it isn't coming now on the grounds of his age because at this stage he OUGHT to be putting people over and the like... but he should have had something of a career beforehand. That's the only difference between most over guys in his situation and himself, unlike people like regal, he never got his time to shine really and it isn't coming around again, you don't get younger unfortunately for chavo.

 

[Trill Co$by]

Bischoff killed any and all credibility Chavo could've had back in WCW. The fact that Vince tried to give him the Cruiserweight, ECW, Tag titles, and a feud with Benoit was proof that Vince at one time had hopes for Chavo, and why shouldn't he? Chavo is the perfect guy to be a top heel. Sure, he may be 40 years old, but the guy can move around like nobody's business. His style, to me, is a great mirror to Hector and his abilities are so amazing.

However, if there's anything that he's going to do it will be the manager of his niece Shaul... if they don't stick her with Vickie. Maybe, just maybe, that can be his ticket to the mid-card. To me, he is still a very pushable star but that's me... I happen to think his mic work is few and far in between and he could make anybody look amazing. Him and Helms were always my favorite cruiserweight champions and I have always wanted them to reach their true potentials.

 

[Afro-Ameri-Spawn]

The one thing that is hurting Chavo, above anything and everything else, is the fact that the WWE won't let him be Chavo. Now I'm sure that many of you are wondering what I mean by that. Well, if you look at Chavo during his successful run in WCW and during his more meaningful successes in the WWE, you can see that Chavo is Chavo. Chavo is his own entity, capable of holding a crowd, getting heat, playing out the role of heel to the letter without needing to rely on any outside factors or characters.

But when you see Chavo during his more irrelevant times in WWE, he has been a groupie, a hack, and a minion. He isn't allowed to truly be Chavo. If anything, the WWE wants him to be the second coming of Eddie. Problem is, Chavo isn't Eddie. He never was Eddie. Now while Chavo played off of Eddie's character very well, he lacks the fluid motions of Eddie. Chavo is too stiff and precise. Even when he mimics Eddie's old moves, you can see that it's almost like he is forcing the moves. They don't look natural. Everything from his shoulder shake, to the three amigos, to his god awful frog splash are just not him. And as long as the WWE makes this a part of his character in order to keep Eddie alive, Chavo will remain a joke. A joke that they let Hornswoggle have his way with time and time again.

And it's a same as Chavo does have a natural charisma and pretty good mic skills. His ring work is good when he gets to use stronger offense and his Gory Bomb is not a bad finisher. Chavo can do more. But it just seems like he is on the roster doing nothing more than filling time on Superstars or for comedy bits. They could at least let him mentor a younger star and be a manger/partner, much like William Regal did for characters like Paul Burchill, Drew McIntrye, and a host of others. Will they do such? Probably not. Will they do anything with Chavo? Probably not. Will they release Chavo? Definitely not. I mean nobody wants to be the company who released one of the WWE's most definitive family members after he died working for you. I mean hell, guilt over his brother dying in the ring helped get Charlie Haas some time on the big roster. So I'm sure WWE wants to avoid the backlash from the IWC if Chavo went bye bye against his will. And with today's economy, Chavo would have to be a fool not to keep collecting a fat paycheck from WWE. But it's still a shame.