How to solve a problem like... Chavo

[Daniel]

“Oooohhhh Chavo” pumps around the arena. It signals two things: the start of the most stereotypical Mexican music in the history of recorded sound and, the arrival of the most underwhelming yet underrated wrestlers on the WWE roster. He walks down the ramp, steps into the ring surrounded by the ‘WWE Superstars’ logo and takes his place to go up against Chris Masters…

Now, you would think , from the previous paragraph, that Chavo Guerrero Jr. is irrelevant in the WWE. And you’d be right. It’s a shame. A real shame considering what Chavo can offer. Particularly in the ring.

But before that, how about a bit of back story? Guerrero came to the WWE from WCW during the invasion storyline of 2001. He is the only original Alliance member left in the WWE. He has won an ECW Championship, four Cruiserweight Championships and twice won the WWE Tag Team Championship with his uncle Eddie.

Despite these few and far between successes, he has never reached the heights of his late uncle. I can only put this down to his inability to get over. He’s decent on the mic and quite a good actor which leads me to think that his gimmick is holding him back. Wait. Does he even have a gimmick? In my six months of watching WWE shows, I don’t think I have seen his character’s personality on display. Despite his lack of character, Chavo has some good points. His in-ring talent is far beyond what you would expect of a ‘Superstars’ wrestler. He even innovated his own finisher, the Gory Bomb. How many wrestlers, in the current era, could you say have innovated their own finishers? Well, not many.

Even at the age of 39, I think Guerrero has a future in which he can have some sort of impact.

Option A
Have him go on a one man mission to reclaim the prestige of the Guerrero family name. Make him incredibly arrogant and put him in the running for the Intercontinental Championship at some point. I would love to see him do a heel promo explaining the Guerrero family lineage with a flipchart and pointer.

Option B
A totally different route would be a face turn. I didn’t think he could be a face until I thought of this. Make him the brave Mexican warrior with the heart of a lion, relying on his wrestling ability alone to get him by.

I know these ideas aren’t incredible, but I’m looking forward to what some of you guys have to say on the matter. So what do you think?

How do you rate Chavo Guerrero?
Does he need rescuing from the fringes of the company?
Does he need a character change, and if so, what to?

 

[Wullief23]

Option A
Have him go on a one man mission to reclaim the prestige of the Guerrero family name

I think you have a good idea here, although i think it would possibly work better with him as a face. I think Chavo is a very decent wrestler, not great but better than a good number of guys who are mid to high carding in WWE. And although he has been in WWE for a number of years now i think he still has loads to offer. And i agree with you that he could potentially have a decent IC belt (oops i forgot, Vince doesn't like the use of the word belt) run. They could have used Vickie as part of the story line. He could say to her he is fed up seeing her with different guys every month and she should still be greiving for Eddie, and if she is not prepared to remember his memory then he will so he goes on the quest for the title in Eddies memory. In doing so for Eddie he would get over with a lot of fans, and it could be good for a Guerrero merchandise range too - cause let's face it WWE will do what they can to make the big bucks (Not that i blame them for making money)

 

[Ferbian]

How do you rate Chavo Guerrero?

Chavo is very low on the card. He's the lower mid-card really. I think Chavo is great in the ring and all that. He has potential to be worked properly. He has proved that he can put on good matches. And he could definitely serve as a mid-card enhancement talent in terms of putting on great matches and putting over talent.

Does he need rescuing from the fringes of the company?

Not necessarily. I think Chavo might be perfectly fine with his position. He's almost 40 after all. He's definitely not gonna become a world champion. Not because he doesn't have the charisma or the in-ring ability. But because he's nowhere near the position to be a top draw. He's nowhere near the talent his uncle was.

Chavo I believe should be perfectly fine with either what he seems to be doing now. Feuding with some of the mid-card talent. Putting on half decent matches. Instead of suffering from the feud with Hornswoggle or any of the other talents Kozlov and Regal are bound to feud with.

Does he need a character change, and if so, what to?

No Chavo is perfectly fine as the Mexican Warrior. I think that gimmick in itself is perfect. The sad thing is that it seemed like Chavo's popularity and his importance in the company died out with Eddie Guerrero. And it's a shame because as I said, Chavo is a great talent.

Of the two scenario's you mention. I could definitely see him working on reclaiming the Guerrero prestigious name. The Guerrero name is huge in this business and deserves more than to be represented by a squeeky voice and a mid-card jobber.

 

[FunKay the Inevitable]

How do you rate Chavo Guerrero?

I think he's a solid in ring performer who has been mistreated as the years have gone by. He has decent mic skills and can work as a singles or tag team wrestler. he's not brilliant but an excellent midcarder.

Does he need rescuing from the fringes of the company?

I'm not sure. He's been a jobber for so long now I'm not sure if he can be put back into the midcard. Hell hid only real purpose these days is to assist Vickie Guerrero and to lose to other talents on Superstars to help put them over.

Does he need a character change, and if so, what to?

Yes I believe he does. Something going more back to his roots as a Guerrero. Emphasising that the name Guerrero. Make him the latino warrior or something as such. He can be the pride of Mexican wrestling and have him go on to beat a variety of wrestlers slowly building up a feud with another lower-midcarder. Almost a combination of AladdinSane's ideas.

 

[Ruthless-RKO]

How do you rate Chavo Guerrero?
He is at the moment, very low, I would grade him a U...he is just nothing at the moment..he like a stone on the floor backstage!! absolutely nothing...(This is why i created the thread.. in the Old School section, because I believe he won't do anything good ever!!)

Does he need rescuing from the fringes of the company?
Yes, he should be the mexican warrior, kinda like Evan Bourne push, but it should be like unnoticed and he should go through a lot of wrestlers...having like an undefeated streak, and then we notice it, so he can retire a good wrestlers..

Does he need a character change, and if so, what to?
No, doesn't need to be changed, he just needs to be a Guerrero, thats all, if he has the Guerrero heart, hopefully he will find something!!

 

[Morpheus101]

Chavo needs to be pushed, plain and simple. He has been underutilized for years, even before Eddie's death. He is technically sound, he does possess decent mic skills and there's a definite role for him at the top, if WWE choose to make something of it. I mean, honestly, if Evan Bourne is deserving of a major push, why not Chavo? No offense to Bourne, but Chavo is far more deserving of such a push. YES, he should capitalize on the fact that he IS a Guerrero and although he is not Eddie, he can be a huge star in his own right and a big part of the Guerrero legacy.

 

[MrHashasheen]

How do you rate Chavo Guerrero?
Does he need rescuing from the fringes of the company?
Does he need a character change, and if so, what to?

I'd rate him as a lower mid-carder, if not complete jobber.
I'd say yes. He's from a wrestling legacy, has a good look and decent skills. A mid-card push and maybe a championship run wouldn't be so bad.
I don't know on the character change. I've never been really a good judge for those.

Option A
Have him go on a one man mission to reclaim the prestige of the Guerrero family name. Make him incredibly arrogant and put him in the running for the Intercontinental Championship at some point. I would love to see him do a heel promo explaining the Guerrero family lineage with a flipchart and pointer.
Option B
A totally different route would be a face turn. I didn’t think he could be a face until I thought of this. Make him the brave Mexican warrior with the heart of a lion, relying on his wrestling ability alone to get him by.

I know these ideas aren’t incredible, but I’m looking forward to what some of you guys have to say on the matter. So what do you think?

I like the first one more than the second one, because it does put him in a position he's been in before, and because I can't really imagine him as a face, though he did have some glimmerings of it on Smackdown yesterday night. It would be nice to see.

I also have to agree with Morpheus that he is more deserving of a push than Evan Bourne, who despite having impressive aerial skills, just does not seem to have the look in my opinion.

 

[Unsold Bacon]

How do you rate Chavo Guerrero?

Chavo is very talented and I do not have a certain rating on him, but I am a Chavo mark.

Does he need rescuing from the fringes of the company?

Yes and No. He is being used a lot more but is a basic certified jobber... but it is to young talent which makes him seems like a loyal worker, like a Chris Jericho.

Does he need a character change, and if so, what to?

I think maybe he needs some type of angle where he says he is the new Latino Heat and is New and Improved and keeps bring Eddie(R.I.P) into it somewhere and maybe his first feud can be against Little Rey and Rey is just talking about how Chavo is a disgrace to Eddie and he is nothing compared to the original Latino Heat.

 

[Balls_of_Jericho]

I'm quite fond of Chavo too.

I never used to be, he was always in Eddie's shadow (for obvious reasons), but the last few years he's totally grown on me. Me and my lil one were watching SMackdown this morning and we were both jumping up and down in the "triple threat" match when Chavo did his 3-amigo's and tried to actually WIN a match. I hope this is the sign of better things to come for him.

To stay vaguely on topic, well yeah I rate him highly in respect of he's a good worker, doesn't appear to complain much (not that i'd know - just a gut instinct) and as someone said above, is in a Chris Jericho kinda role, putting over the newcomers, which is a very noble job to perform.

I'd love him to get a push for a decent belt, and maybe, just maybe, what we saw on this last SD! is the beginnings of what may be just that.

Besides, he's an underdog, i'm English. They go together =)

 

[Serious Jones]

The thing about Chavo, and several other lower-card talents is this: Not everyone needs a push. Wrestling companies need lower-card talent. Chavo plays his part well, and can get an adequate amount of heat when he needs to. He is talented, but this doesn't need to be justified with a gimmick change or title belt.

However, this past SmackDown!, I did realize that a Dolph w/ Vickie vs. Chavo feud would be very interesting. It could get Ziggler more heat while providing a new lower-card face in Chavo. Chavo could certainly get a sizable push. It's just that he doesn't really need it, and neither does the WWE.

 

[Sting's Bat]

Personally i think its far too late for a repackaging of him due to the that fact that he is in Santino territory being a comedy jobber, he is so much a jobber in fact i refer to him as Jobber Guerrero. His programs with Hornswaggle really killed his cred for me and many others, worse still i believe that Swaggle is on SD! which means there are more comedy jobbing opportunities for chavo.

Even trying to borrow Vickies heat has had mixed results for him as it shown he needs someone else to bolster him to even be somewhat a threat.

As for him and the Guerrero heritage kayfabe wise Rey already "won" the right to be Eddie's succesor.

 

[Hawkeye]

Here's the thing with Chavo,he never got enough time.The last time they gave him time was Kerwin White,a gimmick that saw him abandon his heritage and the only reason they dropped it was because Eddie died.Now when you think about that think about this,Vickie Guerrero is a heat magnet like no other,so the easiest way to get him on track to something would be to go against Aunt Vickie.Ideally they could say "Hey,I'm sick of you chasing these guys around and disgracing the legacy of my Uncle Eddie".But that would be distasteful so let's go with the nominal pride."Vickie,You are disgracing the Guerrero name".(The following weeks are filled with a Kofi-Dolph fed where Dolph wins the IC Title and gets back Vickie) Chavo says "I'm gonna beat your little boy toy and win the IC Title for Guerrero Pride"and what would be awesome is when he wins,they play the Viva La Raza sound bite.Have him bring back the EG wristbands even.This would skyrocket him to midcard prominence,if he's given the time.

 

[The Crock]

I'm a big fan of what Chavo can do. Chaco is pretty good in the ring especially since he is about to turn 40. He's decent on the mic, and plays his characters very well. All that being said, I definitely think he deserves to have a higher spot on the totem pole. He shouldn't be jobbing on Superstars... It's just not right. There is one encouraging sign though, he worked a pretty good match on Smackdown last week and I'm hoping he manages to find his way back to a solid midcard position.

If Chavo ever gets another push it will be his last time. He's at the end of the road, he's going to hve to job on his way out, just like most non main event talent has to. I'm pretty sure he has one last push in him, so the WWE needs to step up to the plate and let him do it.

 

[The 1-2-3 Killam]

As much as I like him, think he's completely underused, and am constantly infuriated by his lack of character substance, I don't think he's ever going anywhere. I do think there are things the WWE can do to use him, push him, and keep him relevant. I think he could be a great talent. However, it's just not going to happen.

I think Vince would love to get rid of him...but there's just that whole issue with the Guerrero family name and the WWE product. They probably wanted to get rid of him back in the day, but Eddie would have gone crazy, and they couldn't risk losing their prized Latino Heat. And of course after Eddie's death they probably thought about giving him the boot, but that would have been terrible press... And so they decided to wait a little bit, play off the mild reaction Chavo was getting because of his uncle's passing, and get rid of him when all the fuss died down. And then Vickie came along... Vickie offered her services to the WWE product in memory of her dead husband, and become one of the biggest heels to ever exist in WWE. And if they want to keep Vickie around and happy, they're going to need to write Chavo a paycheck, and put him in a match from time to time. I know this isn't going to be a popular analysis of VInce's feelings for Chavo, but look at most everybody that came to WWE from WCW. It was a buyout and a marketing ploy for popularity, but Vince tried to eliminate them one by one. Rey Mysterio has been a two time World Champion, and the face of Smackdown for years. Evan Bourne is getting a decent push. So many other cruiserweights have been successful, but not Chavo, and he's one of the better wrestlers.

Like I said, I like the guy. He's a good mouthpiece, and he's got fantastic ability inside of the ring. He's one of those guys that would have done really well in TNA, but could never leave the comfort of WWE, no matter how underused he's been. If they wanted to actually use him, they could take the "I'm the last Guerrero" approach, or they could just start with letting him win a few matches. Honestly, if Chavo gets a single win on Smackdown, people are going to notice. The reaction will undoubtably be something like: "Wait, did Chavo just win? But...why?" And then the next week, if he wins again, people will get curious. "Why are they giving Chavo wins? He's not getting a push is he? When was the last time that's happened?" Seriously, if WWE want to push him, it's super easy. He doesn't need some crazy golf-cart-riding gimmick and a name change, he just needs to win a few. Even have the announcers, Vickie, and the locker room notice. Make it a big deal that he's winning a few matches, and then have somebody squash his momentum. Have a big bad heel take him down out of nowhere, and say that he's never going anywhere. Better yet, have Drew McIntyre as IC champion take him down, and say that he doesn't belong anywhere near the spotlight, and he should go back to losing like's he's done his entire career. And then...have Chavo win a series of matches EARNING him a shot at the IC title, and at a PPV, let him win the belt. Now, suddenly he's won 4 or 5 matches, been beaten up the champion, turned around and beat the champion, and held his first singles gold in years. He's never going to be a main eventer, and he's never going to be Eddie. But he could be a damn good middle card talent, if Vince ever let him do anything. And what's to lose? It'd be the easiest push you've ever seen... They don't even have to try to sell him, just put him in the ring with somebody like Vance Archer, and have him pull off the upset victory. I'm telling you, people will notice.

 

[James]

I won't even read any of the other posts and I'll just say what I think. Chavo has what it takes to make it to the top and with WWE trying to focus on small superstars now as well he finally has a chance somewhat.

Chavo should abandon Vickie and say the hell with it going on a path of destruction. Chavo has been pissed that everyone of his friends Benoit, Eddie, Rey, and Edge have had a taste at the real goal and now it's his time. Chavo could shit on Eddie's legacy and feud with Rey Mysterio. What Chavito could say is that Rey leeched off of his uncles legacy to get where he(Chavo) should have been. Also he could be a rebel and say the company has done nothing, but ruin him by putting him in joke matches. Etc etc.

Chavo could be the biggest heel in the company, but some people don't see that.

 

[Viola Moonlight]

What problem is there to solve? Chavo has got a great occupation that's not going anywhere and has a great personal life. He isn't slipping off the rails or into drugs or whatnot... he is fine where he is. Just because he isn't getting a push into the main event or being featured as a solid wrestler who is expected to win his matches doesn't mean he's a problem. Some people are employed to do the dirty work that is the undercard and jobbing scene, mainly people who are great wrestlers.

Chavo has got all the tools necessary to go places, but at his age it's not a smart idea. He can be used to help elevate other talents in the ring who have the same tools and are much younger, meaning their life and marketability are severely out-powering Chavito's. At least now he is getting air time on SD and is being made relevant again, which is a positive. He certainly should be featured on WWE TV regularly. It's like saying Triple H should be featured as the main guy of the company and never get beaten until he's 50... no thanks.

 

[Vanderhook]

How do you rate Chavo Guerrero?
I'm quite fond of him, and he's criminally underrated. Good acting skills, funny, entertaining and good in the ring.

Does he need rescuing from the fringes of the company?
He may be a jobber at the moment, but he still gets a decent amount of air time despite that. I wouldn't say he's on the fringe. really. He regularly appears in sements with Vickie. Guys on the fringe are people like Tyler Reks and the Dudebusters

Does he need a character change, and if so, what to?
His character is fine, he just needs a legitimate push. Stop having him job to fucking Hornswoggle. It doesn't make me laugh, it just makes me feel really bad for Chavo. Someone who has the talent and has been in the business for that long should never be jobbing to a midget. He doesn't even need a title, just give him a decent feud.



I really wanted to see Chavo sneak his way into the MITB match during that Triple Threat last week =/