World Championship Wrestling aired their last official program as a standalone company on March 26, 20001. On that day it was official to the worldwide public that the then-called World Wrestling Federation had bought their biggest competition. Besides the copyrights, video library, physical property and everything associated with the company, twenty-four performers’ contracts were also bought, and those twenty-four became official WWF wrestlers.
Of those two dozen, only one remains ten years later as an active WWE superstar. His name is Chavo Guerrero.
early career
Guerrero was born into wrestling royalty. He is the grandson of Mexican superstar Gory Guerrero and son of the legendary Chavo Guerrero, Sr. He can also count his three uncles, Mando, Hector and of course the late and great Eddie, as wrestling inspirations as well. While Eddie was his uncle they were quite close in age and grew up more as brothers than uncle and nephew.
While he had been wrestling his entire life, he officially entered the family business professionally in 1994. In his early months he traveled through Mexico and Japan, gaining valuable experience.
World Championship Wrestling
Chavo debuted in WCW in the spring of 1996. While his relationship to his uncle Eddie was made known on television they didn’t interact much initially as Chavo was used basically as a low card enhancement talent on the crowded roster and stacked cruiserweight division. His first major appearance in WCW was a loss to Diamond Dallas Page on the Fall Brawl ’96 pay per view. After that he drifted back into the low card of WCW through 1997 and through the first half of 1998. His high point during this time period was a run in New Japan Pro Wrestling in May and June 1997 which was a great learning and seasoning experience for the still relatively fresh rookie.
partnership and feud with Uncle Eddie
He finally got his footing in the company in the spring of 1998 when he formed an on-screen relationship with his Uncle Eddie. Trying his best to impress Eddie and gain his respect, Chavo began emulating him, following him and just being his altogether lackey. He lost to Ultimo Dragon, who was feuding with Eddie at the time, at Spring Stampede ’98.
This led to a rivalry between Chavo and Eddie, as Chavo got increasingly crazier and wearing an “Eddie is my favorite wrestler” t-shirt. In their first bout at Great American Bash ’98, Chavo was victorious. Stevie Ray, who had taken over as Television Champion in place of his brother Booker T, found himself involved in the feud as well. At Bash at the Beach the next month, Chavo submitted to Stevie during the pre-match handshake. This led to an immediate rematch between Chavo and Eddie, this time in a Hair versus Hair match. Eddie won this time and Chavo, showing his increased craziness, shaved his own head. The next month he lost another rematch to Stevie Ray at Road Wild.
With Chavo now completely crazy, he began carrying around a hobbyhorse affectionately known as “Pepe,” who acted as his foreign object, manager, guide and everything in between. Chavo kept up the crazy throughout the rest of 1998 and into 1999 while he feuded primarily with other low card wrestlers like Prince Iaukea and Norman Smiley. Ultimately “Pepe” saw his demise when Smiley fed him into a wood chipper in early 1999. Then to add insult to injury Smiley beat Chavo in a one-on-one match at Souled Out ’99. The next month he lost a Cruiserweight Title match to Kidman at SuperBrawl IX.
Chavo then fell back into the abyss of WCW’s lower card throughout 1999. In October of that year, after Vince Russo had taken over booking WCW, Chavo won an eight-man battle royal over fellow low card wrestlers to save his proverbial job on television. Unfortunately being this was Russo’s booking, it also led to Chavo being saddled with an Amway salesman gimmick that not surprisingly went nowhere.
Misfits in Action
In the spring of 2000, after the Russo & Bischoff reboot of the entire company, Chavo was again repacked. This time he joined Hugh Morrus, Lash Leroux, Van Hammer and later The Wall and Booker T to form the Misfits In Action, complete with military theme, fatigues and moniker. Chavo was now rebranded Lt. Loco and worked in the cruiserweight division and formed a tag team “Cpl. Cajun” Lash Leroux.
In June 2000 he defeated Daffney and Disco Inferno in a triple threat match to win his first Cruiserweight Championship. He successfully defended the Championship against Disco at Great American Bash later that month and then beat Juventud Guerrera the next month at Bash at the Beach. He ultimately lost the belt to Lance Storm in late July on an episode of Nitro.
He limped along as an ally of MIA through the rest of 2000, defeating 3 Count in a six man tag at Fall Brawl and then teaming with Leroux to defeat The Perfect Event at Halloween Havoc.
In November he ditched the gimmick and reverted back to being a serious and focused Chavo Guerrero, Jr. once again. It paid off quickly as he defeated Mike Sanders in early December to win the Cruiserweight Championship once again. He then went on a solid winning streak and became the face of WCW’s cruiserweight division in the company’s dying days. He beat Shane Helms at Sin in January 2001 and then Rey Mysterio, Jr. the next month at SuperBrawl. He ultimately lost the belt to Helms in a rematch at Greed in March, WCW’s last pay per view.
He then lost another rematch to Helms on the Final Nitro. However Chavo was one of twenty-four talents who were signed by WWE when they bought the remnants of WCW and things looked like they would be going up for him.
World Wrestling Entertainment
Like the rest of his WCW alums, he came into WWE in the summer of 2001 as part of the WCW-ECW Alliance. He was primarily in the background and worked on the lower card against other cruiserweights and other “jobbers.” When the InVasion ended at Survivor Series ’01, Chavo was taken off TV and sent to Heartland Wrestling Association, then one of WWE’s developmental territories. He was served as a trainer for the second season of Tough Enough duing his time off TV.
When the WWE brands expanded into separate RAW and SmackDown rosters in April 2002, Chavo was brought back and placed on SmackDown and the cruiserweight division. That summer his uncle Eddie also found himself on SmackDown and the two relatives began teaming up once again.
Los Guerroros
When the WWE Tag Team Championships were created in the fall of 2002, Los Guerreros were one of the featured teams of the new division. They feuded primarily with the teams of Edge & Rey Mysterio and Kurt Angle & Chris Benoit. The six men lovingly became known known as the “SmackDown Six” by fans. With Paul Heyman as the booker for SmackDown, the brand went under a certain Renaissance of match quality. The Guerreros, Edge, Mysterio, Benoit and Angle could be counted on to dominate the mid-card in a variety of matches and put together something fantastic while Brock Lesnar, The Undertaker and The Big Show dominated the main event scene. Los Guerreros beat Angle & Benoit and Mysterio & Edge in a three-team elimination match at Survivor Series ’02 to win the WWE Tag Titles.
Los Guerreros then became the cornerstone of the tag team scene and became wildly popular thanks to their “Lie, Cheat and Steal” mantra and their over the top antics. At the beginning of 2003 then embarked a long rivalry with Kurt Angle’s new protégés Team Angle (Charlie Hass and Shelton Benjamin). Team Angle beat Los Guerreros for the Tag Titles on the February 6 edition of SmackDown. From there Los Guerreros lost to Team Angle in a triple threat match at WrestleMania XIX that also included the team of Rhyno and Chris Benoit and then again in another rematch at Backlash ’03.
They were poised for one more shot at Team Angle, in a Ladder Match at Judgment Day, but Chavo tore his bicep less than a week before the show. He returned in September of 2003 and helped his uncle Eddie defeat John Cena in a Parking Lot Brawl. Los Guerreros immediately reunited, and they beat their old rivals Haas and Benjamin (now going as The World’s Greatest Tag Team) to win the WWE Tag Titles once again. Their reign was short lived as they lost the belts to The Basham Brothers in October on an edition of SmackDown. After losing a rematch to The Bashams at Survivor Series, a rift began to form between Eddie and Chavo. This led to a one-on-one match between uncle and nephew at Royal Rumble ’04, with Eddie coming out on top.
Even though Chavo lost to Eddie at the Royal Rumble, his stock rose. He became an evil rudo and again the centerpiece of the cruiserweight division. He defeated Rey Mysterio to win his third Cruiserweight Title at No Way Out in February 2004. He then won a 10 man Cruiserweight gauntlet at WrestleMania XX. At that point he gained the services of his father Chavo Guerrero, Sr., as an ally and manager.
He briefly lost the Cruiserweight Title to Miss Jacqueline on an episode of SmackDown after laying out an open challenge. But he regained it days later at Judgment Day thanks to interference from his old man. This led to a triple threat two days later at the SmackDown taping where Chavo Classic, as his father was now called, defeated Chavo and Spike Dudley in a triple threat match to steal the Title away.
Chavo switched gears and formed a team with Jaime Noble. However that was cut short when an errant Shooting Star Press from Billy Kidman left Chavo knocked out mid-ring with a serious concussion. He returned in late October to gain revenge on Kidman, who was now working as a villain. Chavo was briefly a hero after returning from injury but returned to his villainous ways by early 2005. He outlasted five other cruiserweights to win his fifth Cruiserweight Championship in a gauntlet match at No Way Out. He reigned as Champion until Judgment Day when he dropped the belt to Paul London.
Kerwin White
In June 2005 he was traded to RAW as part of a post-Draft trade. He immediately underwent a gimmick overall and became Kerwin White. Completely denouncing his Latino heritage, Chavo died his hair blonde, started dressing in khakis and polos and even came to the ring driving a golf cart. He used a golf club as a weapon and enlisted Nick Nemeth to be his personal caddy. He worked primarily on the undercard and feuded with Shelton Benjamin, including a loss to Benjamin at Unforgiven ’05.
after Eddie’s death
Tragedy struck on November 13, 2005 when Eddie Guerrero passed away. Rather than taking time off to grieve the loss of his uncle Chavo continued to work. Naturally the Kerwin White character was dropped, and Chavo began working as a sympathetic hero and essentially an Eddie Guerrero tribute wrestler.
He, along with Chris Benoit and Rey Mysterio, inducted Eddie into the 2006 Hall of Fame. The night after WrestleMania 22 he lost to Shelton Benjamin in an Intercontinental Title match. Feeling disappointed and feeling like he let his family down, Chavo “quit” WWE.
Later that spring he began appearing on SmackDown to act as support for Rey Mysterio. Then in July at The Great American Bash, Chavo interfered in Mysterio’s World Title match against King Booker and cost Rey the Championship. Chavo then came back full time on the SmackDown roster and embarked on a hot feud with Mysterio. Chavo beat Rey at SummerSlam and then took on Eddie’s widow, Vickie, as his new manager. Mysterio beat Chavo in a Falls Count Anywhere at No Mercy in Ocober. However the next week on SmackDown, Chavo defeated Mysterio once again, this time in an I Quit match, forcing Mysterio to leave SmackDown.
Chavo and Vickie then focused on Eddie’s other best friend, Chris Benoit. Chavo challenged Benoit for the United States Championship but came up short in matches at both Survivor Series and Armageddon.
At No Way Out in February 2007 he won anther Cruiserweight Championship gauntlet and captured his sixth Cruiserweight Championship. He reigned as Champion through the majority of 2007 and formed a loose tag team with Gregory Helms. The duo lost to Ric Flair and Carlito in the opening dark match of WrestleMania 23. He feuded primarily with Jimmy Wang Yang, which led to Chavo beating Yang in a one-on-one match at Vengeance: Night of Champions in June. The next month at The Great American Bash Chavo defended his Championship in another cruiserweight open style match and ended losing the belt to Hornswoggle of all people.
At SummerSlam ’07 he faced a returning Rey Mysterio in a return bout from their feud in 2006. Mysterio beat Chavo in a rematch from SummerSlam ’06. Then two weeks later on SmackDown Mysterio beat Chavo again, this time in another I Quit match. At the time Chavo was suspended for violating the WWE Wellness Policy and the I Quit loss was a way to take him off of television.
ECW/La Familia
He returned in December and attacked CM Punk on ECW during his Title defense against Montel Vontavious Porter. He battled Punk in a variety of matches on ECW, finally winning the Championship on the January 22, 2008 episode of ECW. Thanks to a talent sharing agreement between ECW and SmackDown Chavo appeared on both brands. He joined up with his aunt Vickie, Edge, Curt Hawkins & Zack Ryder and his own personal bodyguard Bam Neely to form La Familia. He continued to feud with Punk and defended his Championship against him at No Way Out ’08. The next month at WrestleMania XXIV he lost the ECW Championship to Kane in a record setting eight seconds.
Chavo lost a rematch to Kane at Backlash the next month and then fell into being a loyal soldier of La Familia. He competed in an ECW Title number contenders match at One Night Stand in June but again came up short. The next month he unsuccessfully challenged Matt Hardy for the United States Championship at The Night of Champions. Chavo then again lost in an ECW Championship Scramble match at Unforgiven in September.
By early 2009 La Familia had broken up and Chavo found himself on the low end of the roster on the SmackDown brand. He sailed on SmackDown roster until being drafted to RAW in April 2009. Even with his aunt Vickie as the RAW General Manager he found himself as fodder for Hornswoggle, losing to him for months on end in a variety of specialty matches booked by RAW’s guest hosts. After his rivalry with Hornswoggle mercifully ended in late 2009 he became a low card guy on the RAW brand, getting lost in the shuffle once again.
He was drafted back to SmackDown during the 2010 draft where he continued to squander on the low end of the card. His only appearance on pay per view in the past year was a quick run in the 2011 Royal Rumble match.
Chavo is the last of a dying breed. While it can be argued that he has kept his job over these past ten years due to the death of his uncle Eddie, there is no denying that Chavo is a supremely talented pro wrestler. While he is more often than not at the forefront of things, he is an incredible utility player than cannot be overlooked. He can fit into nearly any role, play any part, fill any spot and do it with ease. That only comes with being a third generation superstar born into the industry. He’s got incredible wrestling skill, crazy charisma and a wrestling pedigree that most can’t even dream of. Only Chavo can go from being in main events with Edge to losing weeks on end to a little person and still keep himself in check.
He is now a seasoned and talented veteran, something that is sadly something of a premium in WWE today. Even though he loses more than he wins at this point, his role as an in-ring trainer/coach/player is certainly understated. Keep an eye on Chavo. When you least expect it he will surprise you.
Billed Height – 5’9
Billed Weight – 215 lbs.
Billed From – El Paso, Texas
Nicknames – formerly has wrestled as Lt. Loco and Kerwin White
Signature Moves – Brain Buster; Frog Splash; Gory Bomb; Tornado DDT; Gory Special; White Out
Major Titles Held – ECW Championship; WCW/WWE Cruiserweight Championship (6); WCW World Tag Team Championship; WWE Tag Team Championship (2)
Debuted – 1994
For more info:
Chavo Guerrero’s official WWE profile
Chavo Guerrero’s Wikipedia entry
Chavo Guerrero on Online World of Wrestling
More on World Championship Wrestling:
- WCW Starrcade: The Essential Collection DVD review
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