NUMBER 4: Chavo Guerrero – Who?
Former WWE "super"star, Chavo Guerrero, recently said on Twitter that he will never watch professional wrestling again if John Cena – who just won his 12th world title – breaks Ric Flair's record of 16 world championships. His reasoning? Well, he never really gave one other than the fact that he's tired of seeing John Cena as Champion. He then had to compare himself to Cena by stating that he's a better wrestler AND a better athlete. Mic work and weight lifting are the only two things Cena can apparently do better than Chavo…according to Chavo.
This bothers me.
I never disliked Chavo Guerrero during his WWE tenure and I even think he had some memorable moments and matches while he was there. Unfortunately, his best time with the company was while he was paired with his late uncle, Eddie Guerrero. Some believe Chavo was actually the better wrestler of the two. I say "that's great". I also say, "who cares"? Can someone tell me when Chavo was over? Ever?
Blame it on bad booking. Blame it on the "glass ceiling" we hear so much about. Blame it on the a, a, a, a, a, alcohol. In either case, the fact remains that Chavo's WWE career amounted to nothing more than a decent "put over" man. Enhancement talent. Meat. Jobber. The fact that he can "fake wrestle" a better match than John Cena means nothing.
Please don't take this as me being disrespectful to Chavo. I absolutely respect Chavo Guerrero – the wrestler. I appreciate all that he's done in the business I love and would never argue that he doesn't know more about being a good "wrestler" than I do. He does. But to criticize a fellow wrestler who has been given more opportunities than you had just makes you come off as bitter. And if you're going to do that, Chavo, what about the hundreds of other wrestlers that made it further in the business than you did? Great Khali has one more World Heavyweight Championship than you (and no, I'm not counting the ECW Championship you won). Did that make you boycott the WWE? How furious did you get when Mark Henry won on Sunday?
Statistics in wrestling mean very little. In rare instances (Undertaker's WM streak, Flair's 16 world titles), pro wrestling has opportunities to hype the history behind a current angle or match or title and make it a bigger deal than it would be otherwise. "Someone" is going to break Ric Flair's record eventually. Why not Cena? If not Cena, then who? Daniel Bryan – because he's a great "wrestler"? Please.
When wrestling becomes more about the "actual wrestling" than it does the "entertainment", I'll put my vote in the "Chavo for breaking Flair's record" hat, but that day won't be today. Or tomorrow.
Today, entertainment sells wrestling. And John Cena is as entertaining as they come, whether you like him or hate him.
Nick was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and lived there until the age of 18, when he decided to pack his flack jacket and move to New York City.
