Shaul Guerrero Says WWE Owns The "Eddie Guerrero" Name And Likeness

As the daughter of Eddie and Vickie, Shaul Guerrero has been around wrestling her entire life.

Speaking to Wrestling Inc. Editing Manager Nick Hausman on The Wrestling Inc. Daily, Shaul discussed the legendary pedigree she comes from, and how she suspected her family was different at an early age.

"I feel like I knew something was up when I was a kid," Shaul said. "Like, my dad was very, very humble. If you knew him at all, like, dad didn't credit himself at all. He taught me and my sister the same thing, 'You don't tell people who we are unless they ask. Don't lead with being a Guerrero.' And I was, I feel like this isn't the normal talk to have when I'm just going to school.

"But I always knew a little bit, when we would get to go backstage and we would get to watch dad work and all that, I did feel special. I did feel immensely proud of him. I kind of knew something was up though when we were getting used on SmackDown. My sister and I were getting used in storylines, and my mom was being used in storylines. Now I'm used to it, but like, at the time I was like, 'Oh, mom's doing this too, okay.' Even my grandma got used. I'm very honored. It's a great burden being a Guerrero, but it's also a blessing."

Eddie Guerrero passed away in November 2005, but his legacy still ripples throughout the entire pro wrestling industry 15 years later. In the immediate months after Eddie's passing, his name and likeness was used in numerous storylines. While some honored his memory, like Rey Mysterio entering the Royal Rumble on a lowrider and going on to win the match in tribute to his late friend, some felt other angles like Randy Orton saying Eddie was in hell disrespected his legacy.

Shaul opened up about how she felt at that time, saying she did not pay much attention to what WWE was doing.

"I'm going to be very honest, I was so shut out and so numb that after my dad passed, I wasn't watching WWE," Shaul said. "It's still painful to watch for multiple reasons. It's not the show I watch on the regular, if you will. And honestly, I was just trying to handle being the girl who's famous dad died. At school, I was just trying to handle my own s–t, to be honest."

Even if the Guerreros wanted WWE to stop using Eddie's likeness on TV in the months and years after he passed, Shaul said they could not legally make them.

"I think we have to be really careful with how we use people's names and their likeness, especially after they're gone. Dad, his real name was used, 'Eddie Guerrero' is his legit name," Shaul said. "And WWE, to this day, still own the rights to his name. So we don't have a say in anything.

"Yeah, so make sure if you're a young wrestler and you're going to sign a contract, make sure you own the rights to your name. That's just some good, good advice. Any lawyer will tell you that. Make sure you own the rights to a character you come up with or your own likeness."

Shaul's mom, Vickie Guerrero, would famously go on to have a lengthy WWE run of her own. Vickie served as both a manager and authority figure for nearly a decade, working with the likes of Edge and Dolph Ziggler. When asked if she was surprised by her mother's successful heel gimmick, Shaul said they were all a little bit shocked.

"We didn't know she had that in her. My mom was a dancer, and she was a performer, so I knew that but like, I don't think she even saw where she was going to take this character," Shaul said. "I'm so proud of her. I beam nothing but pride for my mom, and I really hope I get to work with her one day. The closest I've gotten to is getting to announce her on AEW and I marked out so bad. Justin Roberts gave me s–t in the back, he was like, 'Well, if I haven't seen a biased announcer before, now I have' (laughs). But yeah, I really hope I get to work with her, because she's so incredibly talented."

While Vickie's trademark "Excuse me!" is a staple of her in-ring work, Shaul emphasized that the catchphrase is banned within the Guerrero household.

"I think when you come from a wrestling family, we were like, 'No gimmicks at the table!'" Shaul said.

Shaul's full interview aired as part of a recent episode of our podcast, The Wrestling Inc. Daily. Subscribe to get the latest episodes as soon as it's released Monday – Friday afternoon by clicking here. You can find the full interview in both video and audio form below: