Juventud Guerrera Shoots On "Difficult" Relationship With Vince McMahon, The Mexicools
Juventud Guerrera recently sat down with Wrestling Inc. Managing Editor for an episode of Wrestling Inc. Daily, to discuss a variety of topics, including his relationship with Tony Khan. During the interview, Guerrera was asked about his time as a member of the infamous 'Mexicools' stable in WWE. He notes that he never liked the idea of the gimmick, and elaborated on his experience.
"I never liked it," revealed Guerrera. "I respect it, I know that was what they wanted to do, that's what they were paying for, right? They were the bosses. They were in charge. That's their company. As a talent, I was just following the rules. And that's cool, but I wanted to do something different.
"I wanted to give more credit to the Mexican guys, I wanted to give more [of] the style to the Mexican people. And we, as Mexicans, we are more than just gardeners. We are more than that. And I wanted to do something, perhaps, like Andrade, [and] what he did in his character. He was glamorous, he was showing something different. And I wanted to do that with the Mexicools. That's why I came up with that name."
Guerrera, who recently wrestled against Chris Jericho in AEW, served somewhat as the unofficial leader of the group, with iconic wrestlers Super Crazy and Psicosis also being members. He would then go on to reveal how he actually came up with the 'Mexicools' name.
"I actually made up that name in a meeting with Mr. Vince [McMahon] and John Laurinaitis," recalled Guerrera. "And they asked me 'Hey, we need a name for you guys. What do you think, Juvy?' And actually, Chavito [Chavo Guerrero] was there. Because they were asking Chavito, too, what he was thinking. And then I just called out that name. Because I want to be cool, right? I wanted to be like 'What is going to be different for a Mexican guy, being in America? What is the coolest thing?' In America, just the word cool is cool. So why don't we put 'cool' together with 'Mexicans'? And that's how I came up with the name, and [Vince] loved it."
During the interview, the internationally renowned Guerrera opened up about his time in the WWE and spoke about the relationship he had with Vince McMahon. Guerrera admitted it was not exactly smooth sailing.
"It was difficult, my friend," admitted Guerrera. "I was looking for that platform. Being in a major company, being in the major leagues. After what I had accomplished in WCW, breaking the mold of this big guy, Superstar, and they'd never seen a lucha guy. And then finally the lucha guy is 5'7", which is super small compared to the big guy. And I think we did it, we [broke] the walls of wrestling. Because we trusted ourselves, and in this case, Rey Mysterio and myself. We [trusted] in our talent, not just the size, we trust in our talent. And as long as they put us on TV, we were just taking over. We were just the best match of the show, every show, every pay-per-view. And I wanted to the same thing in WWE, that was like my main thing, right?"
Guerrera went on to say that he never felt comfortable in the WWE because they never let him be himself.
"So, when I got there, I saw two or three managers going over a match, and I was trying to be comfortable, but they never let me be loose," noted Guerrera. "They never let me be me. So, I was like, when they don't let you be you, it's not you. So, what I was doing there wasn't me, it was just what they wanted me to do with my character, with my talent."
Guerrera would later then further discuss how he felt while working in the WWE. He admits that the entire experience was frustrating.
"I was frustrated," expressed Guerrera. "I was frustrated I couldn't be myself in WWE. After what I [had] accomplished, I would [go to do something], I wanted to this Frankensteiner from this side or that side, and they were like 'No, no, no, Rey Mysterio is doing that.' I was like, 'Well, I [taught] Rey Mysterio how to do it! How come I can't do it right now?!' Could you believe how frustrating it was for me to be there? It was awful. It was awful. And I don't take it against anybody in particular or against the company. I think it wasn't the right moment at the right time."
Guerrera went on to say that he just wanted to do things one way, while the WWE wanted to do things another way. These grievances are similar to what Malakai Black recently expressed. He then went on to address the rumor that he was fired after just six months for hurting somebody in the ring.
"I was there for just six months," noted Guerrera. "Then everybody [said] 'Oh, they fired you because you hurt somebody.' They were just spooking stuff. . . you know what I mean? They were just talking gossip."
You can follow Juventud on Twitter @JUVENTUDGUERRE2
Powered by RedCircle