WWE: Eddie Guerrero, Vickie Guerrero and the Family Legacy

The Guerreros are one of the most famous pro-wrestling families of all-time.  Their achievements in the business, and the level at which they performed, is second to none, and their impact in the industry will likely be felt for generations to come.

Father Gory, and his four sons, Chavo, Mando, Hector and of course, Eddie, brought a level of class to every promotion they worked for.  They set the bar for every Luchador who came after them, as well as opened doors for other Mexican superstars.

Man, I miss Eddie.

Just typing those opening paragraphs makes me remember that smiling face, the swagger that he had and the way he made every match fun to watch.

Those were the days.

Now comes the touchy part because I have to follow all of that by talking about the only representative of the Guerrero family on a worldwide level, Vickie.

It’s touchy because on a personal note, I really felt for Vickie when Eddie died so suddenly.  My dad was killed when I was four, and much like Vickie, my mom became a single parent who grieved for a long time.  At the end of the day, Vickie is just a regular, everyday person who has dealt with loss in her life.

Then, there’s the professional side, in which we as fans tend to rip her apart, every chance we get.

I am one of those writers who have been known to criticize, as I personally have never viewed her as being a truly successful manager.  For me, she does not add to the wrestlers she represents.  I believe she is nothing but a distraction.

The best managers in the business are pros at doing what they need to do by drawing heat and getting attention for their worker.  Then, they do the one thing that Vickie has not been able to do.

They shut up and get out of the way.

The fact is, she draws so much heat that when it’s time for either Dolph Ziggler or Jack Swagger to go to work in the ring, that the focus still seems to be on her.

It’s at this point that the majority of you will stop and say “wait a minute, she’s a heel, she’s supposed to be getting booed out of the building, right?”

Right.  And, therein lies the issue.

The question now becomes, is there such a thing as bad heat?

The argument for Vickie’s critics is that she draws the “wrong” kind of heat.  The reaction she gets from the crowd is not due to the fact that she’s over as a heel, but that they truly just want her to shut up.

That, combined with the notion that WWE seems more concerned with getting her over than her getting her wrestlers over, and you now have a recipe for a useless manager.

She went from being a distracting mouthpiece, to being, well, a distracting mouthpiece.

But, again, is there such a thing as bad heat?  

So, she gets a heel pop because fans are sick of seeing her.  So what?  Does it really matter?  After all, wouldn’t it be much worse if she got nothing at all from the crowd?

There is arguably nothing worse than when fans just sit there.  They stare at you, with little to no response, or their boos amount to nothing more than a low murmur.  

That is not just a bad reaction, it’s a death sentence.

Maybe Vickie is a great manager, and all of us are just being too hard on her.  The truth is, she gets more heat in one night than some guys can get in their whole career.  So, what’s wrong with that?

Perhaps she is what many fans consider her to be, a talent who is right on track and making real contributions to Dolph, who is currently blowing up in the company.

The other part of the Guerrero family equation is Vickie and Eddie’s oldest daughter, Shaul.

Shaul, now known as Raquel Diaz in FCW, is a young lady who may be in WWE very soon.  When she debuts, it will no doubt be a proud day for the Guerrero family, and for Eddie, who will be looking down with that famous smile on his face.

The Guerrero family made a huge impact in the business, and left behind some great memories for fans. Shaul has a lot to live up to, and if there is just an ounce of that fiery, competitive spirit in her that her father had, then she will also have a very successful career.

Man, I miss Eddie.