Friday, November 14, 2014

WWE: Viva La Raza - The Legacy of Eddie Guerrero Review


1) 2 Cold Scorpio vs. Eddie Guerrero - ECW World TV Championship Match - Hardcore TV - April 8th, 1995
Scorpio and Eddie had some classics individually that I've seen during their time in ECW so I figured this would be really good. Both are very good technicians so they are started out with an exchange on the mat which led to a stalemate between the two. Beyond the technical wrestling, there was a bit of highflying too as we saw Guerrero jump off the top turnbuckle to the outside onto Scorpio. The ending was sort of abrupt and the match only went about 10 minutes or so, but this was good while it lasted. You can't go wrong with Guerrero or Scorpio, so this was a solid encounter between the two even though it didn't go as long as I would have liked.

Match rating - ***1/2

2) Eddie Guerrero vs. Dean Malenko - ECW World TV Championship Match - Hostile City Showdown - April 15th, 1995
Every time that Eddie and Dean stepped in the ring together it was magic and that was the case here. This was the second match in their epic series of encounters in ECW for the TV Title. The two men put on a clinic that ended in a 30 minute time limit draw. Sometimes matches that end in draws are a bit boring because the competitors try to kill time during the bout, but these two kept my interest throughout. Great match.

Match rating - ***3/4

3) Eddie Guerrero vs. Shinjiro Otani - WCW Starrcade 1995
This match took place during the joint show WCW did with New Japan in 1995. I wasn't familiar with Otani going into this, but I figured he was outstanding because New Japan has always been loaded with good talent. Plus Eddie and Otani had faced off previously in Japan so I figured that would play into their favor. Regardless of what I expected, these guys tore the house down. This was a hard fought match up that showed how versatile Eddie was. He could work a good match with ANY style wrestler. This was also a tie breaker on the show as WCW had won two matches and NJPW had won two matches. The outstanding wrestling combined with the high stakes gave this one a big time feel. Awesome match.

Match rating - ****1/4


4) Ric Flair vs. Eddie Guerrero - United States Heavyweight Championship Match - WCW Hog Wild 1996
I was really interested to see how this match would turn out since these two wrestle pretty different styles. This was a big test for Eddie as he was facing a high caliber talent like Flair who was a 13x World Champion at the time. Guerrero took it to Flair early on, but Flair's dirty tactics soon earned him the advantage. Guerrero returned with some dirty tactics of his own however, such as a poke to the eyes. It was really cool to see that because it was the first glimpse of what Eddie would become known for in WWE (lying, cheating, stealing gimmick). Eddie didn't win here, but he definitely put in a memorable performance that showed he could hang with a talent the caliber of Flair. Good match.

Match rating - ***

5) Eddie Guerrero vs. Chris Jericho - United States Heavyweight Title Match - WCW Superbrawl 1997
Before this match, Jericho talked about how the crowd was completely dead for this match despite them putting in the best performance they could. After hearing that, I was interested to see it for myself. And Jericho was indeed correct as the crowd was totally uninterested in the match. Jericho accredited that disinterest to the way WCW had been booking them and I'm guessing that HAD to be the case because this was a great match! Jericho and Guerrero were hitting on all cylinders here with alot of impressive manuevers and counters for each other. If the crowd would have been more into this, this could have been a classic because it was just that damn good. Outstanding match.

Match rating - ***3/4

6) Eddie Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio - WCW Cruserweight Title Match - WCW Nitro - November 10, 1997
This was the highly anticapated rematch between these two after the classic they had at WCW Halloween Havoc. This is also the first bout between Rey and Eddie on this DVD. As Mysterio mentioned before the bout, he and Eddie always had a special chemistry so I automically knew this would be fun to watch. While this wasn't the classic these two had at Halloween Havoc, this was a good TV match that will definitely keep you entertained. You can't go wrong with a Rey/Eddie match.

Match rating - ***1/4

7) Eddie Guerrero vs. Dean Malenko - WCW Cruserweight Title Match - WCW Starrcade 1997
While I think their matches in ECW were better, this was still a very good match between the two technicians. These two never put on a bad match, so this was just what you would expect - a technical showcase.

Match rating - ***1/4

8) Eddie Guerrero vs. Ultimo Dragon - WCW Slamboree 1998
These two are similar in style, but I'd venture to say that Dragon is a bit more fast paced so it was a nice change from the earlier matches in this set. This wasn't the classic it could have been if they were given more time, but it was still a very good match that you will enjoy. Good stuff from Dragon and Eddie. The storyline going on here with Chavo earning his freedom if Dragon wins was quite interesting as well.

Match rating - ***

9) Eddie Guerrero vs. Juventud Guerrera - WCW Nitro - August 3rd, 1998
This was just a short TV match that I'm guessing was put on here to show Eddie and Juventud working together since they wrestled many times. I probably would have chosen a different match between the two than this one since it's so short, but it's still a fun little match.

Match rating - **1/2

10) Eddie Guerrero vs. Psychosis - WCW Thunder - June 24th, 1999
Just like Juventud, Eddie has faced Psychosis has many times and they always work well together so this was a good bout. This was much longer than the TV match that Eddie had with Juventud earlier on this set thus it was better because they had more time to work with. There's a commercial break in the middle of the match, so you miss a bit of it, but regardless of that this was a good TV match.

Match rating - **3/4

11) Chris Jericho vs. Eddie Guerrero - European Championship Match - WWE Raw - April 3rd, 2000
This match was mainly just to further storylines as Chyna shockingly turned on Jericho and helped Eddie win the Europen Title here. With that being said, this didn't last that long, but was fun for what it was. Jericho and Eddie's match in WCW earlier on this DVD was much better as far as in ring action goes, but for storyline purposes this encounter between the two was an entertaining addition to the set. It showcased Eddie's personality very well.

Match rating - **1/2

12) Eddie Guerrero vs. Matt Hardy - King of the Ring Qualifying Match - Smackdown - June 8th, 2000
Another nice TV encounter here from Eddie's career. This one was with Matt Hardy and was during the KOTR qualifiers tournament. This went a little longer than the Jericho/Eddie match from Raw, but not by much. Regardless of that, it was still very entertaining. Hardy and Guerrero worked well together. Fun TV match.

Match rating - **3/4

13) Eddie Guerrero vs. Rob Van Dam - Intercontinental Championship Match - Backlash 2002
I'd seen Guerrero and Van Dam compete against each other in a ladder match before, but never a standard singles match so I was excited for this one. This one lived up to my expectations as it was a very good match that saw alot of impressive manuevers from both men. The first 10 minutes was basically each guy throwing offense at the other, but after that Guerrero began targeting Van Dam's back. Van Dam fought back, but Eddie's sly ways would earn him the victory. Great match!

Match rating - ***1/2

14) Eddie Guerrero vs. Jeff Hardy - Intercontinental Championship Match - WWE Raw - April 29, 2002
This was another fun TV encounter from Eddie's career. In this bout, Hardy and Eddie worked extremely well together. The action was non-stop and featured alot of cool counters and exchanges between the two. Good TV match.

Match rating - ***

15) Edge vs. Eddie Guerrero - No DQ Match - Smackdown - September 26, 2002
Before the match, Edge discussed how this is one of his all time favorites and I can see why. These two guys tore the house down on this particular night. The first 10 minutes or so were mainly just a straight up wrestling match between the two which was very fun to watch. After that, the two started taking advantage of the stipulation by bringing in weapons such as ladders and chairs. There were alot of jaw dropping moments here such as Eddie putting Edge in between two ladders and doing his signature springboard senton onto him, Eddie hitting a monkey flip powerbomb off a ladder, and Edge hitting a huge DDT on Eddie off the top of the ladder. This was an awesome match and afterwards, the crowd gave Eddie a standing ovation despite him being a heel and despite the fact that he lost the match. That just shows how great this match was.

Match rating - ****1/4

16) Eddie & Chavo Guerrero vs. Shelton Benjamin & Charlie Haas - WWE Tag Team Championship Match - Backlash 2003
The tag team division on Smackdown thrived during the Ruthless Aggression era and this bout showcased why. Los Guerreros and Team Angle were two of the top tag teams during this time that attracted viewers to Smackdown. This wasn't the best match these two teams had, but it was still a very good bout. It also gave viewers a glimpse at how great Eddie & Chavo were as a team as they got the upperhand despite losing the match by stealing the belts from Benjamin & Haas. Great addition to this set.

Match rating - ***1/2

17) Eddie Guerrero vs. John Cena - Parking Lot Brawl - Smackdown - September 11, 2003
A unique stipulation provides for a unique match and that was the case here. Both guys worked hard and produced a very entertaining match. Eddie & Cena both went through car windows at times plus brought several odd weapons into play such as a lawnmower and a shovel. The end came when Chavo broke a hubcap over Cena's head and Eddie hit a frogsplash on Cena off one car to another. Very fun match.

Match rating - ***1/2

18) Eddie Guerrero vs. Brock Lesnar - WWE Championship Match - No Way Out 2004
Ironically, this was the last match I watched on the set. For some reason, I accidentally skipped it when going through and watching this DVD which is surprising because it was one of the main reasons I bought it. None the less, this was your typical little man-big man match with the story being Eddie never giving up despite Lesnar wearing him down. Eddie got a few openings here and there in which he worked on Lesnar's legs in various ways. Overall, I really enjoyed this bout. I was super glad that they didn't have Eddie win after Goldberg speared Lesnar. With the way it was done, I was thinking they might, but thankfully Brock kicked out just before 3 and we got a fair finish to this great match.

Match rating - ***3/4

19) Eddie Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio - WWE Championship Match - Smackdown
Earlier in this set we got a TV match from WCW between these two and it was good, but not long enough to be very remembered. This match however got just the right amount of time and it paid off. Eddie and Rey can't have a bad match with each other and this was another example of that. Fantastic match.

Match rating - ****

20) Eddie Guerrero vs. JBL - WWE Championship Match - Judgement Day 2004
WOW! That's all I can say. This is probably the bloodiest match I've ever seen. JBL hit Guerrero with a huge chairshot on the outside and Eddie began pouring blood. For the remaining 10 minutes or so of the match, Eddie bled non stop which resulted in the ring mat being covered in blood. JBL beat the hell out of Guerrero with multiple big clotheslines as well as a chokehold, but Eddie kept kicking out! This match ended in a DQ, but that doesn't took away from it because the storytelling here was absolutely amazing. I was glued to my TV screen the whole time. Guerrero and JBL's rivalry was epic and this match reminded me of why. Phenomenal stuff.

Match rating - ****1/2

21) Eddie Guerrero vs. JBL - Steel Cage Match for the WWE Championship - Smackdown
While this wasn't as epic as their match at Judgement Day, this was still a damn good match. The storytelling in this feud was fantastic and it was once again showcased here as this was a highly dramatic bout. The momentum shifted back and forth throughout the match to the point where I had no idea who was going to win. Great, great match!

Match rating - ****1/4

22) Eddie Guerrero vs. Kurt Angle - WWE Championship Series - Smackdown
Eddie's matches with JBL which aired before this bout were amazing because of the storytelling. Now we turn to a match that was amazing because of the outstanding technical abilities of both men involved. With Eddie Guerrero and Kurt Angle, I'm sure you expected nothing less than an awesome match and that's exactly what we got here. Just phenomenal in-ring work from both men like usual with loads of near falls. There may have been a screwy finish, but that doesn't take away from how great this match was.

Match rating - ****

23) Eddie Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio - Steel Cage Match - Smackdown
The feud that Eddie and Rey had in 2005 was filled with outstanding matches and phenomenal storytelling. This bout was the culmination of that. The story going in was that Eddie hadn't been Rey during the whole rivlary. Rey was 7-0 against him and Eddie was determined to prove he could beat him. Such a great story. This was a really good match and Rey & Eddie did alot of innovation here like always. As Rey said before the match, the cage gave them a new element to work with and they took full advantage of it as they spent alot of time on top of the cage and on the top rope. Some innovative moves here include a russian leg sweep off the top rope and a hurricanarana off the top turnbuckle. The ending was fantastic as Eddie went to walk out of the cage for the victory, but turned around and realized that really wouldn't beating Rey so he hit a frogsplash and pinned Mysterio. Great match.

Match rating - ***1/2

24) Eddie Guerrero vs. Batista -World Heavyweight Championship - No Mercy 2005
This was in the midst of Eddie turning back into a babyface. The story here was whether or not Eddie would turn back to his cheating ways and Eddie portrayed that multiple times throughout the match by picking up a chair only to put it back down. Unfortunately, the storytelling was the only thing that shined here. The match was decent, but pretty underwhelming for a PPV main event.

Match rating - **1/2


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