Background: After suffering life-threatening injuries thanks to a car accident that gained national media attention, Eddie Guerrero returned to the ring for the first time in six months to take on fellow luchador, Juventud Guerrera.
Monday Nitro
New Orleans, LA
June 21, 1999
Eddie Guerrero vs. Juventud Guerrera
Guerrero didn’t take kindly to his opponent happily hugging him during his in-ring return, slapping Juventud before chopping and stomping the former Cruiserweight champion. Tilt-a-whirl backbreaker by Guerrero had Eddie fired up enough to go for the attack again. Juventud countered with a face buster. Hurricarana by Juvi sent Eddie fleeing to the floor. Guerrera didn’t follow, giving Eddie the chance to regroup and plan. Slipping behind the referee, Eddie dropkicked an unsuspecting Juventud before tossing Guerrera to the floor. Juvi’s back met the steel guardrails, setting up Eddie’s abdominal stretches and body slams when the action returned inside.
Eddie made a big mistake in letting Juventud rise and get his feet moving. Sunset bomb by Juvi stunned Eddie, but didn’t knock him out for the three count. Guerrero quickly grabbed the long hair of Juvi, yanking him into a brain buster. Sleeper attempt by Eddie resulted in him being belly to back suplexed. Once again, Guerrero kicked out before the three count, taking Juvi down as both men got to their feet. A second clothesline attempt after the first one dropped Juventud gave Guerrera a chance to slip underneath the incoming arm and hurricarana Eddie. Missile dropkick from Juventud sent Guerrero to the floor for a suicide plancha!
Guerrero was out of it as Juventud motioned for the Juvi Driver. At the last second, Eddie wiggled his way free, using a modified airplane spin into the Gory Special to put Guerrera in position for his patented Frog Splash. The pin fall for Eddie Guerrero was elementary.
Winner: Eddie Guerrero (9:24)
Is It A Classic: A nice showcase for Guerrero’s return to WCW and wrestling in general. Guerrero looked as crisp as the healthy Juventud, giving us a very good match. It might not go down as a classic, but showed just how good the WCW Cruiserweight division was thanks to men like the future “Latino Heat” and “The Juice”.
