[2000-04-03-WWF-Raw] Eddy Guerrero vs Chris Jericho

[soup23]

Chyna has been a failure with everything they have tried to do for her since she split from HHH. They seem to have finally honed in something with the Latino Heat character of Eddy. Eddy’s personality is starting to shine and the Radicalz are becoming more and more splintered day by day with Eddy and Benoit at the forefront, Dean hanging on to the Cruiser belt run and Saturn quickly losing a purpose. The chemistry between Jericho and Eddy has always been good and this was no exception. A really fast paced 7 minute match that culminates in the big turn for Chyna as she walks to the back with Eddy kick starting the angle overall. ***

[Loss]

Eddy's back in the ring! Jericho wrote in his book that he's never been so excited to drop a title in his life, because it meant he was finally free from Chyna. She and Eddy had a lot more chemistry as an act anyway, so it was a good move for everyone involved. The match was well-worked, and Eddy may be the best guy at taking the double powerbomb. The second night in a row Tim White takes a bump off of a Jericho move, and we know that Tim White took a bad bump in the HHH-Jericho HIAC that legitimately ended his career. So I'll start the count. This makes two times Chris Jericho has needlessly attacked Tim White. ***

[Robert S]

The finish made Jericho look very dumb and weak. First he accepted a fast-count from a non-referee as the end of the match and then he had to sell a low-blow and a DDT from Chyna like death.

[GSR]

Eddy’s sure that Chyna wants some ‘Latino Heat’, even though her face says otherwise, and tells her that this one’s for her. He rushes into the ring and the two of them immediately start swinging at each other. Nice uppercut from Guerrero. Irish whip to the corner, Eddy says something to Chyna though instead of staying on his opponent, and when he charges, Y2J launches him over his head and he goes crashing into the top turnbuckle. Jericho with some knife edge chops, however Eddy counters the powerbomb attempt with a sunset flip before dropping Y2J with a clothesline. Flying elbow followed by a sleeper as Jericho is coming off the ropes. I like how Eddy applies it here, leaping into the hold so he can lock it in deeper. Belly to back suplex for the escape. Eddy tosses Jericho to the floor and into the ring steps. They trade chops, but Guerrero quickly realises he wants no more of that and a poke to the eyes stops Y2J in his tracks. Vertical suplex and Eddy gives Chyna a wink. Again he’s spending too long fixated in her and misses a dive off the top as a result. Scoop powerslam by Jericho and a bulldog for two as the momentum in the match has changed. Drop toe hold, but Eddy goes flying into referee Tim White who falls out of the ring and to the floor. Great double powerbomb, Lionsault and Y2J makes the cover even though the official is down. Chyna checks on White, and when he doesn’t move, she gets in the ring and counts the pin herself. After raising Jericho’s hand, she double crosses him with a boot to the mid-section and a DDT. She puts Eddy on top of him, throws White back in the ring and we have a new European champion. Eddy’s a bit unsure about what’s gone on until Chyna lifts him to his feet and the pair of them embrace.

 

No surprise whatsoever that these too worked well together. The ref bump was a bit suspect, and not the first time recently we’ve seen Jericho make a cover when he’s been fully aware that there is no official to count it. The Eddy and Chyna alliance moves him away from ‘the Radicalz’ as the group slowly starts to go their own way.

[ohtani's jacket]

This was weak. Eddy had such an outstanding heel persona in WCW that I'm not sure why he had to "build" one in the WWF. And a goofy one at that. These two didn't mesh anywhere near as well as Benoit and Jericho have been, and I blame that mostly on Eddy's lack of confidence. It took a while for him to find his feet in the WWF. When he finally did, he had arguably one of the greatest runs in company history but he was a long way from that level in 2000.

In fact, I think you can draw a parallel to Negro Casas. People are always saying that Casas has been one of the best workers in the world for every year of his professional career, and they've said similar things about Eddy Guerrero. But here they are having down years. It just goes to show that most wrestlers have peaks and valleys depending on who they're working with and how they're being booked.