Juventud Guerrera is back in the spotlight, as the former WCW star will face Chris Jericho on Wednesday night.
Guerrera’s return to the mainstream gives an additional boost to this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite, which will be a special “Homecoming” edition of the program. Ahead of the match, Guerrera spoke with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated and previewed the buzzworthy match. Guerrera shared his excitement for the contest, as he views working with Jericho as an opportunity to show that they can still perform at a high level more than two decades after they feuded in WCW.
During their WCW days, Guerrera and Jericho clashed several times, and their rivalry culminated at WCW SuperBrawl VIII when Jericho won a Title vs. Mask match between the two. Looking back on this memorable nigjt, Guerrera stated that he’s glad Jericho was the one to unmask him, as they worked very well together.
“Looking back, I’m very grateful that it was Chris Jericho to take off my mask and that I was able to continue working with him,” said Guerrera. “I felt so much better being in the ring with Chris. He loved the Mexican style, and had come to Mexico earlier in his career to learn lucha. We were so happy to work together, and that’s why we had so much chemistry together in our matches.
“Chris brought out the best in me. The way it turned out, people really welcomed me after I lost the mask. Now I have two different personas–Juvy with the mask, and The Juice without the mask.”
All this time later, Guerra intends to put the mask back on for his match on Dynamite in order to honor the Mexican style of wrestling. He also made it clear tha the’ll be using a song he wrote and produced as his entrance music.
“I want to wear the mask on Dynamite,” said Guerrera. “I am a luchador, and we are very proud of our masks. Also, since the match has been announced, a lot of people have asked me if I’ll come out to the same music I had in WCW. That would be nostalgic, but I’m going to showcase my new music, a heavy metal song I wrote and produced. This is a new moment and people are going to see a new Juice. This Wednesday on Dynamite is going to be Juicymania.”
Given Guerra’s status as the third of the five “Labours” Jericho must overcome in order to face MJF, most fans expect “Le Champion” to defeat Guerrera. But in the interview, Guerrera vowed to leave the fans “shocked” with this bout.
“People are going to be shocked when they see this match,” said Guerrera. “I feel great, and I’m ready to make the most of this opportunity. I’m very grateful to Chris Jericho, I’m grateful to AEW, and I’m grateful to all my fans.
