This is where being both an active wrestler and a television producer gets a guy in trouble. Very deep trouble.
Chavo Guerrero, Jr. is both a part-time wrestler and a very active producer for Lucha Underground. This creates a conflict of interest that came into play on this week's episode. More than a decade after the passing of his uncle Eddie, Chavo is still selling "lie, cheat, & steal" as the "Guerrero Way". Where Eddie oozed charisma as a Latino Robin Hood, Chavo is the opposite. A black hole of charisma, and instead of continuing where Eddie left off, Chavo is much more blatant about his "stealing". Putting himself in a position where he could book himself over a younger, more deserving talent sounds like something that Triple H has been accused of doing in WWE the last several years, but with Chavo, it's a case of trying---and epically failing---to emerge from his uncle's shadow.
Consider the scenario for a moment. Two weeks ago, Chavo picked the pocket, literally, of Cage and stole the Aztec Medallion Cage had earned a week prior against Johnny Mundo. Instead of Cage and Guerrero being put in a match to settle the dispute, Guerrero had to have run the idea by executive producers Mark Burnett and Robert Rodriguez that it was more important for him to win the Gift of the Gods title than for Cage or Texano or Sexy Star or even Sinestro de la Muerte.
So what happened? In a show-opening angle, Guerrero knew Cage was coming for the medallion, so he taped it to a steel chair that he used on Cage, deking out the man-machine with a washer disc shaped like the medallion, all to ensure he and not Cage would be in the GotG main event.
That is selfish, wrong-headed booking, the kind that got WCW in trouble, and has repeatedly hurt TNA in its 14 years of existence. And, yes, WWE has made the same mistakes.
This is what should've been done:
The scene with Cage in Dario Cueto's office should've played out at the top of last week's show, leading to a singles match. Instead, that singles match is for the GotG title, and will air next week. Chavo has about 2 decades of experience in the business. Cage is a younger, hungrier wrestler who has the charisma that Chavo doesn't. If it ends up that this is a roundabout way for Cage to win the GotG belt, it's the wrong way. And you wonder why older veterans like Jim Cornette have ripped into LU.
Done correctly, the angle would've resulted in Cage, not Chavo, in the GotG match, and likely winning. From a physical standpoint, Cage matches up better with Matanza Cueto anyway, as you have two big men who can work and move like cruiserweights. Chavo would, rightfully, be squashed like a bug vs. Matanza. And that would also be the right move for business.
11 years ago, Chavo tried to recreate himself by adopting the identity of a white yuppie, only to abandon the gimmick with Eddie's passing. He then spent the next year exploiting his uncle's legacy by feuding with two of Eddie's best friends, Rey Mysterio, Jr. (now in LU) and the late Chris Benoit. The WWE fans saw just what Chavo was missing all along. By himself, he has no charisma. His aunt Vickie, who has since remarried after leaving WWE 2 years ago, drew more heat than he did and overstayed her welcome. But who would have ever thought that Chavo would stoop lower than Vickie ever did.
Eddie would never have approved. Neither would Robin Hood.
