Vickie Guerrero recently sat down for a new episode of “WWE Retrospective” on the WWE Vault YouTube channel, where she shared candid stories from her two-decade career with the company — from the origins of her iconic “Excuse Me!” catchphrase to her emotional farewell match and everything in between. Guerrero, who also made a surprise guest appearance on Saturday Night’s Main Event earlier this year, reflected on how her career in WWE was never part of the plan.
“After Eddie’s passing, I came to WWE for two months,” Guerrero revealed. “It was just to be for two months, just to get Eddie’s name to be remembered by the fans. But then it just built. And they’re like, ‘Well, let’s try a year contract.’ And I was like, ‘Sure.’ And then a year turned into five, and then here I am again. It’s been 20 years.”
Guerrero admitted that her early performances were rough and that she relied on honest feedback from industry legends to improve. “My character at the beginning sucked. I was horrible,” she said. “From Teddy Long to Dusty Rhodes to Undertaker, they would tell me, ‘You’re horrible, you suck. Your camera work is bad.’ And through those people, they coached me, and they helped me night after night.”
One of the most enduring parts of Guerrero’s legacy — her trademark “Excuse Me!” catchphrase — was never planned. It happened live on television after she forgot her promo lines due to last-minute script changes. “I had all these revisions in my head, and I was cued to start, and I forgot my lines,” she explained. “The fans caught on right away… I looked at this one particular guy, and he was flipping me off… and I just looked at him, ‘Excuse me!’” The phrase instantly stuck, and WWE’s creative team decided to make it a central part of her villainous persona. Guerrero has since trademarked it.
She credited Edge — with whom she shared one of WWE’s most memorable on-screen partnerships — for elevating her character. “I contribute a lot of my success to Edge’s knowledge, and just for him believing in me and trusting me,” Guerrero shared. “Edge taught me a lot. He’s the one who had me close my eyes and teach me how to navigate the ring and be very comfortable in the ring. And he showed me how to work the cameras.”
Guerrero also recalled one of the most emotional moments of her career: performing a Frog Splash at WrestleMania as a tribute to her late husband, Eddie Guerrero. “To know that I was gonna do a Frog Splash… that was a little intimidating, because my husband, Eddie, did the best,” she said. “So whether it was good or bad, I knew that it was gonna be my own way. And I took it for what it was.”
When it came time to leave WWE in 2014, Guerrero wanted to go out on a memorable note. She gave the company a year’s notice of her departure to spend more time with her daughters, and her farewell culminated in a comedic and emotional mud match against Stephanie McMahon. The original plan was changed just before the show to have Stephanie directly involved, allowing Vickie to get the final laugh by tossing her boss into the mud before walking out to Eddie’s entrance music.
Guerrero also shared how honored she was to be part of the first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble match in 2018. “To know that they were granting the women their first Royal Rumble was historical,” she said. “I got the call in late November… and I had to keep it quiet for four months… to know that I was able to be a part of this, I was honored.”
From accidental catchphrases to historic moments, Guerrero’s career remains one of WWE’s most unique and inspiring journeys — a legacy she built from a two-month tribute into a 20-year run as one of the most iconic managers and personalities in WWE history.
