When you think of technically gifted wrestlers, two names are must-haves on that list. Those names are Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio.
These were two men that were born to wrestle and were born into wrestling families. Mysterio and Guerrero started at a young age and grew up with us in the business. We as wrestling fans had a connection to wrestlers like these two and others with similar attributes.
Matches like their match at Halloween Havoc 1997, a mask versus Cruiserweight Championship match, put them on the map of the greatest matches of all time in professional wrestling. Men and women that are just getting started in the business should without question watch this match to learn how to tell a story in the ring even before you touch. This match is a clear definition of a match that shaped us.
Growing up with a wrestling ring in his backyard, there was only one job for Eddie Guerrero, and that was a wrestler. With his father Gory and brothers Mando, Hector, and Chavo Sr, Eddie had plenty of time to learn what not to do in the business and the right way to conduct yourself inside and outside the ring. Until this match in 1997, Eddie Guerrero had been up and down the roads in the business. From Mexico to Japan and everywhere in between. Guerrero and Mysterio’s paths to this point are very similar and run as parallel as possible. The intersection came to a head at WCW Halloween Havoc 1997.
Mysterio and Guerrero had many matches before this great match and had a lot following it, but, this match was more than a match; this match was a story of good versus evil in the truest way. Eddie portraying the ultimate heel goes to take apart every inch of Mysterio’s offense. Inch by inch, Guerrero did his best to take apart the fast-moving Mysterio. However, for all of Eddie’s offense, Mysterio had an answer back for him. This match was in my opinion the culmination of one of the best rivalries in WCW history.
This period of wrestling was when wrestling was shaping the individuals lucky enough to call it a profession.
While watching this match, emotion comes out of you without even knowing it. The numerous near falls keep you on the edge of your seat throughout the match. The chemistry between Guerrero and Mysterio was then and now something that holds up concerning the storytelling and the nostalgia of great wrestling. This match was all about the little things that shaped the match into a match that you can watch time after time and it never gets monotonous. From entrances to the finish, this match made me proud to be a wrestling fan then, now, and forever.
This type of match isn’t for everyone, but if you are looking to watch one match, or you are a new wrestling fan, go back and watch this match on your platform of choice.
This match was innovative for the time and still stands the test of time. Every time I watch this match or think of these two great competitors, it brings me back to the time when I saw this on Pay Per View live. Because of these reasons and many more, this match helped shaped us.
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