Last year, third-generation star Shaul Guerrero received her first opportunity to work for All Elite Wrestling, ring announcing for the company’s Tag Team Cup Tournament. Despite not having the opportunity to wrestle for the promotion, Guerrero joined a select group of individuals to have performed for both AEW and the WWE/NXT brand. As she explained to me in our recent conversation, the two experiences differed both personally and professionally.
“Well, it was very different just because when I was walking in [to AEW],” Guerrero began. “Not only was I there with my mother, so like that was obviously very cool, it was like running into old friends. I’ve trained with a lot of people there back in my FCW days and back when I was at NXT. It’s true what everybody says. The environment in the back is a lot more relaxed. There’s a lot less pin needles to be worried about. I mean, there’s like an overwhelming amount of respect for everybody. Everybody’s just there to put on a good show and have fun.”
“I think that fun was everywhere when I was backstage,” she continued, beaming. “I was so fortunate to be able to work with Justin Roberts and announce so many amazing women. Honestly, just between that and watching the training session, watching Dustin Rhodes train everybody and just – I don’t know, there’s just so many amazing things.”
When looking back on her time with World Wrestling Entertainment, Guerrero admits, the experience was a bit different.
“And I do believe I was in a different time when I was with WWE, as far as when we’re talking about comparing,” she reflects. “I was in the era where like, you know, we were pre women’s revolution and evolution and everything like that. And so, you know, we had 10 minutes or a bikini contest, or there was just – I think body positivity has increased lately, as well. So, not that anyone ever told me anything specifically, but there was just kind of an air at that time where it was just like, you’ve got to look a certain way and a lot of pressure that I couldn’t really control as far as the family stuff. It was just all the time because that was my father’s alma mater, and my mom is there, and my cousin was employed at that time. So there was a lot of pressure. And so I think all of that combined before I got mature, you know, it was not the best environment for me. So that was kind of the comparison. Happy for both experiences, though.”
Of course, given her wide array of skills in the wrestling business – and frankly, her prowess at all of them – it would be naive to think that a major promotion wouldn’t come calling for the third-generation star sooner rather than later. Given her experiences working with major promotions before, is it still her end goal to sign a contract with them?
“Honestly, that is my end goal is to be with a promotion that I am passionate about [and] that I care about. And I’m sorry, I love television wrestling, and I love the camera, and I love the big stage. I mean, that was literally what I grew up with. It’s all I remember is being on the road and I don’t know, just being backstage, so that’s what I crave. I feel at home in that space. And so if somebody came a-calling, absolutely! Ab-so-fucking-loutely I would go. But like, I feel like my immediate goal for 2021 – because I try not to have expectations, that way, you don’t have crazy disappointments, you know what I mean?”
“So, I’m gonna bust my ass on what I know I can do right now, and that’s the independent scene,” she finished enthusiastically., “Thank God. I feel very humbled and blessed to be getting booked as a beginner. I am considering myself a beginner at this point. I’m just gonna wrestle everybody I can, get as good as I can, and you know, if somebody comes calling? Yes, please!”
Please credit Spencer Love/Love Wrestling with any transcriptions used.
