CHAVO GUERRERO Sr.

　　MAGAZINE　ARTICLES　10　　

Chavo Guerrero's Strange Search :

"TO JOIN ME, YOU MUST DEFEAT ME !"

( from January 1982 issue of "Sports Review Wrestling" magazine )

A man with a mission : Chavo Guerrero's quest for the perfect tag team partner.

Anyone willing to team will not do.　First he must emerge victorious in a contest against Guerrero,

and only then will he be considered for the other half of a potentially championship team.

　Some tag team combinations seem fated to be right from the start.　Certainly no other man ... or beast ...

　would want to team with one of The Moondogs.　Tony Garea and Rick Martel are as natural a pair of

　wrestlers as you are bound to discover anywhere on this earth, as are Mr. Fuji and Mr. Saito.

　There are other times, however, when a matching of wrestlers takes somewhat more work.　One would never

　believe that Andre the Giant and Michael Hayes could make a go of it, but there they are tearing up the ring

　anyhow.　Then there is the case of Chavo Guerrero.

　" I must have a tag team partner, " declares Guerrero, "and he must be worthy of the challenge which we

　will face together.　He must be as good as I am in many ways, and perhaps even better in some.　He must be

　willing to train to the limit, and to devote all his spare time to perfecting team maneuvers.　There is only one

　way to discover a partner such as I require," Guerrero continued, "and that is to wrestle as many opponents

　as I can, as many prospective partners as I may discover. If an opponent can defeat me, then he is my prime

　candidate for a partner.　Defeat me and join me,　that is my declaration ! "

　Guerrero's unusual quest took him halfway around the world in search of the perfect tag team partner.

　In Japan,　Chavo met Dos Caras, the brother of Mil Mascaras, in a match which nearly brought Guerrero to

　the end of his search.　" I hope that Dos Caras is the man that I am looking for," Guerrero said prior to his

　match.　" I have seen him wrestle and I like his style in many ways.　I am just not sure how we will work

　together,　and this is what I must find out by wrestling him as an opponent.　I must discover whether or not

　he is compatible to the style I am searching for."

　After an initial hadshake in the center of the ring,　Guerrero and Caras began their battle.

　In a match that could only be described as being extremely scientific,　both Caras and Guerrero displayed

　admirable skills and abilities.　Squaring off in the center of the ring, stalking each other like wolves preparing

　for the strike, both men seemed tentative.　Caras made the first move, engaging Guerrero in an armlock

　that had him wincing from the intense pressure.　Guerrero quickly gained the upper hand, however, flipping

　Dos Caras into the air and over his head causing the masked man to slam to the mat on his back.　Guerrero

　attempted a bodyscissors , but Dos Caras sprung out of the way with panther-like speed and grace.

　Impressed by the agility and cunning of his opponent,　Guerrero decided to take a different type of offensive.

　For a time, he limited his attack to limb maneuvers :　a wristlock,　a Japanese armlock,　a step-over toehold.

　With masterful precision,　Dos Caras was able to elude each of these holds and, at times, recovered so much

　as to gain the advantage in a match which for the most part remained too close to call.

　More than once,　Caras tried an aerial attack.　Chavo was aware of the wily Mexican's gymnastic abilities

　and was able to prepare himself somewhat for the expected onslaught.　A flying smash to the body, however,

　sent Guerrero reeling and ultimately down to the mat.　So the match continued,　a masterpiece of scientific

　exhibition.　At one moment,　Chavo Guerrero in charge, practically pinning Dos Caras' shoulders to the floor.

　The next moment,　Caras is up and in command,　while Chavo appears to be in severe trouble.

　Finally, the bell sounded ending the match. The two grapplers had wrestled to a draw, exhausting the allotted

　time limit period.　Again, they both walked to the center of the ring and shook hands.　A mutual respect and

　admiration was born that evening in Tokyo.　But Dos Caras did not actually defeat Chavo Guerrero.　Does

　this mean that Guerrero's search for a partner is still incomplete ?

　" Not necessarily, " explained Guerrero after the match.　" I have to think about that for some time.　

　Dos Caras was a superb opponent,　a true athlete and wrestler in every sense of the word.　Even though he

　did not defeat me, he did wrestle to a draw, and wrestle admirably.　So far,　he is the closest I have come to

　finding a worthy partner for a tag team.　As I said,　though,　I will have to think about it some more."

　Guerrero did confide, though, that if he did get together with Dos Caras,　he was sure that they could give

　any rulebreaker tag team a very tough match.