Chris Jericho and Juventud Guerrera reflect on the time Chris Jericho unmasked “The Juice”
February 22, 1998, that is a day that will live forever in the careers of Chris Jericho and Juventud Guerrera as that was the night of SuperBrawl VIII, a night that would see Chris Jericho unmask Juvi in order to keep his WCW Cruiserweight Championship.
Moving forward, losing the mask would open different doors for Juvi, as he would even compete in WWE unmasked seven years later. Speaking on Talk is Jericho, both men reflected on the decision to unmask the Luchador with Juvi asking whether or not Chris Jericho pitched the idea.
Juvi began, “That was shocking because when I started my career, every wrestler, you don't want to lose your mask, you always want to have it. For me to be in this position to lose this mask, it wasn't something I really wanted to do. In a way, something was telling me, 'Maybe you can do it.' I was just happy to be there and I went with the flow, but it was shocking. I didn't know how the people were going to respond or how they would feel about me because I always try to look good and give a good look. When you took the mask, it was perfect because I was trying to pull the mask little by little and you just took it away. It was perfect. “I always was wondering, it was Eric Bischoff, but did you have something to do with it? Whose idea (was it?)”
Chris Jericho responded, revealing that he wasn't nearly important enough of a star to be able to pitch ideas at the time and that was the idea of Eric Bischoff, who thought that the luchadores, losing their masks would allow them to connect with the audience in a better way.
“It wasn’t me at all. I had no power or anything at that point. You and I worked many times and Eric went through this idea that luchadors should lose their mask and you were a handsome guy. I understand the Mexican culture better than anybody that wasn't Mexican because I had worked there. I remember thinking, 'If he has to lose his mask, what can I do to help this?' I'm the heel, so I would say you looked like Quasimoto, Quasijuice, you were the hunchback of Notre Dame and when you take your mask off it's, 'Fuck, this is a good looking guy.' I was never really asked or consulted. We were working and it was, 'You're going to have this match with Juvi and you're going to take his mask.' I was like, 'Really?' 'Yes, that's what Eric wants.' I didn't have anything to do with it."
Jericho continued “It's cool you noticed that and now and AEW, and even in WWE for a number of years, as you go up the ladder, you have a lot of influence. Then, I wasn't being asked anything. It was just, 'Here's what we want you to do, we think it'll be a good match and draw for the pay-per-view.' That's what it was. I was never asked, 'Do you want to do this?' and I certainly never went, 'Hey, I want to take Juvi's mask,' I wasn't at that level. Had I been at that level, maybe I would have, but I didn't.”
Elsewhere on the podcast, both men reflected on The Mexicools and the time that Vince McMahon said backstage that he could see them becoming World Champion. Learn more here.
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