Last week, former FCW Divas Champion and NXT Superstar Shaul Guerrero made headlines when it was announced that she had signed a deal with Women’s of Wrestling (WOW) as the promotion’s new ring announcer.
In an interview with Solo Wrestling, Guerrero discusses growing up in the wrestling business, opens up about her time FCW, her new deal with WOW and more. Highlights of the interview below.
Growing up as part of the Guerrero wrestling family: Growing up in a wrestling family was not ordinary. You always had people knowing who your family was or making a big deal of what your parents did for a living. But dad and mom always taught us to be humble and they lead by example. Dad was the most humble person I knew and he always was the harshest critique of his art. It was exciting having our family vacation every year be Wrestlemania and I loved growing up in the women’s locker room and being in awe of the powerful women I was surrounded by. But there is also a great burden of doing your absolute best and the shadow of greatness that you are expected to measure up to.
Her family’s reaction to her decision to join the wrestling business: At first they were very frank with me about how difficult this business was. Of course, my mom was worried about my body and how it would handle the wrestling. But my mom has always been my biggest cheerleader and supported me 100%. Dad, when he was alive, felt the same worry and didn’t want me to deal with the politics of the business. However, when I showed him I was serious about learning at a young age he agreed to train me. Unfortunately, as we all know he was taken from us too soon.
On her time with FCW: It was a huge learning experience both personally and professionally. I am very proud of the strides I made and am thankful to a lot of special people who made me understand my talent and hone it. Norman Smiley, Joey Mercury, and Dusty Rhodes were huge in my development and believing in me. However, I was there at the time when women were still not held to the standard men was and that was difficult to process. I also had to learn that I had an addiction and needed help with that because I was not dealing with the pressures I felt in a healthy way. It is a cut-throat business and you fear every day that you may be let go- it made me grow up. But while at FCW & NXT I discovered many things about myself and it made me a better person and a healthier person in the long run.
Competing under the ring name Raquel Diaz and not using the surname Guerrero in WWE: Basically, they didn’t want me to use Guerrero right away because they feared I may not live up to the name. But, they also said they wanted me to find my own voice as a performer. This made me feel excited to explore who I wanted to be but once again there was the unsaid pressure of living up to the name.
On leaving the WWE in 2012 and return in 2013: I missed the people, I missed the ring and I missed the lifestyle of what it takes to be a wrestler. WWE has always been my second family and they always will. But I felt strong enough after being in rehab for so long from my eating disorder to come back and face the scrutiny of being in the public eye.
On signing a deal with WOW as a ring announcer: David McLane discovered me when I was visiting Lucha Underground and called me up to ask if I wanted to be a part of WOW. It was an easy decision! This company is fantastic and backs the women’s evolution. Women have always had the ability to carry their own show…we just needed the opportunity. The quality and integrity are through the roof and I am honored to be considered to replace his iconic position as the announcer for the show. And not many people know this but I LOVE to announce. Matt Martlaro taught me back in FCW and I always had the best time performing in that way. Not to mention the best seat in the house!
On her husband Aiden English’s current feud with Rusev and Lana: If the opportunity to work alongside my husband ever comes up I would jump on it in a heartbeat. No questions asked. He is my familia…and as a Guerrero you don’t screw with our family.
On WOW broadcasting their show in 2019: Women are finally getting the platform we deserve across so many fabulous companies. And we haven’t even begun to show what we are capable of. Fans want this opportunity for us and WOW is the perfect place for them to get what they want and what women have been waiting for and craving to show the world what we can do.
On the term ‘Diva’ being dropped in the WWE: I grew up with the Divas and was a Diva when with FCW and NXT. The term is a double-edged sword. Divas paved the way for us. I will always respect those women and what we had to deal with to reach the level of the term “Superstar” we have today. We always deserved to be on the same roster and held to the same standards as men. I agree we should all be categorized under one label but I do not discount the strides Divas had to go through to get us here. Without those women, we would not be here today.
Guerrero also discusses her future goals, wanting to create her own path as a third generation wrestling star and her return to pro wrestling as a commentator for Reality of
Wrestling.
You can read the full interview here, which is in Spanish.
What did you think of the interview? Would you like to see involved in the Aiden English/Rusev/Lana storyline? What are your favorite memories of Shaul’s time with FCW/NXT? Let us know in the comments below!
