Héctor Guerrero

Héctor Guerrero
Ring name(s)	Héctor Guerrero Gobbledy Gooker Lazer Tron
Billed height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Billed weight	228 lb (103 kg)
Born	October 1, 1954 (1954-10-01) Mexico City, Mexico
Resides	Tampa, Florida
Billed from	El Paso, Texas
Trained by	Gory Guerrero
Debut	1973

This name uses Spanish naming customs; the first or paternal family name is Guerrero and the second or maternal family name is Llanes.

Héctor Manuel Guerrero Llanes (born October 1, 1954) is a Mexican-American professional wrestler, better known simply by his paternal name, Héctor Guerrero. He is currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as a Spanish color commentator and a road agent.

Professional wrestling career

Héctor Guerrero Llanes was born in Mexico City, Mexico, but his family relocated to El Paso, Texas in the United States of America when he was young. Guerrero attended the University of Texas at El Paso, graduating with a bachelor's degree in physical education. Guerrero trained as a wrestler under his father, Gory, and debuted in 1973 using the shortened name "Héctor Guerrero". Early in his career, he wrestled primarily in California, often teaming with his brothers Chavo Guerrero, Sr. and Mando.

In the mid-1980s, Guerrero wrestled for NWA: Jim Crockett Promotions as the masked Lazer-Tron. Guerrero teamed with Jimmy Valiant and feuded with the New Breed. Guerrero went on to feud with Denny Brown for the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship, and teamed with Manny Fernandez as "The Latin Connection" until Fernandez turned on him to join Rick Rude and Paul Jones. In the late 1980s, Guerrero wrestled in the American Wrestling Association, winning the AWA World Tag Team Championship with Dr. D.

World Wrestling Federation: The Gobbledy Gooker

In 1990, Guerrero appeared in the World Wrestling Federation at the Survivor Series, performing under the name Gobbledy Gooker and wearing a turkey costume. The Gobbledy Gooker "hatched" from an oversized egg, which had been on display at WWF events for months prior to the Survivor Series, and was heavily hyped on television. However, crowd reaction to the gimmick was extremely negative, with fans loudly booing as the costumed Guerrero danced in the ring with announcer "Mean" Gene Okerlund. Play-by-play broadcast announcers Gorilla Monsoon and "Rowdy" Roddy Piper tried their best to be enthusiastic.

The character was abandoned immediately following the Survivor Series, leaving it a mystery if the character was intended for more than a one-off comedy bit, or if it was intended as an ongoing gimmick that was discarded due to the overwhelming negative response. A few years later, WrestleCrap would use the name for its "Gooker Award", presented for the worst gimmicks, storylines, or events in wrestling.

After the character was shelved the WWF didn't mention it again for more than 10 years. In the early 2000s, it became fashionable in the WWF to mock mistakes made in the past. The Gobbledy Gooker was revived for WrestleMania X-Seven to participate in the "Gimmick Battle Royal", an otherwise normal battle royal that was populated entirely by older, mostly retired wrestlers with outlandish gimmicks as well as oddball one-offs like the Gooker. Though the costume was very different from the original, Héctor Guerrero did again wear the costume, being the second person eliminated in the match. Repo Man was the first eliminated. The Iron Sheik would ultimately win, with Sgt. Slaughter then attacking him afterwards and locking him in the cobra clutch.

When "Mean" Gene Okerlund was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006, he recalled some of his famous interviews and he acknowledged the fact that it was Héctor Guerrero in the costume, saying that "Héctor, we had a lot of fun, but all of this is forgotten."

Later career

Guerrero appeared with the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based Extreme Championship Wrestling promotion in 1995, unsuccessfully challenging 2 Cold Scorpio for the ECW Television Championship at Return of The Funker.

Guerrero appeared in World Championship Wrestling in 1997 to confront his brother Eddie about his onscreen behavior. He left the promotion after losing to his brother in a singles match on an episode of WCW Saturday Night. Eddie Guerrero stated in his autobiography that Héctor left WCW because he was unhappy with the way he was treated.

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling

Guerrero with Willie Urbina, the Spanish broadcast team.

On March 1, 2007, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling announced that Guerrero had been hired by TNA as a Spanish color commentator and road agent. On March 8, 2007, he was presented with an award for "achievements in the sport of professional wrestling" by TNA and the Hispanic Legacy Foundation.

On May 1, 2008, Guerrero accepted an offer from The Latin American X-Change (LAX) to become their new (on-screen) advisor and mentor. On May 11, 2008, Guerrero managed LAX to three victories and the TNA World Tag Team Championship. He interfered in the second and third matches, first helping Homicide pin A.J. Styles, and then helping remove Johnny Devine from Team 3D's corner.

On the Sep. 25 2008 edition of Impact! Guerrero, Homicide and Hernandez fought Beer Money, Inc. (Robert Roode, James Storm and Jacqueline) in a six person "Loser's Manager Leaves Town" match. The match ended when Roode pinned Hernandez. As a result of the match Guerrero was no longer able to manage Homicide and Hernandez in TNA.

After leaving LAX, Guerrero returned to color commentating. On the September 10, 2009 edition of TNA Impact!, Guerrero confronted Eric Young and the other members of The World Elite during an in-ring promo when Young tried persuading Hernandez to join their group.

In wrestling

• Finishing moves
  • Double underhook suplex

• Signature moves
  • Backbreaker
  • Dropkick
  • Guerrero Clutch (Rolling stretch cradle)
  • Slingshot crossbody
  • Three Amigos (Triple rolling vertical suplexes) – used as a tribute to his brother Eddie Guerrero

• Managers
  • Jim Holliday
  • Oliver Humperdink

• Nicknames
  • "The Mexican Bandito"

Championships and accomplishments

• American Wrestling Association
  • AWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Dr. D

• California Pro Wrestling
  • CPW California Championship (1 time)

• Championship Wrestling from Florida
  • NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • NWA Florida Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • NWA United States Tag Team Championship (Florida version) (1 time) – with Chavo Guerrero

• Continental Wrestling Association
  • AWA Southern Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Steve Regal

• Jim Crockett Promotions
  • NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

• NWA Hollywood Wrestling
  • NWA Americas Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
  • NWA Americas Tag Team Championship (6 times) – with Chavo Guerrero Sr.(1), Black Gordman (1), Barry Orton (1), and Mando Guerrero (3)

• NWA Tri-State
  • NWA Tri-State Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Ron Sexton

• Pro Wrestling Federation
  • PWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Eddie Guerrero

• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • PWI ranked him # 423 of the best 500 singles wrestlers of the PWI Years in 2003.

• Western States Alliance
  • WSA Western States Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Mando Guerrero

• World Organization of Wrestling
  • WOW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

• Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
  • Worst Gimmick (1990)

Personal life

Guerrero is the son of Salvador "Gory" Guerrero Quesada and a member of the Guerrero wrestling family. His uncle, Enrique Llanes, was a wrestler, as were his brothers, Chavo, Mando and Eddie, and his nephew, Chavo, Jr.. He is a Christian. Héctor is also married to his long time sweetheart Penny.

External links

• Official website
• TNA profile
• Hector Guerrero at the Internet Movie Database
• Online World of Wrestling profile