CHAVO GUERRERO Sr.

　　MAGAZINE　ARTICLES　19　　

BREAKING THE SIZE BARRIER

( the first magazine article featuring Chavo Guerrero )

( from Nov. 1972 issue of "Inside Wrestling" magazine )

You say you want to be a professional wrestler but you're too small.　Well there's

a chance for you yet !　In a bold new experiment in Texas, they're proving that

the smaller men can be just as exciting as their heavyweight counterparts !

　If there's one objection fans - especially young fans - seem to have against professional wrestling, it's that

　in most cases the sport is restricted to big men - both in height and weight.

　A youngster who has a small frame can wrestle in high school and college because of the weight classifications

　enabling him to meet opponents of his own size.　But once he gets out of college, what does a 150-pound

　youngster do if he wants to wrestle professionally ?　Previously, the answer has usually been there's nothing

　he can do.　But not any more.　Now he can go to Texas and wrestle professionally even if he's only a 147-

　pounder !　Because one of the most successful new crazes in Texas is "welterweight wrestling" - matches

　in which opponents can show off their skills against men of equal size and weight.

　Dory Funk Sr. explained the idea behind the innovation.　"We're in an area which contains many Mexican-

　American wrestling fans.　The youngsters love the sport and many of them work out in gyms.　Some of them

　are really good.　But they're small.　And because of that they never had any hope of wrestling professionally.

　It was a dead end.　What they're trying to do is give them a chance to show what they can do and to show

　that matches among smaller wrestlers of equal size can be as exciting as matches between the bigger fellows.

　So far the fans seem to be enjoying it."

　Just as professional boxing's smaller classes ( bantamweight, featherweight, lightweight and welterweight ) are

　enjoying a surge of popularity among southern California's large Mexican-American population, it is expected

　that welterweight wrestling will work out the same in Texas.　Chavo Guerrero, one of the most popular

　welterweight wrestlers appearing in Texas, explains why. "Many Mexicans, who are of small stature, can't really

　identify with the big heavyweights either in boxing or wrestling.　In boxing, only Manuel Ramos is a ranked

　heavyweight.　In wrestling, there's Mil Mascaras, Bull Ramos, El Sicodelico, Pantera Negro and a few others.

　But you take a look at the smaller divisions in boxing and there are Mexican and Mexican-American champions

　and top challengers all the way through.　And the crowds they draw is evidence of their popularity with our

　people.　We can identify with smaller athletes.　I think wrestling matches among non-heavyweights is a wave

　of the future in wrestling.　I foresee nothing but success - especially in areas with large Mexican-American

　or Puerto Rican-American populations."

　Juan Timon, a masked 145-pounder, wanted to be a wrestler for as far back as he can remember.　He can

　also remember crying himself to sleep at night because he knew he'd never be big enough to turn pro and earn

　a living at the sport he loves best.　"Athletics are everything to me," Juan explained.　"Ever since I was a kid

　I wanted nothing else but to be an athlete.　In high school and in amateur sports there are many opportunities

　for someone my size. Boxing, wrestling, gymnastics, track, everything. But look at the professional sports world.

　Pro football players are all 200-pounders and up.　To play pro basketball you have to be at least over six feet.

　Even in baseball there aren't too many men my size.　Wrestling was out of the question altogether.　Only in

　boxing and horse racing are there opportunities for smaller athletes to earn big money - and I'm too big to be

　a jockey.　"Of course, we won't earn the kind of money the heavyweight wrestlers do.　Not for a long time.

　We're still at the stage where we have to supplement our wrestling income with outside earnings.　We don't

　wrestle five nights a week like the heavyweights.　But as welterweight wrestling catches on that situation will

　improve.　I can see the day years from now when we'll earn as much as the other professional wrestlers.　But

　right now it's a start."

　Argentina Apollo, himself a small man in a world of giants, is one of the few "little men" to make it big in

　professional wrestling.　He considers this innovation one of the best things to hit wrestling in years.

　" I was lucky,"　Apollo admits, "because of my gymnastic ability.　I'm what you'd call flashy.　But I'm small and

　I don't weigh very much by professional wrestling standards.　Do you think I'd be where I am today if it wasn't

　for my gymnastic ability ?　Believe me, I was turned down by a large number of promoters who told me I was

　too small.　They didn't even give me a chance to show what I could do.　But for every Apollo there are a

　thousand young men - some of whom might have been as good as or better than I - who never made it in

　wrestling.　Either they gave up because they thought they were too small or they never got the chance

　because someone else thought they were too small.　Now they can hope to stay in wrestling and earn a living

　from it by wrestling men their own size.　I say it's terrific."

　Ａｔ first, a match between a pair of 147-pounders takes a little getting used to.　When Timon and Guerrero

　hooked up in Amarillo they looked like a couple of high school sophomores climbing into the ring.　But the

　viewer soon forgets about the size of the participants.　Because these welterweights have all the moves of

　their bigger counterparts.　If anything, welterweight matches seem to be a bit more action-packed than

　heavyweight matches because the smaller men do a great deal more "flying" - leaping off the ropes, drop-

　kicking, etc.　There is no sacrifice of "strength" holds because of the evenly-matched weight categories.

　Body slams, tests of strength, they are all in evidence.　And there is brutality as well.

　During one part of the match Timon hurled Guerrero over the top rope and Chavo landed on his back in front

　of the first row of seats.　"Believe me," he said later, "it didn't hurt any less when I landed - or when Timon

　stomped on me."　The two grappled inside the ring and outside as well.　Each man used a number of acro-

　batic moves both to clamp holds on his opponent as well as to avoid having a hold clamped on him.

　"Because of our size," Guerrero explained, "most matches between welterweights are faster and more gym-

　nastically oriented.　We're much more maneuverable than the big fellows.　We fly higher.　We move faster.

　People who enjoy watching wrestlers like Edouard Carpentier and Argentina Apollo would also enjoy welter-

　weight matches.　we don't spend as much time on the mat as the bigger fellows.　Of course, I'm prejudiced,

　but I think the welterweight matches are much more exciting and fast-moving than the heavyweight matches."

　The biggest problem facing the welterweights is that the concept is too new to allow the kind of exposure the

　heavyweights receive.　Wrestlers like The Sheik and Dory Funk Jr. and Verne Gagne are known all over North

　America.　People come to their matches specifically to see them win or get beat.　The welterweights are

　unknown.　"Most of the fans didn't know who I was or who Timon was when we first started," Guerrero

　observed.　"They didn't know whether to cheer or boo or what.　Right now we're a drawing card because

　we're an oddity.　The next step will be identification with our size. And eventually we'll be like the heavyweights

　and people will come to see us because of our individual reputations.　That's when we know we're being

　accepted as professional wrestlers."

　Can weight classfications work in professional wrestling ?　There's no reason why not.　It has worked and is

　working in professional boxing.　True, as in boxing, the heavyweights will always be the cream of the crop.

　The heavyweight fights will always draw the biggest gates and the most publicity.　So will it be with the heavy-

　weight wrestlers.　But boxing has proved there is room for the talented little man.　And now wrestling seems

　to be following that lead.　For all youngsters who won't be six feet tall or weigh over 200 pounds - it comes as

　welcome news !