Vickie Guerrero recently filmed a “WWE Retrospective” for the WWE Vault YouTube channel, where she shared numerous backstage stories from her long career with the company. In the video, Guerrero detailed the accidental origin of her iconic “Excuse Me!” catchphrase, her unexpected career path following the passing of her husband Eddie Guerrero, and her emotional final match against Stephanie McMahon. Guerrero also made a guest appearance on WWE’s Saturday Night’s Main Event earlier this year.
Guerrero revealed that her career in WWE was never planned and was initially intended to be a short-term tribute to Eddie. “After Eddie’s passing, I came to WWE for two months. It was just to be for two months, just to get Eddie’s name to be remembered by the fans,” she stated. “But then it just built. And they’re like, ‘Well, let’s try a year contract.’ And I was like, ‘Sure.’ And then a year turned into five, and then it’s here I am again. It’s been 20 years”.
She was candid about her initial struggles as a performer, admitting that she received harsh but helpful criticism from several legends. “My character at the beginning sucked. I was horrible,” Guerrero said. “From Teddy Long to Dusty Rhodes to Undertaker, they would tell me, ‘You’re horrible, you suck. Your camera work is bad.’ And through those people, they coached me, and they helped me night after night”.
Guerrero also told the full story behind her famous “Excuse Me!” catchphrase, explaining that it was born from a mistake on live television. After receiving multiple last-minute revisions to a long promo, she went to the ring confused. “I had all these revisions in my head, and I was cued to start, and I forgot my lines,” she recalled. “The fans caught on right away… I looked at this one particular guy, and he was flipping me off… and I just looked at him, ‘Excuse me!'”. The writers backstage decided they could use the phrase, and it became a staple of her character, which she has since trademarked.
Guerrero credited her on-screen partner, Edge, for much of her success as a heel character. “I contribute a lot of my success to Edge’s knowledge, and just for him believing in me and to trust me,” she said. “Edge taught me a lot. He’s the one who had me close my eyes and teach me how to navigate the ring and be very comfortable in the ring. And he showed me how to work the cameras”.
She also looked back on her WrestleMania match where she performed a Frog Splash in tribute to Eddie. “To know that I was gonna do a Frog Splash… that was a little intimidating, because my husband, my husband, Eddie, did the best,” she said. “So whether it was good or bad, I knew that it was gonna be my own way. And I took it for what it was”.
Guerrero shared details about her 2014 departure from WWE, which culminated in a mud match against her then-boss, Stephanie McMahon. Guerrero had given the company a year’s notice that she was leaving to spend more time with her daughters. The plan for the final match changed just before showtime to have Stephanie participate directly and allow Vickie to get the last laugh by throwing her in the mud and exiting to Eddie’s music.
Finally, she reflected on being part of the first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble match. “To know that they were granting the women their first Royal Rumble was historical,” she said. “I got the call in late November… and I had to keep it quiet for four months… to know that I was able to be a part of this, I was honored”.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit WWE Vault with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
