 Benson in 2013 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Vickie Lynn Lara (1968-04-16)April 16, 1968 (age 57)[3] El Paso, Texas, U.S.[4] |
| Alma mater | Herzing University(BS) |
Spouses | |
| Children | 2, includingShaul Guerrero |
| Family | Guerrero |
| Website | travelbyvickie |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name | Vickie Guerrero |
| Billed height | 5 ft 4 in (163 cm)[1] |
| Billed weight | 141 lb (64 kg)[2] |
| Billed from | El Paso, Texas[1] |
| Trained by | Eddie Guerrero Chavo Guerrero Jr. |
| Debut | July 14, 2005 |
| Twitch information | |
| Channel | |
| Years active | 2020–present |
| Genres |
|
| Followers | 2,800 |
| Last updated: May 1, 2023 | |
Vickie Lynn Benson (formerlyGuerrero,néeLara;[4] born April 16, 1968), better known asVickie Guerrero, is an Americanprofessional wrestlerprofessional wrestlingpersonality andmanager. She is signed toWWE, as an ambassador. She is also known for her tenure inAll Elite Wrestling (AEW).
In wrestling, she has appeared as an on-screen authority figure,storyline lover to severalWWE wrestlers,professional wrestler in theWWE Divas division, and as amanager for numerous wrestlers. She was best known in her role as general manager ofSmackDown from 2007 to 2011, and ofRaw from 2011 to 2013. Since leaving WWE in 2014, she has made sporadic appearances in the company.
She is known for hervillainous persona and ignitingnegative reactions from audiences with her catchphrase, "Excuse me!". She is the widow of professional wrestlerEddie Guerrero, which has been occasionally incorporated into WWE storylines.
In 2005, Vickie Guerrero made her debut as a face with her husbandEddie Guerrero andRey Mysterio, when a storyline escalated in which Eddie promised to reveal a secret concerning Mysterio's son,Dominik. Vickie was on the July 14 episode ofSmackDown! with two of Eddie's three daughters to stop Eddie from revealing Mysterio's secret. Eddie promised not to reveal the secret, if he lost to Mysterio atThe Great American Bash,[5] though that turned out to be another one of hischaracter's trademark lies, as Eddie revealed that Dominik was really his (kayfabe) biological son. Vickie later reappeared atSummerSlam to convince Eddie to put a stop to his war with Mysterio and not to go through with the "Custody of Dominik"ladder match that night.[6] When that failed, she cost him the match by pushing over the ladder he was on as he was about to win. After doing so, she held Eddie down on the ground so he couldn't get up and stop Mysterio from climbing the ladder.[6] On November 13, 2005, Eddie Guerrero died of heart failure in hisMinneapolis hotel room and was found by his nephewChavo.[7] On-screen, this led to Rey Mysterio, Eddie'sreal-life friend, getting more screen time and higher profile matches, including defeatingKurt Angle andRandy Orton atWrestleMania 22 for theWorld Heavyweight Championship.[8] The night before WrestleMania, Eddie was posthumously inducted into theWWE Hall of Fame, and Vickie accepted the honor on his behalf.
In 2006, approximately seven or eight months after Eddie's death, Vickie started appearing more prominently in more controversial storylines. She first asserted herself during a feud between Mysterio and Chavo Guerrero when Chavo accused Mysterio of being "nothing but a leech living off the blood of the Guerrero name" on the August 4SmackDown!. Subsequently, she acted as peacemaker between the two former friends until she seemingly inadvertently interfered in their match atSummerSlam in 2006, costing Mysterio the match.[9] Vickie later openly sided with Chavo and hit Mysterio in the back with a chair on the followingSmackDown!, turningheel in the process.[10] On the September 1SmackDown!, Vickie declared herself Chavo's business manager and Mysterio an "insignificant chapter" in her past.[11][12] AtNo Mercy, Chavo lost to Mysterio in aFalls Count Anywhere match.[13] On October 20, Rey Mysterio lost an"I Quit" match against Chavo after interference from Vickie.[14]
On October 27, 2006,Chris Benoit became involved in the storyline.[15] He tried to figure out what Vickie was doing with Eddie's estate while also defending theWWE United States Championship in a rivalry with Chavo. AtSurvivor Series, Chavo kicked out of an attemptedsharpshooter, causing Benoit to knock Vickie off the ring apron and on her head, causing her to begin to wear a neck brace and blame Benoit for "intentionally" hitting her.[16] At the end of December, she interfered in a United States Championship match between Chavo and Benoit, which caused Chavo to lose and Benoit to retain the title. As a result, Chavo shouted "If you wanted me to win the title, then stop getting me disqualified," before pushing Vickie over.[17]
In May 2007, Guerrero began to appear on television, first asTheodore Long's assistant[1][18] and later, the General Manager of SmackDown.[19] During her work as General Manager, she had a storyline where she had a romantic relationship withEdge, giving him chances for the World Heavyweight Championship.[11]
In early 2008, she formed La Familia with her nephew Chavo, Edge, the team ofCurt Hawkins and Zack Ryder, and later,Bam Neely. One of her first acts as part of the new group was to help Chavo win theECW Championship fromCM Punk.[20] After Edge lost the title to The Undertaker atWrestleMania XXIV, she gave Edge numerous title opportunities and placing The Undertaker in difficult matches. On the May 2 episode ofSmackDown, she stripped The Undertaker of his championship after deciding that his newgogoplata (dubbedHell's Gate) submission hold was too dangerous and made aTables, ladders, and chairs match atOne Night Stand between The Undertaker and Edge for the vacant title with the stipulation that Undertaker would be banished from WWE if he lost. Following interference, Edge won the match and the World Heavyweight Championship and Vickie 'banished' Undertaker.[21]
On the July 18 episode ofSmackDown, during a segment where Edge and Vickie hosted a wedding reception,Triple H came out and showed a video of Edge cheating on Vickie the day before withAlicia Fox, the wedding planner.[22] The storyline continued atThe Great American Bash, where Triple H retained the title after Edge performed the Spear on Guerrero.[23] Triple H used this distraction to recover and hit aPedigree to retain his title.[23] Guerrero announced a match between Edge and The Undertaker atSummerSlam in aHell in a Cell match.[24] The Undertaker refused to accept her apology for his banishment, but Vickie stated that she was not afraid of him. She also stated that atUnforgiven, she would force him to apologize to her, but at Unforgiven when The Undertaker did not comply, theBig Show knocked him out and Vickie spat in his face, turning heel once again.[25] Big Show then aligned himself with Vickie, and for the next two weeks they continued to gloat at how they beat The Undertaker. After Undertaker attacked Chavo, Vickie pleaded with Undertaker for forgiveness for her actions. Undertaker, however, once again hit her with aTombstone Piledriver, forcing Vickie to rely on both a neckbrace and a wheelchair again. Over the following weeks, Vickie put the Undertaker in matches against the Big Show that seemed impossible for him to win. The feud ended after Big Show lost to Undertaker in a casket match atSurvivor Series.
On February 23, 2009, she was appointed the interim general manager ofRaw duringStephanie McMahon's absence.[26] On the followingRaw, Guerrero announced that Edge would be facing Big Show for his World Heavyweight Championship atWrestleMania 25. On the March 9 episode ofRaw,John Cena showed footage of Vickie cheating on Edge with Big Show after Guerrero had added Cena to the World Heavyweight Title match through blackmail of revealing the secret affair, making it a triple threat in the process. At WrestleMania, Edge lost the World Heavyweight Championship to Cena after Cena pinned Big Show after Cena delivered the Attitude Adjustment to Edge onto the Big Show. On the April 6 episode ofRaw, Guerrero was given the choice of either being general manager ofRaw orSmackDown. She then announced that she would move toRaw in order to become its new general manager, subsequently resulting in her being separated fromEdge. However, Big Show and her nephewChavo were also moved toRaw during the2009 WWE Draft andSupplemental Draft, respectively.
After being insulted for a few weeks because of her weight bySantino Marella, Vickie, with help fromWilliam Regal, won the "Miss WrestleMania" crown from Santina Marella, Santino's "twin sister", in aNo Disqualification match sanctioned by Chavo on the May 18 episode ofRaw.[27] On June 7 at theExtreme Rules pay-per-view, Vickie lost the "Miss WrestleMania" crown to Santina in ahog pen match with Chavo by her side. The following night onRaw, Vickie announced her resignation as Raw's general manager. After her announcement, Edge came out and told Vickie that he was sorry for saying disrespectful things about her, only to reveal that he only married her so she could help him in World Championship matches, and now that she quit, she was useless to him in his endeavors to become the champion again. He then told Vickie that he wanted a divorce, leading to her suffering from a nervous breakdown. In reality, Vickie had requested to leave WWE so that she could spend more time with her family.
Guerrero returned to WWE on theSmackDown 10th Anniversary special episode on October 2, with a drastically changed new look, where she introduced her storyline boyfriend, then-heel,Eric Escobar, who she would bemanaging on the SmackDown brand.[28] On the November 20SmackDown, Guerrero was named as aSmackDown consultant by WWE ChairmanVince McMahon.[29] The following week after Escobar failed to capture the Intercontinental title from John Morrison, Vickie ended their relationship. Escobar claimed that he could not take it any longer, saying he only went out with her for power, mirroring what Edge admitted as to why he had married Vickie on the June 8 episode ofRaw. Guerrero then put him in a handicap match withThe Hart Dynasty the following week, and the week after put him in another handicap match againstChris Jericho andBig Show.[30] The storyline was soon dropped when Escobar was released by WWE.[31]
Guerrero began involving herself in the already heated rivalry betweenWWE Women's ChampionMickie James andMichelle McCool andLayla, taking the sides ofTeam LayCool after Mickie accidentally doused her with cottage cheese on the February 12 episode ofSmackDown.[32] On the February 26SmackDown, Guerrero acted asspecial guest referee for a title match between James and McCool, ultimately costing James the title after slapping her. Two weeks later she got involved in a match betweenWWE Women's Champion Michelle McCool andTiffany causing Tiffany to win the match by DQ. After the match, McCool and Layla began to beat down Tiffany untilBeth Phoenix made the save, in the process delivering a clothesline to Vickie. Two weeks later Guerrero appeared in a5-on-1 handicap match withAlicia Fox,Maryse and Team LayCool against Beth Phoenix. Guerrero mainly hid behind Alicia Fox, Maryse, and Team LayCool, letting her partners do the dirty work until Phoenix was weakened and Guerrero made the pin, winning the match. AtWrestleMania XXVI, Guerrero's team won a 10-womantag team match when she climbed the turnbuckle and gestured to the sky before connecting afrog splash, as tribute to her late husband, Eddie.[33][34] On the May 10 episode ofRaw, Guerrero was named the permanent general manager of the Raw brand for the second time, but then resigned on the same night after being intimidated byRandy Orton.[35] Although not the general manager, she returned to SmackDown as the Consultant on the May 14 episode and forced Phoenix to face Team LayCool in ahandicap match, which Layla won to achieve her firstWWE Women's Championship.[36]
In June she began a romance storyline withDolph Ziggler and began accompanying him to the ring.[37] On the August 31 episode ofNXT, it was announced that Vickie would be the storyline mentor ofAloisia for the all-femalethird season. However, due to certain circumstances, Aloisia was sent toFlorida Championship Wrestling, WWE's developmental system and was later released. Vickie was assigned a new rookie on the show,Kaitlyn, whom she began feuding with. On October 5, she was defeated by Kaitlyn in a rookie versus pro match.[38] Kaitlyn was caught backstage kissing Vickie's boyfriend, Ziggler, which added more fuel to the fire. Kaitlyn went on to win NXT and later joined SmackDown.
In January 2011, she became the acting general manager of SmackDown after Theodore Long was found unconscious backstage. At theRoyal Rumble pay-per-view,Kelly Kelly attacked Guerrero during Ziggler's match withEdge. On the February 4 episode ofSmackDown, Ziggler and LayCool lost to Edge and Kelly in a two-on-three handicapped mix tag match for theWorld Heavyweight Championship. Afterwards, Guerrero fired Kelly, and announced a championship match between Edge and Ziggler, with her serving as the special guest referee of the match. The following week, while officiating the match, she attempted to spear Edge but injured her ankle as part of the storyline. While she was down,Clay Matthews of theGreen Bay Packers replaced her as referee, and Edge went on to win the match. OnSmackDown's 600th episode the following week, she stripped Edge of the title and fired him in the storyline. Later that night, there was a coronation for Ziggler as World Heavyweight Champion. However, the returning Theodore Long revealed that he was once again in charge and that Vickie and Ziggler were the culprits behind his assault, thus making an impromptu match between Ziggler and a reinstated Edge for the World Heavyweight Championship, in which Edge won. After the match, Long fired Ziggler. On the February 25 episode ofSmackDown, Long announced that a match would take place with Edge and Kelly Kelly facing Vickie andDrew McIntyre. Vickie lost the match, and was then fired (kayfabe) from her consultant role by Long.
On the March 7 episode ofRaw, Guerrero and Ziggler made their return to the brand, with Vickie managing him in a singles match defeatingJohn Morrison. After the match, theanonymous Raw General Manager informed Vickie that Ziggler had indeed been hired, but they did not hire her yet. The general manager then continued by issuing a match between her andTrish Stratus for the following week, with the stipulation being if Vickie wins, she would be hired. The following week, Vickie defeated Trish in aNo Disqualification match with the help of Team LayCool. Afterwards, Guerrero challenged Stratus, Morrison, and that week'sRaw guest starSnooki, who had slapped Guerrero earlier in the night, to a six-personmixed tag team match against LayCool and Ziggler atWrestleMania XXVII, which they accepted. On the March 21 episode ofRaw, Guerrero, LayCool, and Ziggler lost to Stratus and Morrison in a 4-on-2handicap match. At WrestleMania XXVII, Vickie's team of LayCool and Ziggler were defeated by Snooki, Stratus, and Morrison. The night after WrestleMania, onRaw, Vickie and Ziggler were defeated by Stratus and Morrison.[39]
At theCapitol Punishment pay-per-view, Ziggler won theUnited States Championship fromKofi Kingston, with the help of Guerrero. The next night onRaw, Ziggler retained the championship from Kingston by disqualification. Later that night, Vickie lost a dance contest toMichael Cole, despite Cole receiving the mostboos. On the September 12Raw, Vickie lost to the Divas Champion, Kelly Kelly, due to Ziggler fighting with Jack Swagger. On the September 19Raw after weeks of pursuing for Vickie's services, Jack Swagger convinced Vickie to sign a managerial contract. AtTables, Ladders & Chairs, Ziggler lost the United States Championship toZack Ryder,[40] who lost the title to Swagger on the January 16, 2012, episode ofRaw.[41] On the March 5Raw, Swagger lost the United States Championship toSantino Marella.[42] On the June 18 episode ofRaw, Vickie ended her clientele service with Jack Swagger and renewed her romantic relationship with Ziggler.
On the October 22 episode ofRaw, Guerrero was included as theRaw Managing Supervisor. On the December 10 episode ofRaw, Guerrero defeated AJ Lee with help fromBrad Maddox, who was the special referee for the match.[43] At theTables, Ladders & Chairs pay-per-view, Guerrero tried to helpDolph Ziggler in hisladder match against Cena, until she was attacked by AJ, who betrayed Cena and helped Ziggler win. The following night onRaw, Guerrero teamed with Cena to defeat the new couple of Ziggler and AJ by disqualification due to interference fromBig E Langston.
On the February 18, 2013, episode ofRaw, Guerrero named Brad Maddox as her assistant. On the July 8 episode ofRaw, was removed and Maddox was pointed as the Raw General Manager. Guerrero appeared on the July 19 episode ofSmackDown as the new General Manager of SmackDown. On the November 18 episode ofRaw, wrestled against theDivas ChampionAJ Lee, which she lost. On March 24, 2014, episode ofRaw, after hearing insulting comments from AJ towards her, Guerrero forced AJ to defend her Divas Championship in a 14-woman "Vickie Guerrero Invitational" atWrestleMania XXX.[44] On June 23 episode ofRaw, Guerrero lost in apudding match against Stephanie McMahon with her job on the line, after interference byAlicia Fox,Layla andRosa Mendes. She was then fired as general manager of both shows, but got her retribution over McMahon by throwing her into the mud pool and mouthed, "I love you," a tribute to her late husband,Eddie Guerrero, and performed his signature taunt while leaving the stage. This was done to write her off television, as she had requested her release a few months before.[45]
On the July 4, 2016 episode ofRaw, Vickie returned during a segments where she wanted to become the new "SmackDown Chief Operating Officer" after theWWE Brand Extension.[46] On January 28, 2018, at theRoyal Rumble, Vickie made a surprise entrance at number 16 during the firstwomen's Royal Rumble match.[47] On September 13, 2024, Vickie was shown in attendance for SmackDown's return to theUSA Network.[48] Guerrero was shown in the crowd atSaturday Night's Main Event XL and the following night atEvolution.[49]
On December 11, 2019, she appeared as a guest commentator forAll Elite Wrestling taping ofAEW Dark Episode 11 that premiered December 17, 2019 onYouTube.[50] According to Vickie, this appearance caused WWE to "cut her off".[51] On July 15, 2020, atFight for the Fallen, Vickie was revealed asNyla Rose's manager.[52] On the special Friday June 4, 2021, edition ofDynamite. Vickie introducedAndrade El Idolo to AEW. For the next two years, Guerrero would primarily appear on AEW's second-tier programming,AEW Dark andDark: Elevation alongside Nyla Rose andMarina Shafir. In February 2023, it was revealed that Vickie and AEW management came to an agreement that Vickie's contract would not be renewed once it expired.[53] On April 6, 2023, Vickie's roster page was removed from the AEW website.[54]
Guerrero's approach to her work as manager is "to make them shine and do my little part and just be there at the right moment and the right time to do the right thing" while "my role is just an embellishment of the superstar that’s in the ring. I don’t want to overshadow them".[55] She uses the catchphrase "Excuse me", which draws almost universally negative reaction from the crowd.[56]
Vickie has appeared in two video games. She made her in-game debut inWWE '12 as a playableDLC character and inWWE 2K15 as an exclusivemanager for theMicrosoft Windows,Xbox One andPlayStation 4 versions.[57]
In 2019, Vickie began hosting her own podcast,Excuse Me: The Vickie Guerrero Show.[58]
Benson is aChristian ofFrench andMexican descent.[59][60] Vickie marriedEddie Guerrero on April 24, 1990, after three years of dating.[61] Guerrero's father encouraged them to marry following the announcement of Vickie's first pregnancy.[62] Together, Vickie and Eddie had two daughters:Shaul Marie Guerrero (born October 14, 1990), who is married to fellow professional wrestlerAiden English,[63] and Sherilyn Amber Guerrero (born July 8, 1995). They were married until his death on November 13, 2005.
On June 18, 2015, Vickie announced her engagement to partner Kris Benson,[64] and the two were married on September 12, 2015.[65][66] In March 2023, Vickie's younger daughter, Sherilyn, accused Benson of sexually assaulting her while on a cruise in 2020. Vickie's older daughter, Shaul, as well asChavo Guerrero backed Sherilyn's claim, while Vickie and Benson vehemently denied the accusations.[67]
After leaving WWE in 2014, she revealed her plans to start a new career in medical administration.[68] Vickie became officially certified as a medical office administrator and was hired by a pharmaceutical company as a medical administrator.[69][70] In 2019, she graduated fromHerzing University with aBachelor of Science in healthcare administration.[71]
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