This week’s AEW Dynamite will see the third “Labour of Jericho” as Chris Jericho takes on one of his oldest rivals, Juventud Guerrera. The pair famously feuded in WCW in 1998, resulting in the luchador losing his mask at SuperBrawl VIII before beating Jericho for the WCW Cruiserweight Championship at Road Wild later that year. According to CageMatch the pair have wrestled 29 times throughout their careers in some form or fashion, with their last match taking place on an episode of WCW Thunder in February 1999.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Guerrera, who has continued to wrestle on the independent scene ever since his run with WWE ended in 2006, spoke with Sports Illustrated ahead of Wednesday night’s match.
“For me to come back at this moment, to this stage in AEW, the hottest company with the best talent in wrestling, it’s a blessing,” Guerrera said. “For me and Chris, this is a great opportunity to showcase what we did and what we can still do. Chris has such a great mind for the business. He always knows the right time and the right moment. This is going to be a very special night for wrestling fans.”
The opponent for @IAmJericho‘s Labour No. 3 next week is one of his greatest rivals – legendary luchador Juventud Guerrera (@JUVENTUDGUERRE2) – and Jericho has to win with a move from the top rope!#AEWDynamite #AEW pic.twitter.com/Pkbpyf8piG
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) July 29, 2021
Guerrera talked about what wound up being a difficult personal decision to lose his mask while in WCW, though he intends to wrestle while wearing one tonight.
“I want to wear the mask on Dynamite,” Guerrera said. “I am a luchador, and we are very proud of our masks. Also, since the match has been announced, a lot of people have asked me if I’ll come out to the same music I had in WCW. That would be nostalgic, but I’m going to showcase my new music, a heavy metal song I wrote and produced. This is a new moment and people are going to see a new Juice. This Wednesday on Dynamite is going to be Juicymania.”
“People are going to be shocked when they see this match,” he continued. “I feel great, and I’m ready to make the most of this opportunity. I’m very grateful to Chris Jericho, I’m grateful to AEW, and I’m grateful to all my fans. I can’t wait for the bell to ring. I am dedicating this match to my mentor and my special friend, Eddie Guerrero. This match is going to be for him.”
Should Jericho win, he’ll need to endure one more Labor in order to get one last one-on-one match with MJF. So far he’s beaten Shawn Spears and took down Nick Gage in a deathmatch.
