The Steve Austin Show – Chavo Guerrero Jr. PART ONE (SAS CLASSIC)

Date: December 9, 2025
Host: Steve Austin
Guest: Chavo Guerrero Jr.
Location: 317 Gimmick Street, Hollywood, CA

Episode Overview

This episode of The Steve Austin Show features a candid, in-depth conversation with third-generation wrestler Chavo Guerrero Jr., exploring the art and evolution of pro wrestling, family legacy, industry stories, and transitions after in-ring careers. The discussion also touches on Chavo’s work with Lucha Underground and the Netflix series GLOW, alongside stories from the road, beer, business, and injury.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Beer, Bonding & First Impressions

Time: 04:37 – 07:48

• Steve and Chavo kick off over Broken Skull IPA, discussing their mutual love of cold beer and the beer business.
• Chavo shares he’s launching his own “Guerrero Golden Ale” and the importance of choosing a beer style for broad appeal rather than niche markets.

  “With IPAs and all that stuff, you start limiting your market... a lighter beer that everybody drinks, it’s more like a 75%.”
  – Chavo Guerrero Jr. [06:39]

• Beer memories and road stories, including anecdotes of Harley Race’s legendary tolerance and beer habits.

2. Guerrero Family Pressure & Wrestling Upbringing

Time: 12:33 – 16:36

• Steve probes Chavo about growing up a Guerrero: legacy, pressure, and following in the family business.
• Chavo reminisces about their wrestling-filled childhood, road trips, camaraderie, and learning the business with cousin Eddie, including backstage stories on how they developed their passion.

  “We loved, me and Eddie loved wrestling... We learned how to walk in a wrestling ring.”
  – Chavo Guerrero Jr. [13:28]

3. Learning on the Job & Generational Lessons

Time: 16:36 – 19:17

• Chavo reveals the challenges of being a third-generation wrestler—easy entry, but tough expectations and constant comparisons.
• Reports being “beat up” by legends to “learn on the job,” with teachers like Benoit, Eddie, Malenko, Finley, and more.
• On paying dues, learning by “sink or swim,” and being compared up the Guerrero lineage.

4. Natural Born Wrestling Minds

Time: 19:17 – 23:30

• Discussion on why second and third-generation wrestlers “get” the art of wrestling quicker but stress that family lineage doesn’t guarantee success, citing examples of both triumph and failure.
• Chavo shares insights gained while producing for Lucha Underground and the creative, safety, and technical details he learned from his family and years watching pro wrestling production up close.
• “Sometimes there’s things I know in the business and I don’t know how I know them. I just know them.” – Chavo Guerrero Jr. [20:21]

5. The Lucha Underground Game Changer

Time: 22:47 – 25:24

• Chavo credits Lucha Underground for redefining what wrestling can “look” and “feel” like through TV and film techniques, helicopter shots, and cinematic production.

• “WWE is the Coca Cola of wrestling... Anyone else makes a cola, you’re just an RC Cola.”
  – Chavo Guerrero Jr. [22:47]

• The pride in being “original” rather than “another knockoff.”

6. Teaching TV Work & Camera Awareness

Time: 25:24 – 28:14

• Chavo emphasizes teaching Lucha stars about working for the camera—a lesson often overlooked in Mexico.

  “That camera is your moneymaker... Stop and make sure that camera focuses on your face.”
  – Chavo Guerrero Jr. [23:30]

• Both discuss how wrestling is learned progressively, with a “five to ten year” curve before a wrestler truly “gets it.”

  “You should be outstanding by that point... and you’ll still have more to learn.”
  – Steve Austin [27:21]

7. Changing Industry Paths & Talent Development

Time: 28:14 – 31:00

• Chavo critiques how wrestlers now start their careers in WWE, contrasting it to the days when the big stage was a reward for a decade of dues.

  “We’re missing a step…Thank God indie wrestling is thriving.”
  – Chavo Guerrero Jr. [28:14]

• Tells stories about major talent (Ricochet/Prince Puma, Willie Mack, Brian Cage) who were overlooked by WWE, and why some of the best workers come from the indies.

8. Ring Structures & Technical Evolution

Time: 36:46 – 42:05

• Inside baseball about wrestling rings: sizes, sweet spots, and how changing a few feet alters the entire match dynamic.
• Chavo tells of accidentally working a 16-foot ring with WWE stars and not adjusting at first to the size.

9. The Integrity of the Match (Making It Real)

Time: 42:05 – 45:16

• The deep philosophy: “If you don’t believe it, they don’t believe it.” The need to protect the illusion is tantamount.

  “Don’t ever let them see the string…”
  – Chavo Guerrero Jr. [43:17]

• Chavo uses magic as an analogy—if the audience sees the “string,” the magic is lost.
• Steve and Chavo reminisce about how they protected the realism in tag matches and avoided bad “alligator arms.”

10. Injuries, Pain & Training Regimens

Time: 45:16 – 52:53

• Chavo discusses bad injuries: busted orbitals, torn biceps, and a near-fatal brain bleed incurred from a Billy Kidman Shooting Star Press.

  “My wife’s next to me... you had brain bleeding... they were going to cut your head open if it didn’t stop.”
  – Chavo Guerrero Jr. [45:31]

• Both reflect on fortunate recoveries, the pain levels in retirement, and how “not being a giant” spared them total destruction.
• Steve and Chavo talk modern training: less heavy lifting, more smart, purposeful work, frequent but brief gym sessions.

11. Transitioning from the Ring: No Exit Strategy

Time: 54:35 – 61:45

• Both open up about not having a retirement plan or exit strategy—wrestling was “life,” and both only started finding other paths after their in-ring careers wound down.
• Chavo’s career after WWE: India, TNA, indies, and eventually finding a new path producing with Lucha Underground and working on GLOW.
• Steve reflects on the aimless period post-retirement—drinking and fishing until he found podcasting and TV—mirroring the struggles most wrestlers face when their original dream ends.

  “Everything I did my entire life was to be a pro wrestler.”
  – Chavo Guerrero Jr. [56:04]

• Both discuss how tough it is for wrestlers to let go (“the bug, man – you never really retire…” – Chavo, [56:04]) and the dangers of holding on too long.

12. GLOW & The Next Chapter (Tease for Part Two)

Time: 53:06 & throughout

• Chavo alludes to his role in GLOW (Netflix), consulting, and training the cast—full discussion promised in Part Two.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Family Pressure:

  “Once I became a wrestler… people say oh you’re Guerrero, come on in... then they’re comparing me to Eddie, who they’re comparing to my father, who they’re comparing to my grandfather. And it’s tough.”
  – Chavo Guerrero Jr. [15:48]

• On Respecting Wrestling’s Art:

  “Wrestling is an art form. I tell people that all the time. They think we just go in there and wrestle. It’s an art form to learn this business.”
  – Chavo Guerrero Jr. [25:43]

• On Kayfabe & “Seeing the String”:

  “Don’t ever let them see the string. … The biggest form of flattery is they want to lose themselves in your match.”
  – Chavo Guerrero Jr. [43:17]

• On Transition and Letting Go:

  “Everything I did my entire life was to be a pro wrestler... no exit strategy.”
  – Chavo Guerrero Jr. [56:04]

• On WWE’s Place:

  “WWE is the Coca Cola of wrestling. Everyone else is just an RC Cola.”
  – Chavo Guerrero Jr. [22:47]

• On Helping the New Generation:

  “Nowadays it’s a dying art. So we want to give as much as we can to these guys because it’s going to be lost if we don’t.”
  – Chavo Guerrero Jr. [33:18]

• About Buddying Up on the Road:

  “When Vader was riding with Harley Race, the rule was Harley always drove… by the time Harley had finished the beer... he had to have another beer popped open tab… or there’s going to be hell to pay.”
  – Steve Austin [09:17]

Important Timestamps by Segment

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |------------|------------------------------------------------------| | 04:37 | Start of Chavo conversation & Broken Skull IPA | | 12:33 | Guerrero family pressure and growing up wrestling | | 16:36 | Teachers and lessons learned in the ring | | 19:17 | Being a multi-generation wrestler and business sense | | 22:47 | Lucha Underground and television innovation | | 25:24 | Teaching wrestlers TV skills, importance of cameras | | 28:14 | Talent development, WWE entry, and the missing step | | 36:46 | Technicalities of ring sizes and in-ring work | | 42:05 | Protecting match integrity & kayfabe/magic analogy | | 45:16 | Injuries and pain: road stories & recovery | | 54:35 | Retirement, lack of exit strategy, next chapters | | 61:45 | Chavo’s transition from WWE to Lucha Underground |

Tone & Style

The conversation is classic Steve Austin: relaxed, candid, old-school, and laced with inside lingo, road stories, and mutual respect. Chavo is articulate and direct, providing a treasure trove of wrestling knowledge. Both men exude authenticity, pride in their craft, and concern for the wrestling community’s future.

Summary Takeaways

• Chavo Guerrero Jr. exemplifies the highs and hardships of carrying a wrestling dynasty name.
• Both value the legacy, art, and evolving techniques of pro wrestling, and lament the fading of hands-on mentorship.
• Their journeys demonstrate the importance of adaptability—whether in-ring, in beer ventures, or after the bell.
• The episode’s insights on psychology, selling, match “integrity,” and working the camera are essential listening for fans and aspiring wrestlers alike.

Stay tuned for Part Two, promising a deep dive into Chavo’s work with GLOW, and more tales from wrestling’s inside lanes.