Viva La Raza- Vickie Guerrero Takes a Bow

If somebody asks you to choose the best moment from the June 23rd edition of Raw it would present diverse results. For the smart fan or the ardent fan, the recent episode of Raw was probably one of the best build ups to a Pay Per View in a while. There was the tease to a long term feud between Ambrose and Rollins, there was the brilliant match between bad News Barrett and the resident showoff and popular face Dolph Ziggler, there was also the unlikely welcome of the loud and raging persona of Vickie Guerrero. My favorite moment was the final moment before Vickie Guerrero took a bow. It was when she started shaking her shoulders just like Eddie used to and then sent a kiss flying up above before waving her final goodbye to the fans. All this was preceded by all the women involved during the segment getting shoved into a pool full of something which might probably be pudding. While people may talk on and on about how the Billion Dollar Princess was humbled by Vickie, it was Vickie’s goodbye that left the lasting impression. Who would have thought that?

Given that Vickie has been a heel throughout her career, the audience gave her quite an ovation on her final night. It became the night that Eddie sort of came back to life as his them hit the arena for the first time in a long time.

Not many performers on WWE get that sort of a rousing sendoff. And that too a storyline sendoff. The best tributes I can remember are that of Ric Flair, HBK and Edge. They were proper farewell segments. Ric Flair got quite an extended farewell which is what the Nature Boy deserves.

But the women in the WWE don’t quite get a segment after they’ve announced their retirement. Trish Stratus had a final crescendo of her career with a match against Lita in her hometown of Toronto, Canada. And she went on to receive probably one of the best pops a diva has ever received in the WWE. She ended her journey by becoming a 7 time Women’s Champion. And Lita, an equal to Trish, received her final match but that buoyed by the rousing amounts of hate that her heel gimmick had generated. The audience welcomed her exit unlike Trish’s. And Vickie is the first diva since Lita who has been given a farewell that will linger on.

Beth Phoenix was simply fired on screen. Eve Torres simply quit on the WWE App after losing her title to Katelyn. Michelle McCool lost a match against Layla where she put her career on line, and that was the moment Kharma debuted and made McCool her first victim. Melina and Mickie James did not have the best backstage rapport with the management. Chyna left controversially. The list goes on and on and on.

As far as terms go, Vickie has not retired. She was not a wrestler, per se. She was an on screen character and the longest reigning Authority figure in a while. In the 9 years she spent in the WWE, the WWE made sure her voice get heard the world around and that in turn induced the boos from every arena you can name. Her shrill voice, her pompous appearance and her often termed ‘fat body’ became the fodder to her heel character and the butt of many jokes in the WWE, which were the exact opposite of what WWE’s ‘B A STAR’ campaign preached. I mean, she was made fun of by John Cena and Jerry Lawler, who are supposed to be the ‘good guys’ in the WWE, which in itself can be construed as bullying. She’s reveled in her gimmick which wanted her to be the most annoying character and dedicated 9 years of her life to live that character on screen.

It is only fitting that WWE gave her the last laugh.