Given that Eddie Guerrero spent the bulk of his career wrestling for powerhouse promotions such as WCW, WWE, ECW, and New Japan Pro-Wrestling, one would figure that the greatest match of his career had to happen in one of those places. But what if the match many consider the greatest Guerrero had wasn’t in any of those promotions? Rather, what if it was for a Mexican promotion, where Guerrero’s first name was spelled with a “y” (his preferred way of spelling his name), and where he was only one fourth of a match that featured two all-time lucha libre legends and one of the biggest what-if’s in wrestling history?

To be fair, the When Worlds Collide match that saw Guerrero and Los Gringos Locos teammate Love Machine Art Barr battle El Hijo del Santo and Octagon in a mask vs. hair match has become the stuff of legend over the years. It was one of two marquee matches in the first ever lucha libre event broadcast over United States pay-per-view, alongside Konnan vs. Perro Aguayo, it was the culmination of the hottest period in AAA’s then short history, and it sadly proved to be the apex of Barr, who’s death just days after the event left a permanent mark on Guerrero — who subsequently adopted Barr’s finisher, the Frog Splash, as his own.

What it also was, however, was a match that had been broiling for generations. While Guerrero has since become one of wrestling’s most legendary figures, he began his life as the son of Gory Guerrero, an early lucha libre legend who just so happened to be the tag team partner of El Santo, considered by many to be the greatest luchador, and perhaps the greatest wrestler, to ever live. So when Guerrero and Hijo del Santo decided to follow their fathers into lucha, and wound up in AAA at the same time, it was only natural to team them up as La Pareja Atomica (The Atomic Pair), the same name Gory and Santo had used during their decades teaming together. But jealousy on Guerrero’s part, and Barr manipulating Guerrero into believing Hijo del Santo had betrayed him, caused the team to split, birthed Los Gringos Locos, and led to When Worlds Collide.

From a moves standpoint, Guerrero may have had better matches, most notably his bout with fellow When Worlds Collide alum Rey Mysterio at Halloween Havoc 1997. But the history, the story, the stakes, and a hot, pro-Mexico crowd in the LA Sports Arena, combined with the great action to create not only the high water mark for lucha libre, but for Guerrero’s career. Other matches may have more flash, others may have been more accessible. But as far as this writer is concerned, nothing can hold a candle to the magic Guerrero created that night, with an assist from Barr, Santo, and Octagon.

Written by Eric Mutter