Chris Jericho vs. Juventud Guerrera

[7.0] "If we ignore the amount of disrespect WCW had for Luchadores and the traditions of their masks, this was a pretty great match, not a match that's worthy of a luchadore being unmasked but still great. Juventud Guerrera isn't a wrestler I'm super fond of as he's noticeably messier than his fellow luchadores of this era like Rey Mysterio and Psicosis but as high risk babyface he works really well. This is mostly due to Chris Jericho being absolutely magical. His jawjacking to the camera, his refusal to initially remove the Cruiserweight Championship, the constantly yelping, it's just great heel work. Jericho also bumps his ass off for Juventud, slamming himself into the guardrail, falling to the outside and anyone willing to take Juventud's offence this much is clearly not a selfish worker. There is a Dusty finish mid match and the decision to have Juventud lose this match is still a bad one in hindsight but if it's just to be reminded of how great Jericho was in his prime then I can't sing the praises of this match enough"

[9.0] "For a long time, this was my favorite WCW match and it is still the one when I think about 1998, which was a stacked year in its history. Juvi losing the mask was a big help to his career and Jericho was just starting to come into his own as a temper tantrum-throwing heel. They would have another great one at Road Wild later in the year, but this was an excellent showing from both guys."

[7.0] "Jericho was getting a lot of his stuff over as a heel and this really helped Juventud's performance as a babyface. Chris was so annoying, that he was a perfect opposite to Guerrera, who was just hard not to root for. You couldn't predict the result, since the stakes were high and they kept it exciting until the final minutes with a couple of very nicely done false finishes. Good stuff, probably the best Juventud match in WCW."

[8.0] "This had some really good stuff in it but there was also some sloppiness in parts and the crowd didnt quite bite as much as you would have liked them to. Some tighter work and a more invested crowd and this one could have been flirting with a higher rating"

[7.0] "Nice match. A great Chris Jericho as a Heel who has many interactions with the public. He starts the match with his belt and Guerrera punches him in which forces Jericho to take it away, then he gets counted out on the outside pretending he's knocked out as he looks up to watch the ring. Both wrestlers are good during this match. Jericho will make Guerrera abandon with a Liontamer when he had just regained the advantage thanks to a false ending which occurred earlier where the referee will make a count of 3 but Jericho grabbed the rope, which makes Guerrera believe that he has won the match. (3*1/2)"

[8.0] "I gave it a ***3/4 and almost wanted to give it 4 stars so I'll round it up to an 8 here. Juvi's better without the mask."

[6.0] "I'm not too sure about Jericho's performance here. He is a fantastic comedy heel, but this stipulation called for a heel that could make the fan's blood boil. The stakes are high here and it looked like Jericho seemed more interested in making the crowd laugh at him than getting them to hate him. This has been a problem that has plagued Jericho's career as he always wants to do comedy when he's meant to be a hated heel. For example, Jericho playing possum on the outside in an attempt to take a count-out loss so that he can keep his title would be a great spot in a curtain-jerking match for a lower-level title, but it doesn't feel appropriate here. Juvi is a decent high flyer. He hits all his high spots with grace. He can't sell as well as engagingly as someone like Misterio, but not many people can. Juvi thinks he has won this after hitting his finish on Jericho, who had his hand on the ropes. I was expecting Jericho to roll Juvi up after this false finish, but they carried on for a few more minutes trading near-falls before Jericho scores the win. Juvi and Jericho didn't click as well as other WCW cruiserweight pairings. Some of their sequences are great, but some feel a little awkward. This was solid overall, but I was expecting more from this."

[7.0] "This mask stipulation is a bit of a con-job (Juvi started his career in WCW without one) but in any event, this was a good match and really elevated Jericho's heel persona to the next level with his antics."

[6.0] "If Juvy loses he has to take off the mask. Jericho is doing great as a heel at this point in time. Jericho insists on wrestling with the belt on, until Juvy kicks him in the midsection and the belt results in him gasping for air. Juvy controls early then Jericho catches him on a cross body and slams him. Jericho works in his cocky pin that gets two. Jericho controls for awhile and Juventud mounts the comeback. Juvy gets a tombstone and hits the 450 and Jericho grabs the bottom rope at the last moment to negate the 3 count. Everyone in the building thought Juvy won it. Jericho chop blocks him then attacks the leg. Jericho tries a power bomb but Juvy counters with a ddt for 2. Jericho hits an inverted suplex but the lionsault misses. Jericho tries the liontamer but Juvy reverses for a rollup for 2. Juventud tries a hurricinrana but Jericho just sits down into the liontamer and Juvy taps out. Juventud reluctantly unmasks to reveal.......Michael Jackson? Another good match on this and for a short time, Juventuds career was taking off, but his bad attitude backstage would hamper his career for years to come."

[9.0] "A great match here, and probably one of the best luchas de apuestas in the US. Both guys blend lucha style and American wrestling extremely well, leading to a great match - but it gets an extra point for the way the unmasking is done. It allowed Jericho to show his heel side perfectly, as well as putting Juvi over as despite Jericho insulting his appearance he turned out to be a really good looking guy."

"Great match. One of the better ones from Juvie imo. While it's a blur. I remember some nice spots in this match. Some psychology aspect of the Luchador background as well from both guys. Sad about the finish. Because of the type of match it was. Aiiir Juviiiie 7.5/10"

[9.0] "Incredible match. Jericho and Juvie put on a damn clinic in the ring here, and there's a little bit of everything in this match. There's crazy spots, fantastic pacing, good chemistry, and some funny moments from Jericho. He's really grown into the character. It's a damn shame about the unmasking though, just doesn't seem like a good decision IMO, unless that's what Juvie wanted. I mean, imagine losing your mask and over the next two years you get to hold a title for about 50 days before you're out of the promotion? Either way, a fantastic match sandwiched between two trash matches, so definitely extra important because of it."

[9.0] "Great match, Jericho has finally (and suddenly) perfected his heel act and has become one of the most entertaining guys on the roster after a pretty poor showing in '96 and '97. Juventud was all fire here and did a fantastic job, and Jericho was alternatively hilarious and vicious. Lots of great stuff going into this one, was a big fan."

[8.0] "This was certainly laid out to be a classic where the babyface gets over through losing by the thinnest of margins – with the face seemingly getting screwed over at every turn and reeling off every desperation move to get a pin and still coming up short. However, the crowd just wasn't into Juvy enough to pull it off. The execution is good to great as the match is a good bit better than the rest of the night so far and Jericho winning here was ultimately the right call as he was just too entertaining. ***3/4"