Chavo Guerrero Jr. on Embedding Authenticity in ‘The Iron Claw’

“If the wrestling sucked in this film, we’d lose the wrestling fans right away. It needed to be authentic and true to that time.”

A nod to pro wrestling’s past is part of the charm of The Iron Claw, and it was especially meaningful that some of the film’s most critical scenes were designed by Chavo Guerrero Jr., a member of the famed Guerrero wrestling family.

Guerrero was the stunt wrestling coordinator for The Iron Claw, as well as played a brief on-air role as The Sheik. For as much depth as the movie offered in terms of storytelling and heartbreak, the overwhelming majority of it would have fallen on deaf ears had the action in the ring failed to deliver. In a very short amount of time, Guerrero ensured the film had wrestling scenes that evoked memories of packed WCCW shows at the Sportatorium from decades past.

Courtesy WWE

A seasoned pro wrestling veteran who debuted in 1993, Guerrero enjoyed success in WWE and WCW. His newest profession is in Hollywood, taking after his uncle Mando, a wrestler who retired with a SAG-AFTRA pension. Eight years ago, Guerrero was cast in an episode of NBC drama Grimm as a luchador. He coordinated his own wrestling scenes, immediately making a strong first impression.

Guerrero is now making a career of embedding a sense of realism in pro wrestling action scenes. After developing a bond with director Sean Durkin, Guerrero’s next goal is to direct.

Speaking with Sports Illustrated, Guerrero discussed his opportunity to bring an added layer of authenticity to The Iron Claw, as well as the potential of directing his own film.

Justin Barrasso: The evolution of your career has taken some remarkable turns. Your work choreographing scenes–and teaching talent how to wrestle–brought life to GLOW on Netflix, Young Rock on NBC, and now The Iron Claw. Did you ever envision a second career in Hollywood? It’s incredible how well you are able to use your past as part of your present.

Chavo Guerrero Jr.: I’m one of those guys who learns from watching. I was backstage in WWE and WCW, learning from the best in pro wrestling–I learned from Vince McMahon, Kevin Dunn, Triple H, and Eric Bischoff. When I became supervising producer on Lucha Underground, which was a TV show about wrestling, I was speaking with cameramen and directors, and about wardrobe and set design. The question I kept getting asked was, ‘How do you know all this stuff?’ I’m a third-generation pro wrestler, so a lot of this has been in my life for a long time.

That’s when I started to realize there were other opportunities for me. Then I went to GLOW and Young Rock, and now with The Iron Claw, I keep learning so much. My next goal is to direct. That’s where I envision this going.

JB: You have lost so many beloved friends in pro wrestling. Rumors spread easily and quickly, but you are in a position now where your insight can help develop a person’s legacy on-screen. With the Von Erichs in The Iron Claw, you protected their legacy in every wrestling scene.

Guerrero: Coming from a Texas wrestling family, I had the chance to tell the story of another Texas wrestling family that were our rivals for years. Our family wrestled for Fritz Von Erich. Their family wrestled for my grandfather, Gory Guerrero. I take pride in all my projects, but there was that extra attention to detail in this film.

Sean Durkin, our director, and A24 put their trust in me to keep these actors safe and help them to look like the Von Erichs. That was really cool and really humbling, and a lot of pressure. We didn’t just do the scenes. They were edited and looked at over and over again, and I was part of those discussions, and it was really cool to be that involved in the film.

Courtesy A24

JB: The story and the dialogue in the film were exceptional. But if the wrestling scenes didn’t work, The Iron Claw would have been hollow. And the in-ring scenes were phenomenal.

Guerrero: If I’m working on a project, I’m not just representing myself. I’m representing the Guerrero family, and that’s 85 years of wrestling. I put the Guerrero stamp on every project I take. That’s why I need to voice my opinion on certain things. I’m so OCD when it comes to wrestling. I want it perfect, which is why we keep working on certain scenes.

And you’re right–if the wrestling sucked in this film, we’d lose the wrestling fans right away. It needed to be authentic and true to that time. Sean saw that, and he edited it that way.

JB: Zac Efron and Jeremy Allen White, who starred, respectively, as Kevin and Kevin Von Erich, even hinted at stepping in the ring and wrestling. I love that–and I hope it never happens–but it highlights how the wrestling in the film was so realistic that it is believable that they could wrestle.

Guerrero: They did a great job, they’re such great actors. And I knew we’d hear wrestling fans say, ‘Well, he’s not as big as Kerry Von Erich.’ What wrestler on TV today is as big as Kerry? Nobody. So would you rather have someone bigger? Or a premier actor? Jeremy did such a great job.

JB: Had the Von Erichs lived longer lives, who do you think would have been world champion among the brothers? Who was the total package?

Guerrero: Kerry was an adonis and he was so charismatic. Kevin was the most athletic, but the best pro wrestler was David. It reminded me of the Guerreros. Everyone is special, and each person has a certain area that stands out about them.

JB: You have devoted the majority of your life to pro wrestling. It must have been an honor to immortalize so many wrestling legends on the big screen.

Guerrero: This film was about my family, too. Bruiser Brody was like an uncle. Gino Hernandez was so amazing. Ric Flair is a family friend, and he was in my house growing up. Andre The Giant. I grew up with all of them, watching them drink beers in my kitchen.

JB: I know the film was full of tragedy, but in many ways, The Iron Claw is a love letter to pro wrestling.

Guerrero: Sean was a wrestling fan before he was making movies. He was enamored and taken back by the Von Erichs. This is a true passion project. The stars aligned in this movie.