Shaul Guerrero says that the expectations of living up to the Guerrero legacy are a trigger for her mental health issues.
Shaul Guerrero has, on several different occasions, tried her hand in the professional wrestling industry that her family has been a major part of for generations. From her time in WWE as Raquel Diaz to trying her hand at ring announcing during AEW’s Deadly Draw Tournament, the daughter of Eddie and Vickie Guerrero has worn many hats in the industry.
Recently, she announced that she would be taking a break from wrestling to focus on her mental health and she explains more about that decision in a new interview with Chris Van Vliet.
“I don’t think anyone fully heals from mental illness. I think there is PTSD with anxiety and depression, that’s what I got diagnosed with. I had a really scary episode when I was in Texas. I was supposed to do a Mission Pro Wrestling show, and I knew I had to step aside because my mental health was completely breaking. I got diagnosed 2 weeks later with all those things, and I am on medication now. I’m also going to therapy every week, which is really f*cking hard. But you know what, I feel better and I am focusing on things that are not as much of a trigger as wrestling.”
She continued, “It is [a trigger]. I want to be honest and say that wrestling has been a huge blessing in my life. It’s always been the thing that has put food on our table, from me being a child to my husband being in WWE, that’s all I’ve known. But with me wrestling, there is so much pressure and so many expectations. I have put so much pressure on myself because I have huge shoes to fill. It was getting to an unhealthy point for me. I keep trying to be a wrestler and be the wrestler everyone wants me to be, but I think I am content with my skills on the microphone and commentary. I feel the most at home doing that so hopefully someone will have me.”
Additionally, Shaul says she doesn't understand how Eddie Guerrero could be Eddie Guerrero and be so wrapped up in the industry while also talking about the pressures of starting the journey in wrestling with WWE.
“I don’t know how he was Eddie Guerrero half of the time. My dad loved this business so much, he was constantly thinking about wrestling. No one can be him. It was getting overwhelming in good ways. I think when I announced my comeback, I was getting a lot of bites from promoters, which was very humbling. But they also wanted to put me in the very top positions, which I was like ‘I haven’t wrestled in 6 years.’ It was overwhelming. When I first went into wrestling, I went into the largest and most prestigious company in the world. I am very grateful for that, but that also comes with the biggest amount of pressure. It was so intense, not to mention the Guerrero way, go hard or go home. High expectations are just in the family. I was having panic attacks just going to training sessions.”
Credit to Chris Van Vliet for sending the above quotes, you can check out the full interview embedded in the video above.
