AEW must hit Sammy Guevara with a harsh punishment for backstage issues

All Elite Wrestling has a situation on its hands with Sammy Guevara. Heading into the October 5 edition on AEW Dynamite, news broke about him and Andrade being involved in a backstage altercation that resulted in Andrade being sent home. There’s a lot to unpack in that matter, but it’s yet another behind-the-scenes issue involving an individual that was on his way to having an excellent 2022 campaign. In the eyes of many, it’s time to discipline or even release Guevara and that’s an angle that’s hard to argue against.

The situation between Andrade and Guevara was very public leading into Wednesday’s show, with both men exchanging barbs on Twitter. According to Fightful Select, a verbal altercation turned into a physical one with Guevara shoving Andrade and Andrade throwing a punch. There were also reports of Guevara throwing punches as well. Initially, it was believed that both men were removed from tapings, as Andrade was scheduled to face 10 of the Dark Order for AEW Rampage. Instead, only Andrade was removed with Guevara taking part in the Dynamite main event later that evening.

This comes on the heels of a situation between Eddie Kingston and Guevara a few weeks prior. In that situation, both men got physical as well over issues with what was planned to be an on-screen angle between the two, which would include a match at AEW All Out. Kingston spoke openly about the suspension that resulted from his actions.

These matters involving Guevara are not new. Back in 2020, he was suspended for lewd comments he made about Sasha Banks during an interview. In 2021 he was at the center of issues between AEW and IMPACT Wrestling when he allegedly complained about creative issues during a planned angle. The matter was so serious that some believed it harmed the working relationship between IMPACT and AEW at the time.

That’s four different instances of ill behavior in a two-year period. It’s comically ironic that the final image from the October 5 AEW Dynamite was Guevara being hoisted up on the shoulders of JAS after he and Chris Jericho picked up the win in the main event. While the decision may be to use the real-life “heat” centered around Guevara, AEW isn’t getting the positive reaction some would expect. With individuals like Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks still suspended for their part in the fight after All Out. Kingston’s prior suspension and now Andrade being sent home, there are questions about why the punishment hasn’t hit Guevara in the same way for similar actions.

At some point, this will have to be addressed before further damage is done to the AEW locker room. Yes, Guevara is a talented performer, but at what cost are his actions having on everyone else in the promotion? Tony Khan and AEW take plenty of shots at how WWE runs its business and rightfully so, but right now the promotion is having issues from within, and Guevara’s actions and lack of discipline are one that has the focus of viewers and critics.

In the past weeks, multiple situations have popped up in which AEW is being scrutinized for its response. How the promotion manages or fails to manage Guevara is the newest problem at hand. After so many backstage problems, perhaps the best issue is for the company to cut ties with the performer or hit him with a lengthy suspension that sends a message to everyone backstage and watching in the industry.