Sammy Guevara-IMPACT Controversy Raises Questions About AEW’s Forbidden Door

AEW star Sammy Guevara has reportedly ruffled his share of feathers in Nashville as the first (read: inevitable) major political controversy between the AEW and IMPACT Wrestling partnership has reared its ugly head.

Guevara was set to be the latest AEW wrestler to make an appearance on IMPACT Wrestling, similar to Private Party, Matt Hardy and AEW world champion Kenny Omega, who wrestled in the main event of the AEW Hard to Kill pay-per-view.

Instead, Guevara was unceremoniously sent home following a creative dispute, leading to backstage heat and one step backward in the AEW-IMPACT Wrestling working relationship.

Per Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter

“Sammy Guevara was supposed to be at these tapings at one point. The deal was he would appear here while he quit the Inner Circle. Obviously he’s coming back as a babyface to feud with the Inner Circle. They were taping 2/9 to 2/11 and Guevara came. The basic details were that he didn’t like the creative.”

“Chris Jericho was the one who put the angle together with Don Callis. It made Jericho look bad to Impact because he and Callis came up with the idea and then Guevara didn’t want to do it. Scott D’Amore told Guevara that they didn’t need him when he arrived in Nashville if he doesn’t follow the plans that had already been agreed to. Impact was really mad about AEW sending talent over, them putting plans in place and then the talent wouldn’t do what was planned,” Meltzer continued before noting that tensions have since smoothed over.

Wrestling Inc reported the issue pertained to Sammy Guevara’s desire to work singles matches as plans called for him to exclusively work tag team matches.

IMPACT Wrestling and AEW did not respond to a request for comment. This article will be updated if and when they do.

During an in-character promo this past Wednesday on AEW Dynamite, Jericho noted he was done with Sammy Guevara—who quit The Inner Circle the week prior—and nobody was ever to speak Guevara’s name around Jericho. Based on Jericho’s involvement in the Guevara-IMPACT angle that went south, perhaps there were some elements of art-imitating-life during the promo.

AEW has recently talked up its “Forbidden Door” policy, a term the promotion has filed to trademark. AEW’s Forbidden Door decrees that the promotion is open to working with everybody from IMPACT Wrestling to WWE. it was recently announced that New Japan Pro Wrestling star Kazuchika Okada will debut in AEW imminently.

Both Cody and AEW President Tony Khan have openly discussed working with WWE, but as pro wrestling politics undermines the AEW-IMPACT partnership, one could only imagine the political minefield that would exist in the off chance that WWE takes AEW up on its offer.

Guevara has not appeared on AEW Dynamite since quitting The Inner Circle on the February 10 broadcast, which was supposed to be a prelude to a brief stint with IMPACT. As a result of the back and forth between Guevara and IMPACT officials, however, there’s no telling if he’ll work with IMPACT in the future or when he’ll be back with AEW.