A week ago, a 2016 podcast clip of Sammy Guevara making a hateful comment about Sasha Banks resurfaced. Guevara tweeted an apology and spoke with Banks about the situation. They both issued statements about their conversation, and AEW suspended Guevara, saying they plan to revisit his employment status after he undergoes sensitivity training.
The 26 year old then released a longer video apology before going silent. All around (and while this is sadly a pretty low bar), it’s been the best handled of any of the issues raised by the #SpeakingOut movement.
Not surprising then that AEW Executive Vice-President Cody Rhodes gave Guevara a vote of confidence on Twitter yesterday.
Rhodes was responding to a fan sharing a mother’s story of how a message from Guevara lifted her daughter’s spirits while she was struggling with depression.
Sammy will return. And he will be a better professional wrestler, and a better man when he does.
— Cody (@CodyRhodes) June 28, 2020
While the sentiment isn’t surprising, it’s noteworthy the blanket statement about his return came so swiftly. The initial suspension gave the impression Guevara’s status was contingent on, at least, a re-evaluation after he completed sensitivity training.
We’ll see how quickly Sammy returns to AEW television, but I wouldn’t expect it to be too long.