Backstage Details On AEW Star Sammy Guevara In ROH, Mercedes Mone Not Involved

Former AEW TNT Champion Sammy Guevara has made his return after a lengthy stint away from the ring, one that started when he was suspended from the company. Guevara didn't follow proper concussion protocol during a match with Jeff Hardy, after which he was suspended and hadn't been seen in many months, until he reappeared at the recent ROH TV tapings in Arlington, Texas.

One rumor that had circulated online as to why Guevara was gone for so long was the arrival of Mercedes Mone in March. Guevara had previously made offensive remarks about Mone that were highlighted during the Speaking Out movement in 2020, leading some to believe that AEW wanted to keep the two parties separate to maintain peace. However, that doesn't seem to be the case, as Bryan Alvarez noted on "Wrestling Observer Radio" that Guevara's return being in ROH has nothing to do with "The CEO."

"I know that everybody has immediately jumped to the following conclusion he was moved to Ring of Honor because Mercedes Mone is on the main AEW television show. I was told that him being on Ring of Honor has absolutely nothing to do with Mercedes. I mentioned that to some people and they were like, "There's no way, it has to be.'" AEW suspended Guevara in 2020 for the remarks, with the "Spanish God" having to undergo sensitivity training. Mone released her own statement at the time, mentioning that she spoke with Guevara and he had apologized to her personally.

Before being suspended after his match with Hardy, Guevara had recently turned babyface to align himself with Chris Jericho in his war against The Don Callis Family. However, Guevara has seen a lot of success in AEW as a heel, leading some to wonder what he would return as. The ROH appearance has since confirmed that he is once again a babyface, which according to Alvarez, is another reason why he was absent for so long.

"Sammy has been ready to go for a little while and they did have a storyline for Sammy Guevara that would have brought him back to the main roster ... But there was an aspect of the storyline that he was not cool with. I think it involved him turning heel and he didn't want to turn heel, whatever it was. They did have a storyline and they decided 'well, he doesn't want to do that aspect of the storyline' [and] so they ended up coming up with a storyline where he's a babyface in Ring of Honor." 

Alvarez also noted there had initially been plans to bring Guevara back to AEW TV while Mone was there that didn't end up materializing, but he is sure that Guevara will be back on AEW TV before the end of 2024. Guevara himself has publicly apologized for his remarks about Mone and spoke openly about them in 2021, stating that he had learned from his mistakes.

Please credit "Wrestling Observer Radio" when using quotes from this article, and give a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.