More Details on Why Sammy Guevara’s Impact Appearance Fell Apart

It was reported last week that Sammy Guevara was supposed to wrestle in a few matches on Impact, but he didn’t like the creative, so Impact pulled his appearance. Some more details from the situation have now been revealed.

Guevara was scheduled to work the February 9 – February 11 Impact TV tapings to play off of him quitting the Inner Circle and saying that he was taking some time away.

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, one source said that they thought that Impact’s ideas weren’t very good and Guevara was justified in wanting them changed. The Observer also said that Guevara was scheduled to win three matches at the tapings. Guevara reportedly suggested that he win the X Division Championship and take it to AEW, but Impact didn’t like that idea.

After pitching a few ideas, when Guevara arrived in Nashville for the tapings, Impact exec Scott D’Amore reportedly told him that if he wouldn’t do the creative that they had planned for him, they didn’t need him, and he ended up not being used.

The Observer says that the idea for Guevara to come to Impact was put together by Chris Jericho and Don Callis and it falling apart “made [Jericho] look bad.” Impact was reportedly “really mad” at first about AEW sending over a wrestler, having plans in place, and the wrestler refusing to do the creative, but things have now been smoothed over.

Bryan Alvarez gave more details from what he said was Guevara’s side of the story on Wrestling Observer Live. Alvarez said that according to sources close to Guevara, the idea was never that he would win three matches at the tapings. Instead, “the idea was that he would lose some matches, he would be beaten down, he would ultimately win a match and then he would be beaten down afterwards.” The sources also said that Impact wanted Guevara to be in tag matches, “but he didn’t think he should be in tag matches because the whole storyline on Dynamite is that he’s splitting from the Inner Circle and he’s going it alone.” The sources said that Guevara did suggest winning the X-Division title, but Impact “wasn’t going for any of his ideas” and it was “their way or the highway.” Guevara reportedly wasn’t feeling comfortable, so he called someone at AEW and expressed that he wasn’t interested, so the whole thing fell apart.

PWInsider originally reported that the plans for Guevara were changed to put Black Taurus in his spot, so presumably, the angles that Taurus is involved in in the coming weeks may have been what Impact had planned for Guevara. Taurus will be part of a six man tag match on Tuesday, teaming with Chris Bey and Ace Austin against Willie Mack, Trey Miguel and Josh Alexander.