Sammy Guevara’s Reaction to Tony Khan’s Statement on CM Punk’s AEW Exit in Chicago

In a recent interview with TVInsider.com, Sammy Guevara praised AEW President Tony Khan for his handling of CM Punk’s departure from the company and his willingness to address the situation in front of the Chicago fans. Guevara expressed his admiration for Khan and the impact he, along with The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega, and Cody Rhodes, has had on the wrestling industry by creating AEW.

Sammy Guevara acknowledged that he might not be privy to all the behind-the-scenes decisions made by Tony Khan, but he commended Khan for his caring nature and his willingness to take bold actions. Specifically, Guevara highlighted the moment when Khan personally addressed the Chicago crowd after deciding to release CM Punk from AEW.

Guevara noted that Khan could have chosen to simply play a video message to announce Punk’s departure, but instead, he opted to face the live audience in Chicago. Despite the negative reaction from the crowd, Khan understood their disappointment and chose to address them directly. Guevara expressed his respect for Khan’s decision, emphasizing that Khan didn’t have to take that step but did so because he felt it was necessary.

“Tony, I feel, doesn’t get enough credit he deserves. He, The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega, Cody Rhodes. They all changed everyone’s life and wrestling. Without them, especially Tony, there would be no AEW. There would be a bunch of people doing something completely different. I don’t know anything regarding the behind-the-scenes decisions he makes, but he is such a caring guy. What I will say is that he has a lot of balls. I have a lot of respect for him. He went out in front of the Chicago crowd to address them personally after he made the decision to let Punk go. He didn’t have to go in front of everyone. He could have just played the video. But he went out in front of thousands of people. He is getting booed. He understood how they felt. He is an upfront guy.”

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“I watched him make the announcement thinking, ‘Wow, he doesn’t have to do this.” I get it from a wrestling fan’s perspective. You went to the show expecting to see someone, and now this guy is telling you he isn’t going to be there. It’s almost like killing the messenger. But when you think about it, this man did not need to go out there. He could have easily also had someone else do it. Mad respect. I told him that too. I told him he had a lot of balls for him to do that. He said, ‘It had to be done, and I had to be the one to do it.’ He wasn’t going to get the heat on any of the boys or anyone that night. He wanted to take the heat, which I thought was commendable.”

In Guevara’s eyes, Tony Khan’s willingness to take responsibility and absorb the heat for the decision showed his upfront and caring nature, and he commended Khan for his actions. He acknowledged that from a fan’s perspective, it might have been a tough moment, but he respected Khan’s decision to face it head-on and protect the AEW talent from any backlash.

How would you rate Tony Khan’s handling of CM Punk’s departure from AEW? Leave us a comment below.