Drama In AEW Getting To Sammy Guevara—Is There To Much Backstage Turmoil In Pro Wrestling?

In reality and if you’re paying attention to all those testimonials on Dark Side Of The Ring, then essentially there always was. You put a large group of people together, you’re going to have one or two of them that don’t get along.

If it wasn’t the steroid drama WWE (WWF back then) from the early nineties, then it was the fights that often broke out backstage for other reasons…like the drama between many of the female competitors during the early portion of the Attitude Era. Essentially the crazy world of pro wrestling was always a place where drama erupted backstage.

Perhaps the only reason we’re hearing so much more about it these days is because of all the attention mainstream media has placed upon the subject. And of course comments on Twitter, which often doesn’t help the industry or those involved in the drama.

But in AEW especially in recent months, the drama has indeed increased, and for a lot of other people other than just Sammy Guevara, who recently stated that the drama is getting old essentially. He made the following statements during his latest vlog:

“There’s just so much drama that goes on in wrestling, it’s really exhausting. It’s tiring. Seems like every couple of weeks is something I’m minding my own business, on vacation, and then, you know, people want to start drama with me. It is what it is. It’s the life I signed up for, I suppose…

But it’s definitely tiring and maybe I’ll need to go on another vacation next week because… [sighs] stressful. Either way, for the people that actually support me, for the people who watch these vlogs, part of the Vlog Crew, I appreciate you…”

-via fightful.com

There are many reasons why the drama has been so plentiful backstage, and as we discussed in the last article, CM Punk and his All Out tirade are at the forefront of a lot of drama within the company. Truthfully, it’s perhaps rather the reasons behind that tirade that are at the forefront, but as I said yesterday, that’s old news.

Speaking of the drama involving Sammy, perhaps it was since the announcement that his engagement to his former girlfriend, Pam Nizio, and the quick succession of his engagement and his subsequent marriage to Tay Conti, now Tay Melo, that started the whirlwind of drama online at least. What followed were altercations backstage with Eddie Kingston for another matter altogether that ended in physicality and most recently issues with Andrade El Idolo too—all seemingly stemming from separate issues.

Idolo and Guevara went at it on Twitter pretty badly…

There are perhaps other issues that many have brought up with him but we won’t get to that just yet.

The comments he makes though, do or perhaps would light a type of fire in anyone else that perhaps wants to start drama with him (there are in fact many that believe Andrade started this with the intention of getting fired, as he is unhappy at the company, but this is merely conjecture), so in the end he probably knows what he’s doing, maybe even lighting that fire intentionally. What was it that Eric Bischoff once said: “Controversy creates cash?” That’s it!

But to go back to this specific point, to say that AEW needs to start concentrating on putting good shows on and having a little more control of the egos backstage that have been allowed to flourish is an obvious statement. Tony needs to get a handle on things and as soon as possible, because if there’s no limit to where an ego can go, then this drama will just keep happening again and again, and younger stars will think that this is the only way to handle a grievance. These are the types of problems you get with a young company and young stars. In the end it takes away from the overall product.

These days it is social media that makes these problems worse. It’s often certain individuals online and sometimes the wrestlers themselves that take to Twitter to lament–a platform they feel is the place to air grievances, which obviously isn’t the best idea…unless of course they’re doing so to build hype.

But alas, weren’t things better when pro wrestling was a mystery? A secret society of men and women that practiced their craft and their personal lives were their own to deal with? I sure think so, and the product was the better for it.

NEXT: Where Do We Go From Here? AEW’s Future…Can They Rely On Homegrown Talent & Still Succeed?