"He doesn't have to do this" - Former 3-time champion on Tony Khan's decision to fire CM Punk
Although AEW seems determined to move on, the fallout from Tony Khan's firing of CM Punk on September 2 still looms over the company. Several analysts and All Elite talents have spoken out about Khan's decision to release the top star, with three-time TNT Champion Sammy Guevara being the latest.
Sammy is one of the "Four Pillars of AEW" and has been with the company since its formation in 2019. The 30-year-old has worked with WWE legends and seen several top stars come and go. Throughout it all, Guevara remains thoughtful and complimentary.
Speaking with TV Insider, The Spanish God commented on Tony Khan's handling of the CM Punk situation, giving props to the AEW President as well as the company's other founders, including WWE Superstar and former All Elite EVP Cody Rhodes:
"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."
Guevara went on to say that he respected Tony's fortitude in making the announcement and taking the heat from the Chicago crowd:
"What I will say is that he has a lot of b*lls. 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."
"It had to be done, and I had to be the one to do it," said Tony Khan
Many fans were stunned when Tony Khan made the announcement, as the belief was prevalent that the AEW President was a huge fan of Punk and would do anything to keep him in the company. However, according to Sammy Guevara, Khan took the responsibility upon himself to do what was necessary.
In the same interview, The Spanish God described his reaction to Tony Khan's announcement that CM Punk had been released, revealing that the AEW chief told him it had to be done:
"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 b*lls 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."
Do you think Tony Khan was right to fire CM Punk? What would you have done differently? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.