Few wrestlers can claim the unique honor that Sammy Guevara holds in AEW history. As both Cody Rhodes’ first opponent on Dynamite and his final match before leaving for WWE, Guevara bookended a crucial chapter in wrestling history—and he’s finally opening up about what those moments meant.
In a revealing interview on “Casual Conversations” with The Wrestling Classic, the three-time TNT Champion discussed his strategic approach to building his career and the calculated risks that paid off in unexpected ways.
“To be his first dynamite match and last dynamite match it’s really crazy… I feel like I didn’t understand at the time what that moment meant for myself or for my career. But it’s only now when I look back and I can see like you know the moments that were made out of it that it’s like ‘Oh wow That was a really special night,”
Guevara’s positioning in these historic moments wasn’t accidental. His revelation about investing $2,500 of his limited income in a panda head costume for the first Double or Nothing demonstrates the entrepreneurial mindset that separated him from other young wrestlers.
“Dude I paid like $2500 for that thing and I was not making a lot of money… I just saw it as an investment because I was like ‘Okay no matter what happens like they’re going to remember that panda guy was pretty good. They may not remember the name but they’ll remember that panda guy was pretty good.’ And I think it worked out,”
The interview also touched on his role as one of the “Four Pillars” of AEW alongside Darby Allin, MJF, and Jungle Boy—a designation that wasn’t self-proclaimed but earned through consistent performance during the company’s most challenging period.
“We were the four younger guys that was that were really trying to break through… we’re also the stars too you know that helped build this place up,”
Looking back, Guevara’s strategic investments in his character and willingness to take risks paid off in ways he couldn’t have imagined. His position in AEW history is now cemented, and his journey from unknown independent wrestler to company pillar serves as inspiration for the next generation of performers.
The full interview explores more of Guevara’s career highlights and his evolution as both a performer and person.