Update On Sammy Guevara’s AEW Suspension

Sammy Guevara’s AEW suspension is over.

‘The Spanish God’ was suspended after a match with Jeff Hardy in February, with Guevara’s knee hitting ‘The Charismatic Engima’s face during a shooting-star press and breaking his nose in the process. Rather than following concussion protocol and pinning Hardy as told, Guevara went on to hit his opponent with the Go to Hell finisher, pinning him shorty after.

Now, though, as noted in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, it looks like the former TNT Champion is no longer suspended. It was also reported by Dave Meltzer that “there has been stuff pitched but nothing confirmed,” in terms of the star being cycled back into storylines.

This latest AEW suspension was Guevara’s second with the company. The star’s first came in 2020 after inappropriate comments he made about now fellow All Elite performer Mercedes Mone on a podcast in 2016 came to light.

It remains to be seen where or when Guevara could pop back up again on AEW programming, with his last match being a Collision No DQ fight with Powerhouse Hobbs in late February.

Sammy Guevara Suspended By AEW

AEW’s Sammy Guevara is currently serving a suspension.

As per Fightful Select, Guevara has been suspended in relation to his match against Jeff Hardy which aired on the 16 February episode of AEW Rampage.

Of course, that’s the match that saw Sammy’s left knee land on Hardy’s face after a Shooting Star Press. With the Charismatic Enigma left bloodied and dazed, the Wrestling Observer’s Bryan Alvarez initially reported that Jeff had suffered a broken nose but not a concussion.

Despite this, Fightful notes that concussion protocol was not followed in this match, with Guevara going on to win the match after hitting his GTH. The outlet details that this should not have been allowed to happen. For those wondering, there’s no word yet on any formal disciplinary action against referee Paul Turner.

At this stage, there are no specifics on how long this suspension is for, although the Spanish God has competed for AEW since that Jeff Hardy bout, losing to Powerhouse Hobbs in a DQ match on the 24 February AEW Collision. Some have speculated that Guevara’s lack of selling in this bout may have contributed to his suspension, but Fightful hasn’t been able to confirm that.

This is the second AEW suspension for Sammy Guevara, with him having previously been put on hiatus after some horrendous pre-AEW comments surfaced about Sasha Banks/Mercede Moné. While never confirmed as an official suspension, he also took some time off after a backstage fight with Andrade El Idolo.

As for Jeff Hardy, there’s currently no timeframe as to when the six-time World Champion is expected back in action.

Garoppolo banned 2 games for PED violation

The NFL is suspending Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo for two games for violating its policy on performance-enhancing substances, the league announced Friday, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Garoppolo isn’t planning to appeal his suspension and will miss the first two games of the 2024 season, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The Raiders are expected to release the veteran quarterback in March instead of paying him an $11.25-million roster bonus, which is due on the fifth day of the new league year, Schefter adds.

Garoppolo violated the policy by reportedly using a prescribed medication without using a valid therapeutic use exemption from the league.

Garoppolo’s suspension would void his salary guarantee for the 2024 season, allowing the Raiders to move on from him with minimal financial penalties, according to Over the Cap.

The 32-year-old passer signed a three-year, $72.75-million deal with Las Vegas last March. The dead money from releasing Garoppolo prior to next season would drop from $28.4 million to $17.1 million.

A key signing for former general manager Dave Ziegler and head coach Josh McDaniels, Garoppolo began 2023 as the Raiders’ starting QB. Yet the former two-time Super Bowl winner was benched after the team’s Week 8 loss to the Detroit Lions in favor of rookie Aidan O’Connell. Las Vegas posted a 4-3 mark with Garoppolo starting under center.

He concluded his 2023 campaign passing with 1,205 yards, seven touchdowns, nine interceptions, and a 65% completion rate.

With Tom Telesco taking over as GM and Antonio Pierce promoted to coach, the Raiders could be looking to add a quarterback through free agency or with the No. 13 overall pick in the upcoming draft. O’Connell and Brian Hoyer would be the only passers on Las Vegas’ roster following Garoppolo’s pending departure.

Garoppolo will be seeking his third team in as many offseasons after spending six seasons with the San Francisco 49ers (2017-2022) prior to joining the Raiders. The Eastern Illinois product began his career with the New England Patriots (2014-16).

Latest On Jack Perry’s AEW Future

Jack Perry has been off AEW television since brawling with CM Punk at All In this August, though several signs have emerged pointing towards the 26-year-old’s potential return.

On Wrestling Observer Radio, Bryan Alvarez reports that Perry’s indefinite suspension (handed out for his role in the Punk fight) has expired. Currently, AEW is figuring out how they want to bring the former ‘Jungle Boy’ back.

Interestingly, Perry recently filed a trademark application for his old ring name, which he abandoned while feuding with Christian Cage earlier in the year. Filed with the USPTO on 5 December, the application states the following purposes:

GS0411 Entertainment in the nature of wrestling contests; Entertainment services, namely, wrestling exhibits and performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer; Entertainment services, namely, live appearances by a professional wrestler and sports entertainer; Entertainment services, namely, personal appearances by a professional wrestler and sports entertainer; Entertainment services, namely, televised appearances by a professional wrestler and sports entertainer; Providing wrestling news and information via a global computer network; Providing online interviews featuring a professional wrestling and sports entertainment personality in the field of professional wrestling and sports entertainment for entertainment purposes

Perry’s Boy Myth Legend, Inc. has filed a similar application for ‘Jack Perry’.

Jack is a day-one AEW wrestler, having signed with the young promotion upon its January 2019 launch. He was reportedly escorted from the arena at All In, after the Punk fracas had been incited by Perry saying “It’s real glass, cry me a river” down the camera lens, referencing a previous backstage disagreement between the two stars.

Konnan Explains How AEW Should Handle Jungle Boy Jack Perry When He Returns

Konnan doesn’t feel that “Jungle Boy” Jack Perry would be a problem when he returns to AEW television after serving his suspension. 

Perry, who was suspended indefinitely by the promotion following the backstage fracas with CM Punk, hasn’t featured since his match at All In. In a recent edition of “K100,” Konnan was asked by a fan about the Jack Perry situation and how he would handle him when he returns. The veteran star believes that Perry is a nice guy and wouldn’t cause any issues, while he also added what he would like Perry to do when he returns to AEW.  

“I don’t think he would be a problem — ’caused the guy [fan] asked if he would be a problem coming back — I don’t think he’d be a problem ’cause I met him, he’s a nice laidback guy,” said Konnan. “But, you know, you’re not gonna get punked out of the dressing room, and he pushed back when he was pressed. Punk punked him out and he was like, ‘Fuck you,’ and did that on TV. I would keep him as a heel, he showed some personality and I would definitely put that hot butter on a breakfast toast Anna Jay with him as the new power couple and I would just say, ‘I’ve got the baddest bitch and she acts like she knows that she’s the baddest bitch.’ That’s heat.”

The CM Punk-Perry backstage altercation led to Punk getting fired from AEW, while Perry was suspended by AEW President Tony Khan. Perry’s last match came at All In, where he lost the FTW Championship to Hook, who currently holds the title. There’s been no news about Perry’s current status or when he will return from the promotion.

Flames’ Andersson suspended 4 games for charging Jackets’ Laine

The NHL’s Department of Player Safety suspended Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson for four games on Saturday for charging Columbus Blue Jackets forward Patrik Laine.

Andersson received a five-minute major and a game misconduct for the hit, which occurred in the waning seconds of Columbus’ 3-1 victory.

The last player to serve a four-game suspension was Evgeni Malkin in April 2022 after he cross-checked Mark Borowiecki.

Laine didn’t travel with the Blue Jackets for Saturday’s contest against the Minnesota Wild and is considered day-to-day with an upper-body injury. The winger-turned-center has tallied a goal and an assist in four games thus far.

Andersson had never been suspended in his eight-year NHL career, although he was fined in 2021-22 for headbutting Kailer Yamamoto. He’s recorded three points in five games this season while averaging a team-high 23:39.

Backstage Update On Jack Perry’s AEW Future

AEW is reportedly in no rush to bring Jack Perry back to television following his indefinite suspension, reports PWInsider Elite.

Mike Johnson writes that sources have indicated a belief that Perry is no longer suspended. Nonetheless, AEW isn’t hurrying his comeback, theorising that the longer the former ‘Jungle Boy’ is away from the company, the more distance he can put between himself and his melee with CM Punk.

Punk and Perry are understood to have fought backstage at August’s All In pay-per-view, stemming from a previous incident where Punk had chastised the former FTW World Champion for wanting to use real glass as part of an angle. The controversy resulted in both men being served indefinite suspensions by AEW.

The following week, AEW fired Punk with cause. Company founder and CEO Tony Khan said that he “feared for his life” while the All In incident was unfolding.

Perry’s last onscreen appearance saw him drop the FTW Title to Hook at All In. Following the Punk incident, he was reportedly escorted out of Wembley Stadium by security.

Jack, 26, has been with AEW since its first year of operation, 2019.

Manfred: No intention of reinstating Pete Rose despite rise of sports betting

Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred has no intention of altering Pete Rose’s lifetime ban from baseball, and said the sport’s commercial deals with gambling companies have no impact on the status of the career hits leader.

Rose agreed to a lifetime ban in 1989 after an investigation for Major League Baseball by lawyer John Dowd found Rose placed numerous bets on the Cincinnati Reds to win from 1985-87 while playing for and managing the team.

The Hall of Fame’s board decided in 1991 that players on the permanently ineligible list also may not appear on the Hall ballot. Rose asked the Hall in 2016 to change the rule.

Rose applied for reinstatement in 1997 and met with Commissioner Bud Selig in 2002, but Selig never ruled on Rose’s application. Manfred succeeded Selig in 2015 and rejected Rose’s application.

“We’ve always approached the issue of gambling from the proposition that players and other people who are in a position to influence the outcome of the game are going to be subject to a different set of rules than everyone else in the world,” Manfred told the Baseball Writers’ Association of America on Tuesday.

“Pete Rose violated what is sort of rule one in baseball, and the consequences of that are clear in the rule, and we’ve continued to abide by our own rules,” Manfred added. “It’s just the rules are different for players. It’s part of the responsibility that comes with the privilege of being a major league player.”

Manfred minimized MLB’s revenue from gaming companies.

“I think people believe we make more money off gambling than we actually do,” he said.

Yankees’ Cordero suspended rest of year for domestic violence

New York Yankees pitcher Jimmy Cordero was suspended for the remainder of the 2023 season Wednesday for violating Major League Baseball’s joint domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse policy.

Cordero accepted the suspension and has been placed on the restricted list.

“The Yankees are fully supportive of Major League Baseball’s investigative process and the disciplinary action applied to Jimmy Cordero,” the team said, according to YES Network’s Jack Curry. “There is no justification for domestic violence, and we stand with the objectives, standards and enforcement of MLB’s joint domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse policy.”

Effective immediately, the suspension will cover at least 76 games plus any postseason games this year. It’s one of the longer bans the league has issued under the policy, similar to teammate Domingo German’s 81-game punishment.

“I was pretty upset,” Yankees captain Aaron Judge said, according to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. “I know a lot of the guys on the team are upset. This is in the league’s hands, and the league handed down the suspension. Hopefully, he learns from this and becomes a better person.”

Cordero, 31, made 31 appearances for the Yankees this season, posting a 3.86 ERA over 32 2/3 innings.

Players’ union calls Ja suspension ‘excessive,’ vows to explore all options

National Basketball Players Association executive director Tamika Tremaglio criticized Ja Morant’s suspension Friday, calling it “excessive and inappropriate.”

“As to the discipline imposed, which keeps (Morant) off the court until December and requires some unstated conditions to be met before he can return, we believe it is excessive and inappropriate for a number of reasons, including the facts involved in this particular incident, and that it is not fair and consistent with past discipline in our league,” Tremaglio’s statement reads.

“We will explore with Ja all options and next steps.”

The NBA announced earlier Friday that Morant will be suspended 25 games for conduct detrimental to the league after he displayed a gun on social media in May. Morant will also be ineligible to participate in any public league or team activities, and he’ll be required to meet certain conditions to return.

The NBPA could appeal Morant’s suspension. If it’s upheld, it’d be one of the harsher disciplines given out in recent years.

The most comparable situation may be when Gilbert Arenas and then-Washington Wizards teammate Javaris Crittenton brandished guns in the locker room during the 2009-2010 campaign.

Arenas and Crittenton were each suspended for the rest of the season, which totaled 50 contests for Arenas and 38 for Crittenton, according to Mark Puleo of The Athletic. However, Arenas violated NBA policy by bringing a gun to league and team facilities. He was also charged with carrying a pistol without a license in the District of Columbia.

Morant hasn’t faced any criminal charges. Colorado police said they did not find enough evidence to charge anyone with a crime after Morant initially brandished a gun live on Instagram in March, which lead to an eight-game suspension.