Sammy Guevara is back! But as a babyface this time. The former TNT Champion made the shocking revelation by tearing down Don Callis and aligning with Sting, Chris Jericho, and Darby Allin. However, in five years, Sammy Guevara is reaching Big Show levels on constant babyface turns. I know that Sami’s return is a detour because of Kenny Omega’s sudden injury, but this was a huge mistake. 

Babyfaces and Heels are very important. Neither formula is easy, but the path of these characters must stay constant. Could you imagine if Stone Cold Steve Austin kept turning face and heel during his legendary feud with Mr. McMahon? Or could you fathom The Rock turning babyface the Monday Night after his I Quit match (in which he clearly screwed Mankind over) at the Royal Rumble? AEW is doing more harm than good by flipping Guevara’s character once again. 

The Concept Of Babyfaces and Heels

The concept of these two characteristics is rather simple. The purpose of the heel is to be a roadblock for the babyface to overcome. That’s how guys like John Cena, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and Hulk Hogan became such massive stars because they had compelling heels to face throughout their time. Roman Reigns is currently flipping the script as he’s a heel through and through, but he IS the biggest draw in professional wrestling.

Why? Well, it’s because he isn’t a one-dimensional character. The entire Bloodline saga is brilliant because its true purpose is to get over the next generation of babyfaces. Look at Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, Cody Rhodes, and Jey Uso: these men are massively over because they all played an important role in the Bloodline saga. 

There are also anti-heroes or the proper wrestling term - tweeners. These characters make morally questionable decisions for the greater good. Stone Cold Steve Austin is the perfect example of this character. If you look back through his run during WWE, there are too many heelish acts that he commits; from Giving the Stunner to Stephanie McMahon to threatening Mr. McMahon with a “gun" on live TV. However, these characters were pure EVIL. They were considered a cancer to the company and Stone Cold Steve Austin was a necessary fixture to remove that evil. That’s why his run as an anti-hero worked so well. 

Longevity

The key component that makes these characters work is their longevity. The Sami saga didn’t become a success overnight. It took proper time and build to get to the point where audiences desperately wanted Sami to beat Roman at Elimination Chamber. The same thing can be said about Stone Cold, John Cena, and all the other popular babyfaces and heels throughout wrestling history. 

Sometimes a face or heel push doesn’t work. The Rock (aka Rocky Maivia) and Roman Reigns are notable examples of this. But more often than not, characters get over based on how well the story is told and if the character feels authentic. It never felt like Austin was playing a character, which is why he got so massively over. It also helped that his feud with Vince McMahon is considered one of the best rivalries ever written. Consistency and longevity are huge factors in how each of the top stars gets over.

The Problem With Sammy Guevara’s Constant Face and Heel Turns

Sammy Guerava feels like a heel; down to his mannerisms and overall swagger, the guy oozes heel charisma despite his babyface moveset. The reason fans started booing him during his run as TNT Champion was because he was acting too heelish and unlikeable. Sleazy moments like him and Tay Conti sleeping in the bed with the TNT title didn’t paint his character in a good light.

More importantly, he didn’t have a strong heel foil that was worse than him. Sammy wasn’t doing morally questionable things for the sake of good. He was doing these heelish acts because it WAS his character. Anti-heroes can still get over in modern wrestling. Just look at MJF; a guy who hasn’t changed much of his persona, but has dialed back on the heelish antics. More importantly, he comes across as likable.

The constant heel and face turns of Sammy Guevara are not doing him any favors. People took notice of him during his Inner Circle days because he burst with natural (heel) charisma. Plus, he can go inside of the ring. The constant shifting of his character is disconnecting audiences from Sammy Guevara. The company has yet to find a true balance for his character to work as a babyface. They also haven’t booked a memorable feud with him that allows him to shine in that role as well. 

AEW needs to stick with a character and book him in a way that compliments his natural character. In Big Show’s later years at WWE, the constant switching between heel and face became eye-rolling because it was hard for fans to get invested in a character who seemingly had the mood swings of a hormonal teenager. Sammy Guevara is in danger of this. Tony Khan NEEDS to make sure this face turn works and sticks with it for a long time. If he turns heel again then there’s a chance that fans will roll their eyes and treat him as the modern-day Big Show.