The wrestling industry is still in shock as Steve Maclin quits TNA Wrestling over the weekend. While the former TNA Champion’s departure isn’t a complete shock, how it went down has the world talking. There have been holes growing in the relationship between TNA and The Bulletproof Steve Maclin. Although the two sides continued to work together, Steve Maclin continued to sign short-term deals with TNA. After TNA premiered on AMC, Steve Maclin decided to see how things unfolded. Now, Steve Maclin quits TNA over creative disputes and money problems.
Steve Maclin Quits TNA Amid Unhappiness with Company
Over the weekend, inaugural TNA International Champion Steve Maclin took to X to announce his departure from the Anthem-owned company. While Steve Maclin’s TNA departure was said to be controversial, The Bulletproof star remained diplomatic in his public announcement.
Steve Maclin shared with his fans:
TNA granted the former World Champion his release, although rumors are that his current contract was coming up soon. Many backstage believe that the writing has been on the wall for Steve Maclin and TNA.
It’s been years since the two have come to terms over a long-term agreement. In fact, this hesitancy led Steve Maclin to quit TNA Wrestling.
Steve Maclin’s Contract History with TNA
As Steve Maclin stated in his announcement of his departure from TNA Wrestling, he gave it his all over the past five years. However, the last few have been quite tumultuous between the wrestling company and the Marine Corps veteran.
After Steve Maclin’s 2023 TNA Title reign, The Trademark remained in the Main Event scene. He even became the first-ever TNA International Champion, which the star won twice. However, Steve Maclin’s TNA contract expired in 2024.
It’s been reported that Steve Maclin has been on a series of short-term deals with TNA wrestling since the initial contract expiration. Despite the reluctance to enter an agreement, TNA continued to showcase Steve Maclin near the top of the card.
After establishing the International Title, Steve Maclin re-entered the TNA World Championship scene earlier this year. He became a top contender for Mike Santana’s TNA Title.
Bulletproof enered Feast or Fired, securing a briefcase. However, Steve Maclin’s briefcase had the pink slip, indicating TNA was firing Steve Maclin. While Steve Maclin was entering a new multi-month deal extension, he was rehired by Santino Marella and Daria Rae to challenge Mike Santana at Sacrifice.
Unfortunately for Steve Maclin, the match was stopped early. It was believed that Steve Maclin received a concussion due to a kick to the face. As a result, the match ended early, and Eddie Edwards came down for a post-match brawl to send the crowd home happy. Steve Maclin went home unhappy with how things went down.
Why did Steve Maclin Quit TNA?
The relationships between the office and the boys always fall apart over two things: cash and creative. Both of these also played a hand in Steve Maclin’s decision to leave TNA.
Money Disputes After AMC Deal
As he was negotiating a potential new contract, Steve Maclin heavily considered leaving TNA. Since the last contract, Steve Maclin felt TNA was lowballing him for a long-term deal. Bulletproof decided to wait things out as TNA debuted on AMC. The veteran was hoping to get a raise, seeing as the TNA on AMC TV rights deal was allegedly worth $30 million over three years.
Now that iMPACT has been on for six months, many talents have seen an extra dime. Reports are that TNA owners, Anthem, are looking to recoup on decades of no profits.
Creative Issues
Steve Maclin was also disappointed with how he’s been handled creatively, especially since dropping the International Title last year. Giving Steve Maclin the pink slip was “too insider” for many, as no one was aware of his ongoing contract disputes besides hardcore fans.
Also, his reinstatement left a lot to be desired. Steve Maclin bullied TNA commentator, Tom Hannifan, causing the Directors of Authority to put Steve Maclin in a TNA Title Match. Of course, this match led to Maclin’s concussion.
In April, Steve Maclin was cleared for competition from his concussion. Instead of wrestling for TNA, The Trademark announced that he was available for bookings.
In Steve Maclin’s last TNA appearance, he was seen confronting the TNA President at ringside. The disgruntled TNA veteran told Carlos Silva to “sit down in his cu** chair.”
What’s Next for Steve Maclin?
Steve Maclin is now free from TNA. Originally, there was interest from WWE in potentially signing the military vet. However, those discussions have cooled over the last few months.
There is some belief that Steve Maclin will join his wife, Deonna Purrazzo, in ROH/AEW. The two have been making appearances on the independent scene this year. Many believe that The Virtuoso has been languishing in Tony Khan’s universe. So, perhaps linking her with a star like Steve Maclin will help get her to the next level.
That said, Deonna Purrazzo has expressed interest in being used more in the past. She is relegated to ROH tapings and used very sparingly on AEW television. These were many of her grievances when she was on NXT and called up to WWE.
If Steve Maclin left TNA over creative frustrations, he might not be much happier in AEW. Perhaps he might work the independent scene with his wife until her ROH contract expires. Either way, the future does look bright, albeit uncertain for Steve Maclin.