TNA Wrestling recently shook up their organization with both backstage officials and wrestlers exiting the company. In a move that was framed as restructuring, the company mutually parted ways with Tommy Dreamer while also severing ties with Sami Callihan in an involuntary departure.
Callihan appeared on Busted Open Radio this week and discussed his TNA exit, detailing the meeting that went down with Carlos Silva and others. Notably, he revealed that his reaction to being let go was not very calm as he went off and tried to advocate for himself and convince the company to reverse their decision.
Callihan also shared that initially he believed that he was going to get promoted to creative head as news of Tommy Dreamer’s departure had already become public knowledge and people had been texting him saying they wanted to see him as the creative head with Dreamer no longer around.
“So I get on the Zoom call and they start talking. I was like, in my mind, I’m like, maybe this is still, maybe I’m getting added. And then it came to, ‘We’re sorry, we’re gonna have to part ways.’ And I kind of went off. I am not one of the people that usually goes off like this. I tried not to be very profanity-laced. And I don’t think it was a thing of screaming or yelling, but I stated my case.”
“The people on that call were like, ‘Oh, well, this is this.’ I was like, ‘Well, you’re gonna listen to me now.’ Like, I’ve given my life to that company. There has been multiple times where I could have left that company. I broke my leg for that company. I was World Champion for that company. I love TNA. I didn’t in particularly want to go work for another company at the time. Like, TNA was my end-all, be-all at the end of the day. And anyone can say that. I knew that company, I feel like almost better than anybody, from the wrestling to the production to everyone there. And I had good relationships with everyone.”
“And I stated my case. I was like, ‘Hey, this is why I think you’re making a terrible mistake. This is why I think this isn’t happening right now. I am not the guy.’ And I was told as part of that workplace reduction act, and I went, ‘That should not be me.’ I was like, ‘That’s not me.’ I’m like, ‘That’s not me. That should not be me in a million years.’”
Callihan stated that after the call ended, he did realize that he didn’t handle the situation in the best way possible and sent President Carlos Silva a text but doubled down that he didn’t agree with TNA’s decision. He shared that not only was he a producer with TNA, but helped in other areas too such as in merchandising, marketing and as an agent.