Behind the scenes details regarding Sami Callihan’s departure from TNA Wrestling

Within five minutes of me waking up and getting all those text messages, I got a notification in my email: ‘Hey, we need to have a conference call at 1:00.’

In my mind, I was like, ‘Oh shit, I’m getting added to creative.’ This is what I’ve been lobbying for, for years. It’s what a lot of the major people on the roster at TNA had been lobbying for, for years. It’s what another administration before this current administration had dangled in front of my face.

I was like, ‘It’s finally happening.’

So I get on the Zoom call and they start talking. In my mind, I’m thinking, ‘Hmm, maybe this is still it. Maybe I’m getting added.’

Then it came to, ‘We’re sorry, but we’re going to have to part ways.’

And I kind of went off. I’m not one of the people who usually goes off like this. I try not to be very profanity-laced, and I don’t think it was a thing of screaming or yelling, but I stated my case.

I knew that company, I feel like, almost better than anybody—from the wrestling to the production to everyone there. I had good relationships with everyone.

I stated my case. I said, ‘Hey, this is why I think you’re making a terrible mistake. This is why I think this shouldn’t be happening right now. I am not the guy.’

And I was told it was part of that workforce reduction effort, and I went, ‘That should not be me.’

I never thought in a million years… I thought I was going to be a lifer at TNA.

I was talking to some friends from the company yesterday, and I said, ‘I think my loyalty to the company I’m working for is both good and bad. I think I’m loyal to companies to a fault at this point, when I could have left years ago and gone on to do other things.'”