Sami Callihan Opens Up At Length About TNA Wrestling Departure

Sami Callihan is opening up about the circumstances surrounding his recent departure from TNA Wrestling.

As reported earlier this week, Callihan revealed that he had been fired by the promotion on June 17. According to the former TNA World Champion, he initially believed he was about to receive a long-awaited opportunity to join the company’s creative team. Instead, the call delivered very different news.

Speaking on Busted Open Radio (full interview below), Callihan detailed the moments leading up to the conversation and explained why he thought a promotion was coming rather than a release.

“I overanalyze everything. I woke up because I didn’t go to sleep until four or five in the morning, because I was working on TNA work. I was working ten hours to get ready for Slammiversary. I woke up at 11 and my phone was blowing up, ‘Tommy is done in TNA.’ People on the roster were like, ‘It’s finally your time. You’re getting added to creative.’ Within five minutes of me waking up, I got a notification, ‘We need to have a conference call.’ 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 major people on the roster have been lobbying for. It’s what I’ve had dangled in front of my face from another administration, before this current one. ‘It’s finally happening.’ As my brain works, I looked at who was in the meeting. ‘Why would that person be in the meeting?’ I started, ‘Oh, I might be getting fired.’ I put two and two together, talked to my wife and a couple of people on the roster, ‘today is either the highest or the lowest of lows.’”

The longtime TNA performer said his fears were ultimately confirmed once the meeting began. While he admitted he rarely reacts emotionally in professional situations, Callihan said he felt compelled to make his case after learning the company was moving on from him.

“I got on the Zoom call. It started, ‘We’re sorry, we’re going to have to part ways.’ I kind of went off. I’m not someone who goes off like this. I try not to be profanity-laced. It wasn’t screaming or yelling, but I stated my case. I was like, ‘You’re going to listen to me now. I’ve given my life to that company. There have been multiple times I could have left. I broke my leg, I was the world champion, I love TNA. I know the company better than almost anybody. From production to wrestling to everyone there. This is why you’re making a terrible mistake.’ I was not just a producer. I worked in more divisions than anyone in the company. I’d like people to know how valuable I think I am to a wrestling company and what I actually do. I was one of three people that ran the merch division and brought it up. Before that, the division kind of sucked. People weren’t making money and we didn’t have a lot of designs. I was one of three people who brought the merch income up to like 1000%. 99% of every piece of merchandise, I designed. I also worked in the marketing department. I was one of three people making sure we had asses in seats. I worked directly with Ross Foreman, who doesn’t get the credit he deserves. I was an agent for matches, a producer for pre-tapes. The list goes on. I was taken aback. I thought I was going to be a lifer in TNA. I think my loyalty to the company is good and bad.”

Callihan went on to explain that he believes financial considerations were likely the driving force behind TNA’s decision, rather than any issue with his performance or contributions behind the scenes.

“I think it boiled down to, the company lost a lot of money and a lot of people under salary, ‘this person doesn’t wrestle,’ I think it’s a money thing. No (I wasn’t breaking the bank). I was making a decent living. The amount of work I did, I probably should’ve made more. I thought one day I was going to be one of the people helping run the company. I truly believed that. I believe that if I were given the ball with creativity, with the proper team, we could’ve been off to the races.”

Callihan officially retired from in-ring competition in August 2024 but remained heavily involved with TNA in a variety of backstage and operational roles.