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Former WWE Star On Shocking Departure: “I Kind Of Went Off”

By Sunil Joseph • Published Jun 21, 2026 09:52 EDT
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WWE Headquarters - Source: WWE.com

A former WWE star has made a shocking revelation.

Sami Callihan is a well-known name in the independent scene. He had worked for several major promotions, including ROH, Dragon Gate USA, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, and WWE, before he eventually signed with TNA in 2017.

Sami was able to get over in TNA due to his in-ring skills and character work. He even won the Impact World Championship and was also involved in a long, heated rivalry with Tessa Blanchard in 2019. His first run in the company ended in 2023 before he returned again in 2024. His second run didn’t last a long time as he was recently released along with Tommy Dreamer.

Former WWE star Sami Callihan opened up about his release

During a recent edition of Busted Open Radio, Sami Callihan said he woke up in the morning and checked his phone to learn that Tommy Dreamer was gone from TNA. He then saw an email that said he would be having a call with TNA management at 1 pm. The former WWE star thought that he was finally getting added to the creative team. However, in the Zoom call, he was told by TNA management that they were letting him go. The former WWE star went off on them

“I woke up at I think like, 10:30, 11, and my phone was blowing up ‘hey, Tommy’s done at TNA’ and the amount of people on the roster that messaged me like ‘it’s finally your time, you’re getting added to creative’.

“Within 5 minutes of me waking up and getting those text messages, I get a notification in my email ‘hey, we need to have a conference call at 1’. In my mind I’m like ‘oh s**t, I’m getting added to the creative’. This is what I’ve been lobbying for for years, this is what a lot of major people on the roster at TNA has been lobbying for for years, it’s what I’ve had dangled in my face from another administration before this current administration, I was like ‘it’s finally happening’.

“So I get on the Zoom call, they start talking. In my mind I’m still like ‘maybe this is still, maybe I’m getting added’, then it came to ‘we’re sorry we’re going to have to part ways’. I kind of went off.

He further added that he tried to make his case for why TNA was making a huge mistake by releasing him. He said he had good relationships with everybody, but was told that this was part of a workplace reduction act. Sami thought that he was going to be with TNA forever. He now feels that he could’ve left years ago and gone on to do other things.

“I’m not one of the people that 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, the production, to everyone there, I had good relationships with everyone.

“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 now. I was told it was part of a workplace reduction act, and I went ‘that should not be me’. I thought I was gonna be a lifer in TNA.

“I was talking with friends at the company yesterday and I said I think my loyalness to the company I’m working for is 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.” [H/T WrestleTalk.com]

It remains to be seen what’s next for Sami Callihan.

Also read: Ex-WWE Star Quits TNA Alongside Husband: “She’ll Never Wrestle Again”

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