Sami Callihan was one of the standout prospects in the WWE's NXT division, boasting accolades that match those of Finn Balor and Samoa Joe. However, he made a controversial decision to leave the WWE on his own accord, even though he was arguably one of the promotion's most promising up and comers. Fans were left in the dark about this situation, but Callihan recently broke his silence on why he decided to leave NXT.
"All I ever wanted or needed was an opportunity, and I never got that opportunity," Callihan said in an interview with X-Pac 12360. In the interview, he explained that he felt chained with the WWE and that they asked him to change and not show his true persona. He added that if this were not the case, he would be one of the top superstars on the main roster.
Callihan has experienced considerable wrestling success even without the WWE backing him. Now that he is an independent talent, he can be booked into multiple shows with different promotions within a single week. By building his own brand, he claims that he is now one of the most-booked professional wrestlers in the entire sport, which entails appearing at around four to six shows per week.
Callihan says that there were no hard feelings between him and the WWE when he told them about his departure via a conference call. This was due to the fact that he was miserable then and next to everyone in the promotion knew it, Wrestle Zone reported. He added that there are also no hard feelings between him and the wrestlers he used to work with on NXT.
A return to the WWE would be welcome to Callihan, if that is where his career path will take him. For now though, he will focus on building a name by putting in world-class performances on independently held shows.
Once news broke that he had left the WWE, Callihan received calls from various professional wrestling promotions, but Lucha Underground stood out above the rest. They offered Callihan a contract, but still allowed him to take part in the independent circuit. He stated that he was enamored to join them due to the fact that the wrestlers there can be anything they want, be it a time traveler or even a mythical creature.
Watch Callihan take on Tommy End for the All American Wrestling championship here: