AJ Francis is not here for fans acting like TNA is suddenly on fire because people are leaving.
While speaking on the No-Contest Wrestling podcast, AJ pushed back hard on the panic over recent TNA departures, especially after Sami Callihan parted ways with the company. Callihan’s exit came right as TNA was already dealing with Tommy Dreamer leaving creative, Delirious stepping in, and names like Tessa Blanchard, Steve Maclin, Steph De Lander, and Mance Warner all being brought into the conversation.
“And to be honest with you, like this is the funniest thing to me. TNA is the only wrestling company that when people ask for their release, they are immediately granted their release.”
AJ said TNA is getting painted as the bad guy for doing something talent usually wants — letting people go when they ask. He pointed out that other companies have a long history of making talent sit out or refusing releases, while TNA simply lets people move on.
“No other company. No other company does that. There have been so many stories from every other wrestling company that somebody wanted to go and they wouldn’t let them go.”
Then AJ really leaned into it, saying TNA basically tells people to do what is best for their lives, only for fans to turn around and act like the company is the problem.
“But soon as TNA is like, ‘Oh, you don’t want to be here? All right, fine. I hope you do well. You know what I’m saying? Do your thing. I’m hoping that you do what you want to do with your life.’ Okay, cool. Now we the bad guys.”
AJ also made it clear that fans are smashing unrelated exits together and calling it one giant crisis. He said Steph De Lander wanting to wrestle has nothing to do with Tessa Blanchard, Tommy Dreamer, Steve Maclin, or anyone else leaving.
“And it’s like people act like all these people may have left, but they left for a myriad of different reasons, right? Like I love Mance and I love Steph De Lander, but Steph wanted to wrestle. That ain’t got nothing to do with the Tessa Blanchard situation. That ain’t got nothing to do with the Tommy Dreamer situation. That ain’t got nothing to do with the Steve Maclin situation.”
Then came the most AJ Francis explanation possible. He said fans are standing too close to the elephant and missing the whole picture. For AJ, the real story is not that TNA is falling apart. It is that the company is growing and getting bigger exposure, including landing on AMC after years away from a major network.
“Each one of those situations are completely different and completely nuanced. But when you lack critical thinking and you lack the ability to be able to look at things from an outside perspective and you just want to be—the old phrase is if you get too close to the elephant, you can’t see the whole elephant. You just see gray balls. You got to back up and see the whole elephant right now. The whole elephant is that TNA is on AMC. We are on a major network and we hadn’t been for years.”
At the end of the day, AJ Francis is telling fans to stop turning every TNA departure into a conspiracy board. Sami Callihan leaving may add more noise, but AJ’s point is simple: not every exit means disaster, and TNA letting people walk when they want out does not automatically make the company look bad.
Do you agree with AJ Francis that fans are overreacting to TNA’s recent departures? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comments below.
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