Alex Hammerstone Explains Reason Behind TNA Wrestling Departure

Alex Hammerstone signed with TNA Wrestling back in March 2024, and fans had high hopes for him in the company. However, he would eventually part ways with TNA last month, and he has now explained the reason behind his departure.

While speaking on The Takedown, Alex Hammerstone talked about the reason behind his TNA Wrestling departure. From his point of view, it seemed like TNA no longer cared about his direction or growth. He believed that maybe the company wanted something different from him, but no one ever clearly told him what that was.

Hammerstone said he would have appreciated a conversation about creative plans or expectations, but that never happened. Instead, he often felt left in the dark while other wrestlers around him were given clear storylines and direction, leaving him to wonder why he wasn’t being included in those plans.

“At a certain point, perception is reality,” Hammerstone said. “So I’m sitting there and from my perception, I felt like the company stopped caring about me and maybe I needed to do something in a different way. Maybe they were looking for something that I wasn’t giving them. But also that was never a conversation that was had. I’d be very happy to be sat down and told, ‘hey, creatively, this is what we want to do. So we need to see more of this out of you.’ And I never got that. It was just like, hey, where are we going creatively? And a lot of times it’s like, well, you know what you’re doing with this guy. You know what you’re doing this that guy, so why don’t you know what you’re doing with me?”

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Hammerstone noticed things changing when he was left out of key promotional content. He watched as highlight videos featured almost everyone on the TNA roster—except him. The same thing happened with promotional posters, where his absence became hard to ignore.

When the TNA End of the Year Awards came around, his hard-hitting match with Josh Alexander was overlooked, which led to a wave of criticism online. That moment especially hit hard.

Hammerstone admitted that even if he didn’t win an award, he just wanted to be in the conversation. Not being included at all made him feel like the company had lost confidence in him. While he didn’t blame anyone outright and took some of the responsibility himself, he said the lack of communication and direction made him question his own efforts. Mentally, it took a toll; he never stopped trying, but he started to feel defeated.

“Whether that’s a minority of fans or not. I don’t care if I lose the poll. Just put me on the poll. So it got to a point where I felt like there was a loss of faith in me. And I don’t know where that came from, but I could be way off here, and I’m not blaming anybody except myself, but once you start to perceive things like that, that becomes reality. So it’s like, if this company doesn’t have faith, I mean, why should I even have faith in myself if they don’t have direction for me? Why should I try so hard? It’s not to say that I ever gave up, but mentally, I just felt beat down.”

Hammerstone’s last match aired on the March 13 episode of TNA iMPACT!, where he came up short in a title match against Joe Hendry. That marked his final appearance for TNA after recovering from knee surgery that had sidelined him since November.

Hammerstone recently made his return at MLW Battle Riot VII and he is more than happy with his choice. Hammerstone is currently not signed with the company, so we’ll have to see whether his current run with MLW will surpass his last one as fans only want the best for him.

What do you think about Hammerstone’s comments on TNA Wrestling and his decision to walk away? Have you ever experienced something similar in your own career or creative journey? Drop your thoughts in the comments—we’d love to hear from you!