Rich Swann Reveals Behind-the-Scenes Drama Behind His TNA Exit: “I Was Never Released”

Former World Champion Rich Swann has finally addressed his exit fromTNA — and according to him, it wasn’t your typical release. During an appearance on Keepin’ It 100, Swann explained that he was never officially let go by the company. Instead, things unraveled behind the scenes after he was hit with a suspension and then left in the dark.

Swann made it clear the breakdown in communication wasn’t immediate but came after company leadership began shifting during a critical contract period.

“This is the thing, like—I wasn’t even—I wasn’t released. The thing was, I got suspended and everything like that. And afterwards, I didn’t hear anything from the management.”

He explained that there were internal changes happening at Impact around the time his suspension was set to end. The original plan, he claimed, was to revisit his contract, which was nearing its expiration.

“But what I had found out was, you know, later, you know, basically the management was being shuffled around and the guys that I had dealt with when, you know, they told me the 30-day suspension and afterwards, you know, we would talk about my contract because it was coming up at the end of that December and it was going to be a rollover decision on if they would want to keep me for one more year or, you know, if, you know, I wanted to leave or anything like that and it was going to be a bump in pay.”

Instead, Swann learned secondhand from someone else who had also been cut that Impact Wrestling was reportedly changing its contract model entirely — a shift that might explain the radio silence from management.

“But the one thing that I was told by the person that was released from Impact was that, you know, they were switching the way that they were doing their business and their contracts and models and they didn’t want to have anybody on a guaranteed contract.”

Even with that explanation, Swann didn’t buy that the change applied to everyone.

“So they—well, it’s hard for me to believe that they don’t have anybody under guaranteed contract, you know? You know, it’s like…”

In the end, Swann admitted the company likely wanted to quietly cut ties following his June 2024 arrest for disorderly intoxication — an incident that became public and may have been seen as a liability.

“But at the same token, I’m somebody that’s going to take responsibility for my actions and for myself. As a company, you don’t want to have somebody that, you know, has on their—you know, that has a stain. ‘Oh, he’s being arrested, the alcohol and everything…’”

Swann’s arrest last year in Altamonte Springs, Florida, made headlines after he attempted to enter the wrong apartment while intoxicated and was confronted at gunpoint. He later entered a “nolo contendere” plea, choosing not to contest the misdemeanor charge but also not admitting guilt.

Now officially a free agent and working the indie circuit full-time, Swann has been seen regularly in Pro Wrestling Revolver and GCW, but his future beyond that remains unclear.

Rich Swann didn’t get the release email — he got silence instead. Whether that silence was business, personal, or both, it’s clear his chapter with Impact ended without closure.

Please credit Ringside News if you use the above transcript in your publication.