Steve Maclin is giving fans another piece of the puzzle behind his TNA departure, and this time, he is pointing straight at creative frustration.
During an Instagram Live session, the former TNA World Champion was asked how he felt about his TNA exit. He said things changed during his five-year run with the company and claimed his ideas kept getting shut down, even when he believed they would have helped both TNA and the show itself.
“TNA — I’ve been there for over five years, but things unfortunately changed there. Let alone, you pitch a good idea and get shut down even though it would be good for the company and for the show. That’s my opinion. Well, all we can do as talent is pitch, but so be it. What’s the next idea? Do the best with what we’ve got.”
That lines up with what Maclin already said on his Boots to Boots podcast, where he confirmed he asked for his TNA release before the company granted it. Maclin explained that he had been trying to stay professional and make things work creatively, but after a while, he felt like nothing was actually changing.
“I did. It was granted. I asked for a week prior before our show and it was something I had been wanting for a while and you know that, but it was just trying to keep calm about it and being professional about it and trying to make things work creatively to see if things can happen and just it wasn’t happening.”
Maclin also made it clear that creative was not the only issue. He said the real breaking point came when TNA started cutting dates, which affected his pay and his family. Since he was on a per-date deal instead of a salary, fewer dates meant a direct hit to his income, and he did not like feeling like he was making TNA a priority while others were still getting paid and working elsewhere.
“Once you hit my pocket and our family, like that’s when when you’re cutting dates on pay that’s where it hurts and it’s just like I can’t do that when other people are getting paid to go work elsewhere while still getting paid by the company whether it’s full payment or not. They’re still doing that and I’m making this company a priority. Why is that not — that’s a problem to me.”
He said being on a per-date contract made the whole situation even harder to accept, especially because he felt he was giving everything he had to the company.
“For me as somebody who was on a per-date contract and not on salary was very a tough was a hard pill to swallow for me just because I’m like here I am committing to you and giving you every bit of me going out there and just delivering the best that I can and I felt we did that in the end with me and Mike.”
Even with all that frustration, Maclin did not torch everyone on the way out. He credited Carlos Silva for granting his release respectfully and said they ended things on good terms, even though his mind was already made up.
“Carlos was nice enough to graciously grant me my release when I asked for it. Tried to make some changes, but just like no, there’s no going back now. It’s like I’ve made this decision and you know how I am.
I’m very once I put my foot down and I close a door to something, it’s gone. Like it’s we’re done. Just we’re moving on to the next thing. And I tried to fight for so long. Again, to Carlos, he was so good through the process. We ended on good terms. He was a man of his word too. So it’s like you respect a person for that more than anything.”
Maclin had already told fans after TNA announced his release that he was the one who requested it, saying he gave the company five years of hard work before deciding it was time to move on.
“Last week I requested my release from TNA. I put my blood, sweat, and tears into everything I’ve done over the last 5 years and I’ll always be thankful for my time there. But now, it’s time to STACK BODIES. See you soon.”
Bottom line, Maclin’s TNA exit was not just some quiet split. He says he felt creatively stuck, financially affected, and unheard when he tried pitching ideas. Now he is out, speaking more openly, and making it clear he was ready to close that chapter for good.
What do you think about Steve Maclin saying TNA rejected ideas he felt would help the company? Was he right to walk away, or should TNA have found a way to keep him? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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