Sami Callihan has officially called time on his pro wrestling career after losing to Mike Santana at TNA Wrestling's Emergence pay-per-view.
Callihan and Santana faced off in aBaltimore street fight on Friday night, with the stipulation stating that the former would have to retire if he lost. That, unfortunately for Callihan, came true at theChesapeake Employers Insurance Arena in Baltimore, Maryland, as Santana landed a Spin TheBlock to secure the win.
After the match, Callihan removed his wrestling boots and left them in the ring to symbolize the end of his career. The crowd chanted, "Please don't go," but Callihan continued to untie his laces, and the visibly emotional star placed his boots in the middle of the ring and rolled out of the ring one final time as "Thank you, Sami" chants rang out. He waved and kissed goodbye to the fans before walking back to the locker room.
Callihan, a veteran of 20 years, had said ahead of the match that he wanted to test himself and see if he's still capable of performing at a high level.
The 37-year-old star began his pro wrestling career in the indies in 2005, before wrestling in promotions like ROH, CZW, and EVOLVE. He had a three-year stint in WWE, where he featured in "NXT," and later joined TNA/Impact Wrestling, wrestling in the promotion between 2017 and 2023. His last and final run with TNA began last year.
Callihan revealed a few years ago that an injury he sustained in Impact in 2021, where he broke his leg, left him less than 100 percent fit and also caused him to gain weight.
