Sami Callihan kept his promise by retiring after his loss at the TNA Emergence event. Going into the show, the stipulation was clear: If Callihan didn't defeat Mike Santana in their Baltimore Street Fight, the former Impact World Champion would be foroced to retire.
Callihan was defeated after Santana hit him with Spin The Block. True to his word, Callihan left his boots in the ring and exited the squared circle for the last time.
Backstage, TNA talent greeted him with respect and appreciation, though Eric Young had a different response. Young, also a former World Champion, told Callihan “Don’t buy into the love of your peers." Young then shifted his focus to Joe Hendry. “Everything in TNA that’s going wrong right now is Hendry’s fault.”
Callihan leaves wrestling with over 1,000 matches to his name and several title reigns both in and out of TNA. With in-ring retirements often resulting in in-ring returns, it remains to be seen if he is truly gone for good.
