Sami Callihan recently spoke with Sports Illustrated’s Extra Mustard blog about his time in NXT as Solomon Crowe, why he asked for his release, if he’d ever want to return and much more.
When asked why he asked for his NXT release when the brand has been getting so popular, Callihan said he has no hard feelings towards anyone there and he hopes to return one day. For various reasons (including injuries), he wasn’t utilized as much as he wanted to be. At 28 years old, he wants to go full force with his career and that wasn’t happening in NXT.
“I’m one of the only guys ever to walk up to WWE and quit, but I didn’t do it to be a badass. I needed to roll the dice, and it may pay off one day and it may not. But no matter where I am, whether it’s WWE or someplace else, I’m still a professional wrestler. At the end of the day, that’s all that matters to me.”
He said that NXT officials knew he was miserable at the end of his run there. He knows he still could have made good money without having to work that much, but to him its about the quality of life. He saw Triple H backstage at Evolve during Royal Rumble weekend and said Triple H told him, “Man, I know how good you are, and to quit the top company in the world takes balls. You left on good terms and did it professionally, so if a spot opens, it’s yours.”
He loves being a pro wrestler and will make the most of his journey whether that takes him to WrestleMania, the Tokyo Dome or somewhere else. Callihan wresetles Mike Bailey tonight on iPPV in Voorhees, New Jersey at CZW 17.
Sami Callihan, who was known as Solomon Crowe in NXT, was released from his WWE contract earlier this month. It now appears he requested the release so he could go out on his own and revamp his image.
According to Pro Wrestling Sheet, Callihan was unhappy with how he was progressing in NXT and the way WWE was using him. He eventually got frustrated and wanted to leave. Callihan reportedly wants to “reinvent his image on the independent scene as one of the best wrestlers in the world.”
Callihan reportedly left the company on good terms and the door was left open for a possible return in the future.
Sami Callihan returned to the independent scene in a big way this weekend with a surprise appearance for Chicago’s AAW promotion. After being granted his release from WWE NXT, the former Solomon Crowe attacked new AAW Champion Eddie Kingston, who had just defeated Trevor Lee and Ethan Page to win the title.
Solomon Crowe is no longer with NXT. The former Sami Callihan requested and received his release from WWE on Monday, according to PWInsider.com.
His Superstar bio has already been removed from WWE.com.
Crowe, who is only 28, had a strong career on the independent circuit prior to signing with WWE back in 2013. Unfortunately, that never translated to success in WWE. He tweeted on Monday:
Schreiber is trending worldwide on Twitter after her debut on Saturday night, largely because of the fact that she debuted at an NXT show with a new character, and partially because of the fact that Schreiber posted some Instagram photos in 2012 that contained a swastika.
She has since deleted the photos, but they resurfaced shortly after her NXT debut on Saturday night, with some fans even sending the photos to Triple H and asking him for his thoughts.
Below are screen shots of the posts Schreiber made on Instagram.
Seth Rollins’ real-life girlfriend, Zahra Schreiber, made her debut alongside Solomon Crowe at the NXT live event on Saturday night in Ft. Pierce, Florida.
Schreiber is trending worldwide on Twitter after making her NXT debut as Crowe’s younger sister.
This is Schreiber’s first character role in NXT, as she has done some ring announcing for the brand in the past. Crowe will be teaming with Neville in the upcoming “Dusty Rhodes Tag-Team Classic” tournament.
The following are some photos of Zahra Schreiber’s debut from Saturday’s NXT show.
– Solomon Crowe debuted new theme music at the NXT television tapings on Thursday night at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. Fans will get to hear the new theme when his match with Baron Corbin airs on the May 13th edition of NXT TV.
– Speaking of last night’s NXT tapings, WWE had the new Performance Center female recruits work matches against the NXT Divas during the show. If the matches make it to air, they will be included on shows that air in May. The new male recruits from the Performance Center worked as security guards in an angle during the taping involving Rhyno.
– Seth Rollins and Kane are featured in this week’s edition of SmackDown Fallout, which you can check out below.
– Brie Bella has been hinting on social media that she will be winning the Divas Battle Royal on RAW next Monday and will be challenging her sister, Nikki Bella, for the WWE Divas Championship.
– Seth Rollins, who headed out for WWE’s tour of Europe on Tuesday, tweeted the following:
– Vince McMahon is reportedly very high on Lana’s talent. According to one source, McMahon has big plans for Lana in the near future.
– The “camera man” who took F-5’s from Brock Lesnar on Monday’s post-WrestleMania 31 edition of WWE RAW was a California independent pro wrestler named Dylan Drake.
– NXT wrestlers Enzo Amore, Drake Younger and Solomon Crowe were among those portraying soldiers during Triple H’s special “Terminator” entrance at WrestleMania 31 on Sunday. Below is a photo of the guys in their gear.
– WWE referee Scott Armstrong celebrates his 56th birthday today. Armstrong was born on March 4, 1959. Also celebrating birthdays today are former WCW star Crowbar (41) and former TNA Knockout Sarah “Sarita” Stock (36).
– WWE taped the following matches for tonight’s edition of NXT on the WWE Network.
Adam Rose comes vs. Tyler Breeze
Blake and Murphy vs. Sawyer Fulton and Angelo Dawkins
Baron Corbin vs. Tony Briggs
Solomon Crowe vs. Bull Dempsey
Charlotte vs. NXT Women’s Champion Sasha Banks
On Monday, NXT Superstar Solomon Crowe (Sam Johnson), who made his NXT debut on the WWE Network last week, was involved in a situation that resulted in some mainstream media attention.
Crowe helped a woman who was involved in a car accident in Orlando, Florida on Monday. The NXT star helped the woman, who wrecked her car near the WWE Performance Center.
Crowe tweeted the following about the incident:
There was a wreck in front of me…Pulled a young lady out of an upside down car today… Mind blown…. Right place, right time!
Crowe had stopped by a local nearby store after working out at the WWE Performance Center when he heard the crash and rushed to the scene. Crowe, along with another civilian, helped remove the driver from the SUV, which reportedly jumped a curb and hit a tree before rolling over.
“I didn’t even think,” Crowe told WWE.com. “When I saw it, I was wearing sandals, and I just took off in a full sprint toward the car. I knew especially if a car’s upside down like that, it can catch fire very easily, and whoever was in it, we wanted to get them out.”
“I would hope someone would do the same for me,” he said. “That’s how I think about it.”
– WWE Hall Of Famer Sgt. Slaughter recently spoke with Vice’s “Noisey” website about his short-lived rock career in the 1980s. Slaughter spoke about his “Sgt. Slaughter and Camouflage Rocks America” LP that was released via Cobra Records in the 80s, saying the album and the mini-tour that went along with it was a “very uncomfortable experience.” For more, check out the article at Vice.com.
– As seen on this week’s edition of NXT on the WWE Network, Solomon Crowe finally made his long-awaited debut. Crowe tweeted the following shortly afterwards, commenting on his first NXT television appearance.
– Both Rhyno and Solomon Crowe have been added to the NXT roster section on WWE.com following their respective debuts last night.
– The Miz ran into TMZ while out in Hollywood Wednesday night, who said he’s the greatest actor in wrestling history, even better than The Rock.
“The Rock has done wonders with generating fans that say, “You know what? We can actually do what we do and better than everybody. He’s number one. But am I a better actor than The Rock? Ab… I believe I am.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpJhfkwE7eg
– The official Twitter account of Wendy’s sent this message to Brad Maddox, who has not appeared on WWE television since being relieved of Raw General Manager duties in May 2014.
@BradMaddoxIsWWE You should be talking about Wendy's. We probably even have a General Manager position open. If you're still looking. ?
– The teaser that aired in the middle of the NXT TakeOver: Rival special on Wednesday was for the debut of Solomon Crowe. The teaser simply said to stay tuned to next week’s episode, which was put over by the announcers.
– Part two of Steve Austin’s interview with Hot 97 DJ Peter Rosenberg is now available on the latest edition of his “Steve Austin Show” podcast. The official description for the show reads as follows:
SASu – EP194 – Hot 97 DJ Peter Rosenberg Pt2
“Hot 97 DJ Peter Rosenberg returns to talk pro-wrestling with Steve! The Macho Man vs Ricky Steamboat steel cage match, more Royal Rumble analysis, the Montreal Screw Job, Stone Cold vs Mike Tyson, the hardest & easiest wrestlers to move around in the ring, and pro-wrestling memorabilia include Steve-weiser cans & Bret Hart’s sunglasses!”
– NBA legend and former part-time WCW performer Karl Malone recently challenged Brock Lesnar during an appearance on FOX Sports 1. You can check out the interview below.
There are some rumors going around about the possibility of Solomon Crowe finally making his NXT television debut at the next Takeover special in February on the WWE Network.
Apparently the fact that Crowe has been working NXT dark matches for so long has become a running joke among many of the regulars at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida, where NXT traditionally holds the majority of their events.
– WWE’s official Japanese website will soon begin running a weekly column from NXT Superstar Hideo Itami. The column, which will debut on December 26th, will feature Itami writing about his experience in NXT with photos and more.
– NXT Superstar Cal Bishop may have suffered an injury of some kind during the finish of his match with Solomon Crowe at the live event in Lakeland, Florida on Saturday night. We’ll update you when more details become available.
– WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley gives a tour of the “Christmas Room” in his home as part of a feature on his new Santa Claus documentary. You can check that out at Newsday.com.
– Since returning from injury, NXT fan-favorite Solomon Crowe has been doing a gimmick at events where he taps the microphone on his head to encourage fans to clap for him..
– NXT star Solomon Crowe returned to the ring at Saturday’s NXT live event in Daytona Beach and defeated Enzo Amore in singles action. This was Crowe’s first match since suffering an injury a few months back. Prior to the match, Crowe tweeted
Buckle your seat belts….and get ready for a rough ride….Crowe has landed in #NXTDaytona#BeThere
– WWE Divas Nikki and Brie Bella appeared at last night’s MTV Europe Music Awards. Along with David Hasselhoff, they presented singer Ariana Grande with the Best Female Artist award.
Kudos to the Bella Twins for putting their blood feud aside for the evening and acting civilly around each other while on camera.
Here are photos of the Bella Twins at the 2014 MTV Europe Music Awards:
– NXT star Solomon Crowe cut a promo at the NXT live event on Thursday night in Lakeland, Florida and mentioned that he’s “finally coming soon.” Crowe’s television debut is one of the most anticipated among NXT fans, as he’s already developed somewhat of a cult-like following.
– Joey Styles mentioned on social media that Rey Mysterio, Shane Douglas, Chris Jericho, Psicosis and 2 Cold Scorpio are among those who will be featured on the “ECW Exposed” special that is scheduled to air on the WWE Network after this coming Monday night’s edition of RAW.
NXT star Solomon Crowe suffered an injury during a tag-team match with himself and Kalisto against The Ascension at the NXT live event on Saturday night in Palatka, Florida.
Crowe suffered the injury when he went for a flying head scissors on Viktor and landed hard on the mat. After the awkward landing, Crowe reportedly didn’t move for several seconds. After the match, he had to be helped to the back by trainers and he was grabbing his leg in pain.
Earlier today, Crowe confirmed the fact that he was injured last night, tweeting the following:
Chipped my tibia bone in my leg….. Such a great birthday present! Lol #CawCaw
One of the main reasons that Solomon Crowe dropped the hacker gimmick he was using in NXT was reportedly due to the fact that Triple H hated the character.
Crowe, who used to work as Sami Callihan, has also turned babyface in recent weeks and as noted, was recently paired up in a tag-team alongside Kalisto.
– After working several matches against each other at NXT live events, Solomon Crowe and Kalisto have formed a tag-team. The two defeated Wesley Blake and Buddy Murphy at the most recent NXT live event. There is no word yet on what this means for the tag-team of Kalisto and Sin Cara.
– Former WWE Superstars JTG and Shad Gaspard wrestled the first match on what they are calling the “Crime Time World Tour” this weekend for the Warriors of Wrestling promotion. The two teamed up with The Blue Meanie to defeat Chachi, Verna and J-George at the Staten Island-based event.
– Solomon Crowe, who recently debuted a character where he utlizes a tablet computer to seize control of the lights in the arena, laid waste to another victim Saturday night in Crystal River, Florida.
The former Sami Callihan remarked on Twitter, “The first time you hear the sirens you should run… #NXTCrystalRiver & @KnucklesMadsen just got infected… #InfectedCrowe #SongsOfSolomon.”
– Chris Jericho will be interviewing WWE Hall of Edge this week for his Talk Is Jericho podcast (available on PodcastOne.com).
– Former WWE Superstar Rene Dupree, who won the defunct World Tag Team Championship at the age of 19, turns 30-years-old on Sunday.
– The official website of 62nd Airlift Wing has published an article on last Wednesday’s Tribute to the Troops taping at McChord Field in Pierce County, Washington. The article features an aerial shot of the venue.
– The LAW reports that tickets for WrestleMania 31 from Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California will range from $25 all the way up to $10,000 for platinum seats. WWE is expected to hold a press conference today announcing the event, which will take place on Sunday, March 29, 2015.
As previously reported, WWE NXT wrestler Solomon Crowe, who is the former Sami Callihan, debuted a new “hacker” gimmick during Thursday’s WWE NXT live event in Tampa, Florida.
