WWE or AEW? 5 directions for Sami Callihan after leaving IMPACT Wrestling

Sami Callihan is officially a free agent, recently finishing up obligations with IMPACT Wrestling. What's next for The Death Machine? Will he be heading to WWE or AEW?

The Death Machine took a pinfall loss on his way out of IMPACT, teaming up with Rich Swann. They were defeated by The Rascalz in an IMPACT World Tag Team Championship match. This match was taped on September 23, 2023, and was aired on October 12th. By September 30th, Callihan's contract with the Nashville-based promotion officially ran its course.

Where will Sami Callihan go next? The 36-year-old Callihan is a wrestler who is as tough as nails, and his in-ring talent could be utilized in any major wrestling company.

Will Sami venture over to All Elite Wrestling? Or maybe he'll return to WWE. There are so many potential directions for The Death Machine in 2023 and beyond!

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#5. Sami Callihan debuts in AEW and reunites with Jon Moxley, possibly joining The Blackpool Combat Club

Three-time AEW World Champion Jon Moxley is reportedly pushing for Sami Callihan to sign with AEW. Sami and Moxley have a long history together, most notably as partners in the collective known as The Switchblade Conspiracy. In 2009, they won the wXw Tag Team Titles, and held the gold for over 300 days. Callihan and Mox have wrestled as allies, and opponents, and both stars thrive on ultra-violence.

Callihan was reportedly backstage on the most recent edition of AEW Collison. During that episode, Moxley got physical for the first time since sustaining a concussion at AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam in a match against Rey Fenix.

Will we see the former IMPACT World Champion arrive in AEW, and become the newest member of The Blackpool Combat Club? There's certainly a possibility of that happening sometime in the near future. Or maybe Callihan and Moxley will become rivals in AEW, and beat the blood and snot out of each other. Both men would surely enjoy either scenario.

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#4. The wrestler formerly known as Solomon Crowe returns to WWE, and works with SmackDown's Karrion Kross

Sami Callihan wrestled under the ring name "Solomon Crowe" during his tenure with WWE from 2013 to 2015. At that time, Crowe wrestled on NXT, and mostly competed at house shows and dark matches. He left the company after requesting his release in November 2015.

SmackDown Superstar Karrion Kross tweeted about potentially returning a favor to Callihan, by opening a door for him, much like Sami did for Kross in Callihan's indie promotion 'The Wrestling REVOLVER'. Plenty of wrestling fans are speculating that the 'open a door' metaphor is hinting at a potential WWE return for the former Solomon Crowe. Kross won the REVOLVER Championship when he wrestled for Callihan's promotion, and he appears to want to return the favor by opening the doors of WWE for The Death Machine.

If The Death Machine arrives in WWE, maybe he'll head over to the blue brand, and work a storyline with Karrion Kross. Callihan already retweeted Kross' message about The Harbinger of Doom offering to return the favor. Just like he did on X, Kross would post on Instagram about wanting to open a door for Sami Callihan.

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#3. Sami Callihan comes back to WWE NXT and reunites with Joe Gacy

What if the former Solomon Crowe returns to NXT, and works with another wrestler he has a hardcore history with? Much like Jon Moxley, Joe Gacy was a member of The Switchblade Conspiracy alongside Sami Callihan in the ultraviolent indie promotion Combat Zone Wrestling.

If The Death Machine doesn't go to AEW to reunite with Mox, maybe he'll go to NXT, and team up with Gacy, who has been in a bit of a slump in recent weeks. Gacy and Callihan could be formidable foes for Tony D'Angelo and Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo, the current NXT Tag Team Champions.

They could also have intense matches with the likes of Gallus and The Creed Brothers. Or maybe Gacy and Callihan will fight it out amongst themselves in a hardcore brawl on the white-and-gold brand. It wouldn't be the first time they battled it out.

Wrestling fans could also see the return of the "Solomon Crowe" moniker if Callihan does return to NXT.

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#2. Sami Callihan re-signs with IMPACT Wrestling (which is being rebranded back to TNA)

The Death Machine and IMPACT Wrestling weren't able to come to terms regarding a new deal, which led to Sami Callihan officially becoming a free agent after his contract expired on September 30, 2023. Callihan told Cultaholic Wrestling that "it was time for [him] to move on."

Sami competed in IMPACT Wrestling for six years. During his time with the Nashville-based promotion, Callihan led his own faction, Ohio Versus Everything, and had one reign with the IMPACT World Championship.

Callihan appears to have already moved on from the company that is in the process of being rebranded back to TNA. Yet, it's still possible that the promotion can rework details for a new contract that Sami may find agreeable. Maybe, they can come up with an offer that Callihan can't refuse. Considering that the company is currently in a rebranding phase, perhaps they'll need The Death Machine to help make TNA the best brand it can possibly be in 2024 and beyond.

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#1. The Death Machine battles Minoru Suzuki in New Japan Pro-Wrestling or AEW

Sami Callihan last wrestled in Japan in late 2017, taking part in that year's NJPW World Tag League tournament, alongside Juice Robinson. While there are no rumors of a return to New Japan for Callihan, he did mention in an interview earlier this year that it'd be a dream match for him to wrestle Japanese legend, Minoru Suzuki. The Death Machine could make that dream a reality by going over to New Japan Pro-Wrestling, where Suzuki regularly wrestles.

At 55 years old, Minoru Suzuki is still a hard-hitting in-ring performer for NJPW. Minoru also makes appearances on AEW programming from time to time, which means Callihan could still make this dream match a reality, even if he doesn't make an NJPW return. If The Death Machine becomes All Elite, he could potentially battle Murder Grandpa on Tony Khan's turf. Suzuki last wrestled for AEW on October 10, 2023, losing to Eddie Kingston in a singles bout for the ROH World Championship and NJPW STRONG Openweight Title.

Callihan has utilized various in-ring styles throughout his 17-year wrestling career, including Strong Style, a pro wrestling technique that originated in Japan. Suzuki is also no stranger to Japanese Strong Style. A match between The Death Machine and Murder Grandpa would undoubtedly be a war.