Former X Division Champion, Sheik Abdul Bashir spoke with Inside The Ropes and discussed why he ended up leaving TNA:
"It was Russo. it was a couple of things. TNA are structured very different to WWE. The TV and live events stuff are like two different beasts. When i re-signed, Terry Taylor, Jeff Jarrett and Dixie Carter put together a great deal with similar money that I made in WWE. A lot of that hung on my being on TV and PPVs, which were written by creative, at the time by Jeff Jarrett. Once Jeff got pushed out the door and Russo came in and didn't like my character and thought it was dated, I wasn't on many TV or PPV events and now this contract was no longer a deal worth f**k all to me. Had I known that, I'd have maybe made an effort to go back to WWE instead of re-signing with them. I harassed Russo night and day, he hates my guts. Russo is one of these writers that doesn't like other input on ideas. Every idea he has whether it's good, bad or indifferent is his baby. Anytime you present Russo with an idea that isn't his, he doesn't like it."


