Bad Influence Speaks about TNA

Bad Influence tag partners Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian have parted ways with TNA after being with the company off-and-on for the past 12 years.

But, Kazarian said in a recent interview he doesn't feel like he left "TNA" because he does not recognize the company he started with in 2003.

"My last day at TNA, I said this to a few people, I didn't feel like I was leaving TNA because I didn't feel like I recognized the company. There was still people I'll miss but it didn't feel like I was leaving TNA," Kazarian told Brian Fritz of BetweentheRopes.com in a recent interview.

Daniels, who formed a bond with Kazarian on the California independent scene, hinted at changes not only being in the locker room via roster turnover, but in the office.

"I'm not sure what their reasoning was," Daniels told v2 Wrestling in the U.K. about being released. "It wasn't money, we never even got to (talking about) money. Part of me takes it personally. Anybody that is in some sort of entertainment field where they are their own product, when you're told 'No, we don't want you,' of course a little bit of you takes it personally."

Kazarian told Fritz that he saw the writing on the wall with how TNA handled A.J. Styles's departure earlier this year.

"Honestly, there was a couple of red flags, and this was even preceding when I was starting to make up my mind about my current situation, A.J. Styles leaving obviously, because I'm very close to A.J. and knowing what he was going through and talking to him, that was huge," Kaz said.

"I was like, 'Wait a minute.' I say this as his friend and I say this selfishly, I don't understand why they didn't do whatever it took to keep him there. And I'm not just saying that because he's a friend. I'm saying that because he's a franchise guy. He's one of the best in the world. He's a good human being. He's a guy you can continue to build the company around. He leaves and real soon thereafter Jeff Jarrett leaves so that was a big red flag being waved. Wait a minute … things are changing. I don't know that they're changing for the better. It could just be me. Internally, management, complete turnover, people on the creative team, people in management. It really is just different."

Daniels also told Fritz that he heard "as early as January" that there were plans not to re-sign him. He said when he heard that, he thought to himself, 'That can't be right,' reasoning that he felt like Bad Influence never fumbled the ball with the material they were given.

"I don't recall even coming through the curtain after a match and having the powers that be sort of be upset about the way my matches were going," Daniels said. "But here were are in May and that's exactly the way it went down. I was sort of trying to see a positive in it or at least hold out hope and I ended up being incorrect in that respect."

Daniels noted he wanted to stay in TNA, especially when Bad Influence did not have a chance to have a feud with new TNA tag champions The Wolves (Eddie Edwards and Davey Richards).

"Honestly, since after Bound for Glory, there just wasn't any direction for Bad Influence the tag-team," Kaz told Fritz. We continued to ask questions, we continued to pitch ideas and it was just like 'Okay, we're thinking of this or that,' but we never got a straight answer and we were just kind of floating. It kind of bothered us because, honestly, we're too good for this. We should really be involved in something."

Now, Bad Influence appears to be headed to Ring of Honor, at least Daniels on an official basis until Kaz's TNA contract officially expires. Daniels said he's looking forward to working with new teams in ROH.

"I think there's a very strong curiosity about what we're going to do next. That challenge of trying to do something fresh and exciting in a different location and a different atmosphere, I'm looking forward to it and I know Frankie is, too. We're definitely looking to keep our tag-team alive and thriving in the professional wrestling landscape," Daniels told Fritz.

In the meantime, the duo will continue promoting their new comic book through "Aw Yeah Comics."