Candid responses from Swann.
Joining Konnan and Disco Inferno for a recording of K100 was Rich Swann. To start, Swann dove into his departure from TNA Wrestling in 2024.
His run with the promotion came to an end following his arrest in the summer of that year. Swann would voluntarily enter a rehab program. He provided clarity on his contract situation with TNA and said his deal was coming up in December 2024.
There was a rollover clause in that deal and if TNA picked it up, Swann would have received a pay bump. He went on to say that he takes responsibility for his actions and understands why a company would not want someone who had his situation going on.
“So this is the thing, I wasn’t released (from TNA). The thing was I got suspended and everything like that and afterwards, I didn’t hear anything from the management but, what I had found out was, you know, later, basically the management was being shuffled around and the guys that I had dealt with, when they told me the 30-day suspension and afterwards, we would talk about my contract because it was coming up at the end of that December and it was going to be a rollover decision on if they would want to keep me for one more year or, you know, if I wanted to leave or anything like that, and it was gonna be a bump in pay. But the one thing that I was told by the person that was released from IMPACT was that they were switching the way that they were doing their business and their contracts and models and they didn’t want to have anybody on a guaranteed contract.
At the same token, I’m somebody that’s going to take responsibility for my actions and for myself. As a company, you don’t wanna have somebody that has on their -- as a stain. Oh, he’s being arrested. The alcohol and everything…”
Swann then spoke in detail about the arrest. He had been drinking but said he was not driving and was dropped off where he lived.
Swann thought he was entering his home, but it ended up being his neighbor's house. When his neighbor opened the door, he pulled a gun on Swann but when he realized it was Swann, the situation de-escalated. There was an incident beforehand with another neighbor that led to the police being called. Swann said there was a woman who thought he did not live in the neighborhood.
Looking back at the situation, he feels it was the greatest thing that could have happened to him because he's coming up on one year of sobriety.
“Oh, so no, I did not drive… Literally what happened, I was coming back from a party and I went into my next -- I tried to get into what I thought was my house but it was my next-door neighbor’s house. We’d done that multiple times.
My neighbor pulled out the gun on me… He did, he did (recognize me). I’m trying to get into the house. Yeah, yeah (he thinks I’m breaking in) and I don’t hear anybody from the other side and then as soon as they opened up the door, he’s got it to my dome. He’s like, ‘Oh! Rich!? Oh man, you’re hammered.’ So, what had happened beforehand, I get dropped off at the apartment complex that I lived in. It was gated. So, the Uber just dropped me off at the gate. I was looking for my keys, I’m doing the whole gimmick, and I finally find my key for that gate and when I open up that gate but so, as I’m looking for my keys, there’s some lady in the neighborhood and at the time, you know what I’m saying? I’m slobbering, I’m all hammered, I got my dreads all up my (*inaudible*) and everything like that, it’s at night and this lady, she thinks that I don’t live in the neighborhood so she calls the cops. She calls the cops and freakin’ -- and then it doesn’t look good on me and I’m trying to get into another house. But it’s right next to my apartment.
The officer comes around and he says, ‘Ah, I know you’re right by your door but, we gotta arrest you for intoxication in public…’ That’s life but, I’m here to say that was the greatest thing that could have ever happened to me because I’m now, almost next month will be a year I’ll be sober. I’m in the best shape of my life.”
Before Swann's exit from TNA, he had been paired with A.J. Francis as the original First Cla$$. When Swann was out, K.C. Navarro filled in. Swann had high praise for both Francis and Navarro.
“He’s (A.J. Francis) one guy that I feel like in the back, people, you know what I mean, they give him the side eye but, if I could just be one hunnit for a minute, you know what I’m saying? He’s somebody that I think could be a world champion that I think he really does get this business.
K.C. Navarro, I’ve known him since he first started as well and me and him, we just got to wrestle on Homicide's last show, on his retirement show. He’s another level. He’s somebody that I feel like if he came out back in the day, he would get it… He be going off. He’s on point. He’s good.”
Swann is regularly competing on the independent scene. His last documented bout was on June 8th at the WWN SuperShow in Clearwater, Florida.
If the quotes in this article are used, please credit K100 with Konnan and Disco with an H/T to Fightful for the transcriptions.
