Mike Santana is not going to coast by in TNA.
WrestleZone Managing Editor Bill Pritchard recently spoke with Santana, who made his return to TNA at the Rebellion pay-per-view. Santana had been with AEW for the past five years, but he (and former LAX teammate Ortiz) made a name for themselves as LAX in IMPACT Wrestling prior to that. Santana spoke about what brought him back to TNA, explaining how he kept things quiet so that it stayed a surprise until he showed up.
“TNA was definitely an option that was on the table. And I feel like in wrestling now, everything gets spoiled and everything gets leaked so quick,” he explained. “I’ve always been one to keep things close to the chest. I like moving in silence, and I don’t talk to many people. I wanted to keep that element of surprise, and everything came together together pretty quick, honestly.
“As soon as I had made it public that I had left AEW, the phone rang, which is pretty cool and humbling. Thankfully, I had a lot of friends still here that were also pulling for me,” Santana added. “The team that’s here, I’ve always had great relationships with. It was an amazing ride. And I’m still living off that ride, so yeah, it’s been exciting.”
In it for the long haul
Santana has also made appearances for House Of Glory and ETU (Expect The Unexpected), among other promotions, in recent months. Asked how he’ll split his time, Santana said he’s fully dedicating himself to TNA, but has some other dates he’ll honor when his TNA schedule allows it.
“I’m dedicating myself fully to TNA. I’m still going to be moving around on the indies as much as I can, as much as my schedule allows,” he said. “I always love to try to keep a work and real-life balance, especially with my daughter and her getting older. Family is a huge thing for me, so spending a lot of time with my family is huge. I’m in TNA for the long haul.
“I look forward to growing, being one of the guys that will put the company on my back and continue elevating it and making it a place to be. I’m gonna do everything that I did as a tag team and more. So, yeah, I got a lot of dates coming up in May,” Santana added. “I’m going back to England for PROGRESS, hoping to head back to Germany soon. Japan is definitely on the list of goals that I want to accomplish this year. So yeah, it’s just working and doing what I gotta do.”
What’s next?
TNA provides Mike Santana with a fresh start in some respects. He’s known there, and in other circles like AEW, as a tag team specialist. Now branching out as a singles competitor, Santana says he wants to keep grinding, putting in the work to get better. Santana reiterated that he’s coming for the world title, and he’ll show everyone just how driven he still is.
“I think, honestly, it’s to continue growing as a performer, getting into my groove, and that all comes to more you work, right? The more you do something, the better you get at it. There’s so much talent in TNA right now, so getting in there with all those guys and being able to mix it up. Also, I always try to take something away from every match that I’m in. So, there’s a lot of talent, there’s a lot of options,” Santana explained.
“And of course, like I said in my promo after the match [at TNA Rebellion], I’m coming for the top spot. Anything that I do, in my life in general, I do it to the best of my ability. I’m aiming for the absolute most success I can. I didn’t take this leap of faith and bet on myself just to coast by,” he pointed out. “The same way that I did with the tag team, we worked our asses off. We became one of the top tag teams in the world. I plan to do the same thing on my own. And thankfully, I’m still young. I’m still hungry. I still love this. You have to love it to do it. I’m hungrier than ever. Honestly, I’m ready to go. And whoever wants to step up, step up. Let’s get it.”
Watch our full interview with Mike Santana below:
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