Mike Santana is sticking to his plan and finding a great amount of success.
Santana was injured during the Blood & Guts match on the June 29, 2022 episode of Dynamite. The knee injury kept him sidelined for over a year before returning in the Stadium Stampede match at AEW All In 2023.
One year later, Santana is now a featured member of the TNA roster, currently engaged in a feud with The System. During a recent interview with WrestleZone Managing Editor Bill Pritchard, he reflected on what he’s learned about himself in the year since his return. Santana shared that he finally feels like he’s learned to trust himself and the process.
Santana is hitting on all cylinders
“Before I came back, I formulated a plan for myself. I pretty much jotted down a bunch of things that I felt like I needed to do to get where I needed, where I wanted to be,” Santana explained. “I’ve been hitting on all cylinders with that plan. I’ve just been going step by step by step. It’s been paying off, thankfully. I’ve been able to do a lot of cool stuff this year.”
Santana is proud of his first match after injury being at Wembley Stadium in front of 80,000+ fans. He continues to ride a positive wave of momentum, working with as many of the best wrestlers to continue getting better at his craft.
“I have been learning so much about myself as a performer. I’ve always said that the best way for you to get better is to work with people that have more experience than you,” Santana noted. “I’ve been trying to do that as much as I could. Even though I’ve been in the game for 15 years and I’ve been wrestling at a high level for a very long time, I still feel like I’m constantly learning and I’m constantly trying to better myself.”
Feeling blessed
Santana says he’s blessed to have the year that he has had. From wrestling a mix of up-and-coming talent to veterans like Shelton Benjamin and Amazing Red, Santana is happy how things are going in this chapter of his career.
“It’s been a wild year. I’ve been blessed, to say the least. Especially going back to the things that I went through while I was out, and just that whole process of bettering myself as a human being and getting my mind, body and spirit right. I’ve been enjoying everything. It’s been pretty cool just to see how much talent is out there,” he said. “I’ve been wrestling a lot of the younger guys coming up, I’ve been wrestling a lot of the veterans who I came up with. I’ve been wrestling guys who have been around even longer than me.
“So just learning from everyone in general and it’s been awesome. I’ve got to work with Shelton Benjamin. I’ve worked with Amazing Red, Homicide and a lot of the other younger guys that are out now. It’s just been awesome, man,” Santana explained. “Then like you said, getting back to TNA and being on that roller coaster, seeing how much it’s grown since I’ve been away, and being part of this new path and this new growth that’s it been on. Everything is hitting on all cylinders, so it’s been pretty cool.”
Santana on The System
Santana will continue his feud with The System in the form of an eight-man tag team match at TNA Emergence. They have some cool things in the works, and he’s excited to be part of the “upward trajectory” that TNA is on now.
“Every show has been selling out. There’s been big crowds, awesome storytelling going on, awesome shows. Everyone is busting their ass from in the ring to behind the scenes. It’s awesome to be in a locker room that everyone feels that that energy. Everyone’s trying to continue that upward momentum and are willing to put in the work. I’m excited to get these wrestling fans in Louisville, to attend a TNA show and have them enjoy it.”
TNA Emergence is officially sold out, but fans can still watch the event at home on TNA+.
Watch our full interview with Mike Santana below:
