Ortiz reacts to Mike Santana‘s success in TNA and WWE NXT.
Former TNA World Tag Team Champion Ortiz recently appeared on Johnny I Pro Show to talk about everything pro wrestling, including his noteworthy stint with Mike Santana as one-half of Proud-N-Powerful.
Commenting on his former tag team partner’s success in TNA and NXT, Ortiz revealed that they had the option to sign with WWE before ultimately leaving TNA for All Elite Wrestling.
“Very cool [to witness Mike Santana’s success in TNA & WWE] and just especially because before AEW, before we signed with AEW, WWE was an option,” Ortiz said. “So, it was like, ‘What do we choose?’ And ultimately, obviously, we ended up picking AEW but it’s cool that he’s now getting the opportunity to still be able to get that avenue in and it’s cool that they’re somewhat still interested in him or that it still exists. It’s really cool.”
Ortiz says he and Mike Santana couldn’t have come this far without each other
“Honestly, if it wasn’t for him, especially early on in my career — and with each other — if we didn’t have each other, I don’t think I would have ever made it to this point, to be honest. Now, I can confidently say if I had the mentality that I have now, I would 100 percent make it. But I was a different human being in my early 20s.
“Us being able to rely on each other — and then of course, when you struggle with someone, of course, you bond with somebody. You’re doing those 12, 15-hour drives. You’re both broke. We’re sharing food with each other, we’re figuring it out, we’re sleeping on floors, we’re sleeping in cars.
“Yeah man, we were definitely brothers in arms for a really long time. And honestly, if it wasn’t for him — and vice versa, me for him — yeah, I don’t think we would have made it to the point that we made it to in our careers.
“Now sadly, we’re doing the journey by ourselves, but it is what it is. That’s just life and kind of how things happen,” Ortiz said. (H/T Fightful)
Mike Santana is set to challenge for the TNA World Championship in a triple threat match at Slammiversary 2025. As for Ortiz, he hasn’t competed for All Elite Wrestling since the January 20, 2024 episode of AEW Collision.
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