Mike Santana confirms WWE NXT name change

Mike Santana
Mike Santana arrives on the July 21 episode of WWE NXT. (Image credit: WWE)

Mike Santana, who established that moniker during television runs with both TNA Wrestling and AEW, is getting a new name in WWE NXT.

When news broke that WWE had filed a trademark for the term “Cruz Montana,” most assumed that it was Santana’s new NXT name. That speculation proved to be accurate with Santana posting a video today confirming the change. He announced that we’ll hear from Cruz Montana on NXT this Tuesday night.

“Last week, I made my official debut on NXT and set the wrestling world on fire. All without saying a thing. But my actions let everyone know what my sights were set on,” Santana said. “Tomorrow night, live, I put words behind those actions and for the first time you get to hear what Cruz Montana has to say. I’ll see you all there. Let’s get it.”

Cruz Montana’s NXT arrival —

Santana was not identified by name when he made his official debut on NXT last week, which has become a pretty routine practice for WWE as they wait for the trademark process to play out with new NXT roster additions. A street fight between NXT Champion Tony D’Angelo and Naraku headlined the episode. After D’Angelo retained, Santana appeared in the crowd for a staredown with D’Angelo.

A two-time TNA World Champion, Santana will now be going after the NXT Championship as his potential first WWE gold. He’s already a relatively familiar face on the brand after having made some NXT appearances while with TNA due to the TNA-WWE working relationship. TNA sent out a tweet last week congratulating Santana (real name Mark Sanchez) on his NXT debut.

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Joseph Currier
Joseph Currier

Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.

In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.