Mike Santana addresses his future amid WWE rumors
Whether it’s by staying in TNA or going elsewhere, Mike Santana is determined to keep growing in his wrestling career.
Santana is the current TNA World Champion and has a title defense against Nic Nemeth coming up at Slammiversary this Sunday (June 28). It could end up being one of Santana’s last TNA dates, with his contract reportedly set to expire in mid-July. There are rumors that WWE is interested in Santana and would like to have him on the main roster before the end of 2026.
Though not directly addressing his contract situation, Santana spoke about his future during a new interview with McGuire on Wrestling. He’s embracing the role he has as one of the top stars in TNA, praising the “special” roster and great team the promotion has. But Santana sounds open to exploring other opportunities if they would present a new challenge for him.
“I’m thankful for the opportunity that TNA gave me the last two years as far as being able to reinvent myself and rebuild myself. And, man, just looking back on these last two years, I’ve been able to accomplish a lot of things and do a lot of great things,” he said. “I don’t take it for granted. And being a part of why the company is where we’re at today and having this new TV deal and all this stuff and just being on the forefront of that, it feels great and it’s something that I take very serious.
“As far as the future goes, man, like I’m the type that growth is part of my life and I feel like if there’s an opportunity for me to grow, then that’s what I’m going to do, right? Whether it’s at TNA, whether — anywhere, anywhere. For me, if you’re not growing in this business, then what are you doing? If you’re not trying to progress in this business, then what are we doing? And at the end of the day, like I need to show my daughter that there’s levels, right? There’s levels to this. And also my dad used to always say the top of one mountain is the bottom of another, right? So keep climbing, keep climbing.”
Mike Santana embracing his past —
After departing AEW, Santana has thrived as a singles competitor in TNA, becoming a two-time World Champion for the company. He’s already made some crossover appearances into WWE due to the partnership TNA has with NXT.
Santana reached three years sober from drugs and alcohol this February. He told McGuire on Wrestling that, despite all of the hardships he went through, he wouldn’t change anything about his journey.
“Hitting rock bottom is the best place to start building a foundation,” Santana said. “And I used my pain and my struggles and everything that I went through as my motivation. Along with my daughter. You know, I hate the fact that I had to go through the things that I went through, but I wouldn’t change them at all, because it made me who I am today and it got me to where I am today. So, yeah, man, special things. And I feel like I’m just getting started.”
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.