Mike Santana Reveals WWE Collaboration Was Key Factor in His Decision to Rejoin TNA

Mike Santana continues to make the media rounds ahead of his highly anticipated match at the TNA Emergence 2024 special event this Friday night in Louisville, Kentucky.

In a recent interview with PWMania.com, the TNA star discussed his return to the promotion, the ongoing collaboration between TNA and WWE, and his future aspirations.

Reflecting on his return to TNA Wrestling, Santana shared, “For me, it was definitely a big homecoming. TNA is a place I always considered my home. I’ve been able to grow a lot there, even during my first run, I grew a lot as a performer and learned so much. To be back there at the level I’m at with my experience now, it’s been an awesome ride honestly. Getting to work with someone like Maclin when I first came in, he’s an awesome wrestler and an awesome human being. He was the perfect first opponent. I only have one speed, and when I’m in the ring, I’m ready to go. He’s the same way, and our intensity matched each other. Especially that night, we both felt like we had something to prove, it was awesome. It’s been awesome all the way until now. I’ve been doing it my way, working with some awesome people, and that was the whole reason I bet on myself. I was going to do it my way, bet on myself, and do things the way I want to do them. It’s been paying off, it’s been awesome, and I’ve been having the most fun I’ve ever had in my career. The best is yet to come. There’s still so much to go and it’s only going to get better.”

Speaking on TNA’s relationship with WWE NXT, Santana revealed, “It feels good. It was actually one of the main driving forces on why I decided to come back to TNA. While I was out getting ready for my comeback, I watched everything. I did my homework, and caught myself up to speed with what was going on. I loved TNA. The talent, the stories, everyone seemed motivated, and it was something I wanted to be a part of. To be honest, when I came back to wrestling, I already knew I was going to leave where I was. So, I knew I needed to start doing my homework. TNA drew me the most, and it’s awesome to be a part of the hottest era of the company. The talent I get to work with is awesome. We’re all going to push each other and vying for the top spot.”

Looking ahead to his future, Santana stated, “I want to be World Champion. I’m going to be World Champion. That’s my ultimate goal at TNA right now, and to continue growing as a performer. To continue growing as a human being in general. I want to continue traveling the world and doing what I love to do. I went through hell to get back to this, and I’m enjoying every moment. Right now, my ultimate goal is becoming the best wrestler in the world, and becoming World Champion. As far as opponents go, I’m willing to work with anyone. I want to work with everyone. The only way you’ll get better and gain more experience is by working with better people. This whole NXT/TNA thing is exciting and I’m sure I’m going to cross that bridge when it’s meant to happen. When I do, get ready.”

Check out the complete interview via the YouTube player embedded below.