Mike Santana: ‘I do not want to be another guy on the team’ in todays Wrestling news
Santana spoke to Chris Van Vliet in recent times.
In a recent interview, Mike Santana spoke about his decision to leave AEW and not want to be “just another man on the roster.”
Santana told Chris Van Vliet he was “just burned out” at the time he sustained a knee injury during the 2022 Blood & Guts Match. Santana was sidelined for almost 14 months by the injury, but he says he decided to leave AEW even before he got injured.
He said:
My decision to leave AEW was made long before I got hurt. I was injured in June 2022, and at that time I was dealing with so many things in my personal and professional life at work. I was simply burned out. My contract was due to expire in September, i believe. I had already decided that I wasn’t going to sign a new contract, and I needed a break to deal with my other obligations. Then the injury happened. So, there was a lot going on at that time.
Santana replied:
I’m not certain. But I wasn’t really actively pursuing this, as the time was approaching. Like I said, I was injured in June. I believe our contract ended in August. I didn’t pursue [and ask] if you were going to renew our contract because I already knew I needed to leave. I need a break. But I’m certain that they would have resigned us if something had worked out. But yeah, man. It was a very dark period for me during that time.
Later, he clarified his experience.
Personal unhappiness outside of wrestling. Then, professionally, things were not going well. I was miserable, to put it mildly. My partnership was in a state of disarray. The work environment was very stagnant. I’m a goal-oriented person and I am a go-getter. In this business I also treat it that way. I treat it like a business. If you don’t strive to be the best, be a champion and grow yourself, then what are your doing? That’s how I feel about everything. During that time, I also dealt with my addiction issues. They were pretty bad at that point. Then the injury happened. I remember laying in the ring and thinking, “damn, I got injured, but thank god I got injured, it was a strange time.”
Santana and Ortiz also discussed the dissolution of his team.
Well, I believe we were together for ten years. When you’re with someone for that long, it feels like a marriage. Right? There’s good, there’s bad. I think that we just grew apart with time. We didn’t share the same vision for the tag-team, its future, or its success. It is what it was, everyone has their own thoughts. Everyone approaches things differently. But yeah, as I told you before, I am a go-getter. I like to create my own opportunities, I like it, and I’m willing to fight to get our spot. “But I’m also not going to be alone.”
I wanted more from the tag team. That was the main thing. How do I put it? Our visions were not always the same. Then I thought, ‘This is going to drive you crazy. I refuse to be miserable. I think I’d like to do more single stuff. I want to challenge myself as a performer and grow. I don’t like to stagnate. It wasn’t well received. It was like a friction. And I was like man, you’re a brother. It was like, “Alright, we can no longer do this.”
He also spoke about the team’s free agent status in 2019 and how they signed with AEW.
Oh, yeah. When our TNA contracts were about to expire, AEW and WWE showed interest. We had spoken extensively with WWE and they made it difficult for us to refuse them. Cody hired us, but we already spoke to him a long time ago and had given our word. Our word is everything. By that time, they had asked, Hey, did you sign anything? We said, “No” but we did give our word.
Santana revealed that he has had discussions with WWE, but stressed that he does not “want to just be another guy on the team.”
I’ve had a few discussions. I’ve been open with everyone. Now, I’m just looking for the place where I can grow the most. I don’t just want to be another player on the team. I’ve already done that. I want to be a part of something. I want to do something unique. I’m a smart money manager and I don’t have any financial problems. I take my time and I want to enjoy myself.
He also said that a return to TNA Wrestling was not out of the question
They are doing well. TNA is doing a great job.
Santana released a press release earlier this month about his departure from AEW. “You won’t know your true potential until you put it to the test,” he wrote. I’m a firm believer in the saying ‘When one doors closes, another opens’ and i’m so excited about what my future holds.
He announced in February he has been sober for one year.
Santana discusses in the interview below his decision to become sober, his team’s failure to win the AEW World Tag Team Championships and more.
Mike Santana: ‘I do not want to be another guy on the team’ in todays Wrestling news, Chatalong Chatbox, Results will be Hidden inside a spoiler Button so you will not bet spoiled about direct results.
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