The direction of now-former TNA Champion Mike Santana is up in the air after he lost his gold toFrankie Kazarian just four weeks after becoming champion atBound for Glory, and after a failed angle by a TNA official to make fans believe Santana had no-showedan event. With Kazarian now taking on JDC at Final Resolution, plans for Santana are a mystery. On "Busted Open Radio" following an episode of "Impact" where Santana cut a promo to the crowd, Bully Ray said that while he likes Santana personally and professionally, he's concerned for him.
"The people popped for him when he came out," Bully Ray said. "They were very attentive when he spoke, and yes, they popped for him when he was done. In a bubble, that's totally fine. What is it going to really mean moving forward? I know about the trials and the tribulations and the struggles of Mike Santana. He's told us before... But, who is going to be in front of him? Who poses that threat to Mike Santana? Who's going to be breathing down his neck? Are we on another journey with Mike Santana just for him to recapture the gold again?"
The WWE Hall of Famer said that TNA fans have already been there with Santana, as it started back in the early summer and went through Slammiversary, Bound for Glory, and through the first set of TV tapings for the company following a brief hiatus where Santana wasn't even defending the title. Bully Ray said he wasn't sure was kind of "fire power" TNA had on the heel side to present a threat to Santana, but he did know of one person from his past.
Santana and his former partner, Ortiz, were one of the first tag teams to join AEW in 2019, premiering on the first episode of "AEW Dynamite" alongside Chris Jericho and The Inner Circle. However, over the years, the now-former tag team stopped seeing eye-to-eye on the direction of their careers, and they officially broke up as a tag team in 2024. Bully Ray believes Ortiz is the perfect opponent for Santana at this stage.
"I don't want to hear from anybody about, 'Oh, those two hate each other.' Good. I'm glad that they hate each other," he said. That hatred will bring out the best in [them]. When I look at stuff like this, I look at it strictly from a storyline point of view. What makes sense? Who would be harboring so much animosity toward Mike Santana that he could possibly be involved with 'NXT' guys to do something to ruin Mike's life? Who wants to ruin Mike's life that much? Ortiz."
Bully Ray said that after the response to Santana's win at Slammiversary, as half the crowd had left after The Hardy's match, the company needs to throw a major threat at him. He said he didn't see the "dollars and cents" in Santana chasing Kazarian for the TNA Championship.
Ortiz remains in AEW, however.He recently revealed to Wombreezy that he still has around a year on his current contract and despite not being on TV, he's been coaching and producing in the company.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Busted Open Radio" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
