TNA star Mike Santana explained why he asked for his AEW release multiple times.
Santana spent five years in AEW, teaming with Ortiz in Chris Jericho’s Inner Circle. After injuries and a fallout with Ortiz, his appearances declined. He returned briefly in 2023 for a match against Ortiz, then officially left AEW in March 2024 and made his way to TNA Wrestling the following month. Since then he has become one of the top stars of the company.
Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, Mike Santana explained he chose to leave because he didn’t feel like he was growing in AEW. “I’m the type of person that I need constant growth in my life, and especially in this in this line of any line of work. Right? If you’re not growing, then what are we doing? Right?”
“And ultimately, that was that was the ultimate case, I was just, a lot of unhappiness, a lot of, you know, things that I just wasn’t about. And ultimately, business is business, right? And I’m a brand the same way that they’re a brand. And I was like, I need to take care of my brand, and I need to continue growing because this wrestling thing this is my life. I’ve dedicated everything to this, you know.”
“So, I’m also not the type of person that I could just sit and collect a paycheck. That’s just not me. Never has been. So it was just about that time, and there was no heat. There were no hard feelings. It was, you know, it is what it is. That’s the wrestling business. People come, people go, right? And, I looked at it as like, I need to do what’s best for me and my career and my life and my sanity.
Mike Santana opens up about requesting AEW release multiple times
Mike Santana decided to put himself, his career, and his carrer. He admitted feeling nervous about leaving AEW following a guarantee contract. I looked at it as like, I need to do what’s best for me and my career and my life and my sanity. And, I did exactly that. Was I, worried? was there fear and stuff? Yeah, of course. I’m leaving a guaranteed paycheck of a lot of money. I have a family. But me having done the work on myself, I knew the work that I was willing to put in to get to where I wanted to be. And look, I’m in the main event at UBS, right?
When asked if AEW tried to keep him, Santana shared that he had actually requested his release multiple times. “So I had asked for my release multiple times. Yeah. When I came back and, like, I had the short feud and match with my ex-partner, and then, after that, like, they stopped bringing me to TV, so I was like, yo, just get me out of I’m good, you know? Like, let’s just whatever. And like, I asked maybe, like two or three times, and then finally, you know, they granted me my release, and I was like, thank you.”
Read More: Ortiz Reacts To Mike Santana Going Solo And Finding Success In TNA and NXT
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