The partnership between WWE and TNA has been quite successful. The March 31, 2026, episode of WWE NXT was a great example of that. TNA World Champion Mike Santana made a strong impact in a WWE ring as he teamed up with OTM to defeat DarkState in a six-man tag team match.
Santana teamed up with Bronco Nima and Lucien Price. On the other side stood. DarkState members Saquon Shugars, Dion Lennox, and Osiris Griffin. They have garnered a reputation for using smart tactics to secure the upper hand.
Mike Santana runs through DarkState in WWE NXT win
Shugars started things off with a cheap shot and quickly tagged out. Nima and Griffin then went at it, trading big elbow shots. Lennox came in next, but OTM took control with quick tags in the corner. Santana then joined in.
The quick tags continued until Dion managed to escape and tag Shugars back in. Shugars went up against Price, and they exchanged moves. And then Griffin makes a blind tag. He jumped in at the right moment and stopped Price in the middle of a military press.
DarkState kept tagging in and out. Griffin got slammed into the post. Nima hit a pop-up stomp on Lennox and then delivered a fireman’s carry backbreaker on Shugars. He stacked them up, ran the ropes, and landed a Bronco Buster on both. He even choked them on the ropes before hitting an over-rotated exploder suplex that sent Shugars flying.
DarkState kept the pressure, using quick tags and corner control to wear Nima down. Shugars was still in control, but Nima finally broke free and tagged in Price. Price came in strong and took out Griffin and Lennox. Griffin tried to avoid him, but a pop-up stomp halted his progress. Price lifted Shugars and threw him onto Lennox, then hit a big Rock Bottom on Griffin. But Shugars broke the pin.
Santana then entered the match after a tag. He hit a backroll Ace Crusher on Lennox and then dived onto the others outside the ring. Back inside, he went for a diving splash, but Lennox kicked out.
DarkState fought back and tried a triple powerbomb with Shugars coming off the top, but OTM stopped it. Santana rolled one of them up for a near fall, then hit a kick to the midsection. Shugars dodged a few moves, but Santana caught him with a quick scoop powerslam.
Price got tagged back in. Santana took out the other two with a dive at the ringside. OTM then delivered a double-team Argentine backbreaker rack slam to Shugars and won the match.
This victory is another big moment for Santana, who continues to make his mark in WWE while still being a TNA star. Santana revealed his father’s happiness after he secured the victory at WWE NXT.
He is coming off TNA Sacrifice, where his match with Steve Maclin ended early after a superkick from Santana knocked him out.
After the match, Santana took to X and wrote he made his father and city proud, adding an emotional layer to his big WWE NXT win.
Now, Santana is set to defend the World Championship against Eddie Edwards at TNA Rebellion.
Read More: TNA World Title Match Stopped After Steve Maclin Injury At Sacrifice
