Add as a preferred source on Google TNA has publicly commented on Mike Santana’s official arrival in WWE, a little more than three weeks after his run with the promotion came to an end.
Santana appeared in the closing moments of the July 21 episode of WWE NXT, in Orlando, Florida. After Tony D’Angelo defeated Naraku in a Street Fight to retain the NXT Championship, the former TNA World Champion emerged through the crowd and stared down the champion.
On social media, TNA congratulated Santana:
“Congratulations to @Santana_Proud on his monumental debut on last night’s @WWENXT!”
Santana’s run with TNA ended at Slammiversary on June 28, when he lost the TNA World Championship to Nic Nemeth. He did not take part in the tapings held after the pay-per-view and was subsequently removed from the promotion’s official roster for future events.
Although this was treated as his official arrival, Santana had already wrestled several times on NXT during the WWE-TNA partnership. On May 27, 2025, he defeated Tavion Heights and challenged Trick Williams for the TNA World Championship. On March 31 of this year, he returned as world champion and, alongside OTM, defeated DarkState in New York City.
One detail that stood out at the end of the show was that WWE never referred to Santana by name, describing him only as a “new Superstar” — which could point to a change in his name going forward.