One of the AEW originals, Mike Santana, has left the company.
Santana announced on social media that he is no longer with the promotion. It seems the decision was his.
“It has been five years of ups and downs but above it all, it taught me so much about myself and this business. I am thankful for the opportunity I was given to be part of history at the ground level. I can say that I will forever be part of that legacy right at day one,” he said about his time in AEW.
Santana explained that he has decided to “bet on himself” and it is time for him to take a risk.
“You’ll never know your true potential unless you really put it to work…I am so excited what the future holds for me,” he continued.
He then thanked God, his family, fans and his former tag team partner Ortiz for supporting him all these years.
“I told you the best is yet to come,” he concluded.
Santana’s last match for AEW was against Ortiz on an episode of Rampage in October of last year after AEW had pushed him for a big comeback. Once his brief feud with Ortiz was over though fans didn’t ever see him again.
Surprisingly enough, after being with the company from the start and part of the Inner Circle faction Santana and Ortiz as Proud & Powerful never won the AEW World Tag Team Championships. As part of LAX (Latin American Xchange) in TNA they were Impact World Tag Team Champions four times. During their stint in AEW, a rift developed between Santana and Ortiz. It is not known if Santana’s future plans involve Ortiz.
