A former TNA World Champion made their shock return to WWE NXT on last night’s show.
Mike Santana made his return to WWE NXT during this week’s episode, confronting Tony D’Angelo following the show’s main event. After Robert Stone spent the night teasing the arrival of a mystery individual, Santana emerged from the crowd after D’Angelo defeated Naraku. The broadcast ended with the two men locked in a tense staredown, seemingly setting up Santana as D’Angelo’s next challenger.
Interestingly, WWE did not identify Santana by name during the segment. Commentary avoided mentioning him, his name did not appear on the video screen during his entrance, and WWE’s social media accounts also refrained from identifying the former World Champion.
Mike Santana’s Recent TNA Wrestling Departure
Mike Santana departed Total Nonstop Action Wrestling following Slammiversary on June 28, where he lost the World Championship to Nic Nemeth. Shortly afterwards, he posted the date “7/15” on social media, leading to speculation that his contract with the promotion had expired.
Despite being under contract with TNA, Santana made several appearances on NXT television during the companies’ working relationship. He captained Team TNA to victory in the NXT vs. TNA elimination match at NXT Showdown last year and, in March, teamed with OTM to defeat Darkstate in a six-man tag team match at the MSG Theatre.
