Mike Santana spoke with Chris Van Vliet on the “Insight” podcast to discuss a wide range of topics, including his departure from All Elite Wrestling, and more.
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On leaving AEW: “Like I was telling you, my decision to leave AEW came well before my injury. I got hurt in June of 2022 and at that point, I was just dealing with so much in my life personally and professionally at work, and I was just burnt out. My contract was coming up in September, I believe. And I had already made the decision that I’m not going to re-sign, and I just needed to take a break and deal with the things that I needed to deal with. And yeah, so then the injury happened. So, a lot of that was going on during that time.”
On whether AEW wanted to re-sign him: “I’m not sure. But I wasn’t really actively pursuing it, the time was coming up. Like I said, it was June when I got hurt. Our contract was up August I think it. And I wasn’t really like actively pursuing [and saying] ‘Oh, are you guys going to re-sign us?’ Because already in my head, I was like, Yeah, I need to get away. I need to take a break. But I’m sure something would have worked out and they probably would have re-signed us. But yeah, man. During that time, it was a very dark time for me.”
On never becoming a AEW Tag Team Champion: “Your guess is as good as mine. I will be real, I’m gonna shoot straight with you. The reason I was given was that there were too many other people fighting for that spot. And that p*ssed me off more than anything. I understand that when you get to a certain level in this business, if you don’t fight for yourself, if you don’t advocate for yourself, you’re gonna get nowhere. And that was a big part of my fight within my team. And when I heard that, it just validated everything that I was like, alright.”
On whether there was ever talk of becoming Tag Team Champions: “There was in the beginning. It was right before the pandemic. We were feuding with The Bucks, we were ending our feud with The Bucks. And they both told us, they were like, hey, after this, you’re gonna go and start working a programme with Frankie and Scorpio, at the time they were still champs. And then you guys are going to grab the belts from them and whatever. So that was the week of New Year’s Eve. And then we were supposed to have a match New Year’s Day, and then start the programme with them. We were gonna go into some promos. And then that morning, I woke up and got the call that my dad passed away. So I had to leave. So I left and then I was gone for two weeks. And in those two weeks, everything changed.”
In a recent interview with Chris Van Vliet on the “Insight” podcast, Mike Santana opened up about his departure from All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and shed light on various aspects of his time with the company. From personal struggles to missed opportunities, Santana shared his perspective on why he decided to leave AEW and what transpired during his tenure.
Santana revealed that his decision to leave AEW was made well before his injury in June 2022. He explained that he was dealing with numerous personal and professional challenges and felt burnt out. With his contract set to expire in September, Santana had already made up his mind not to re-sign and instead take a break to address the issues he was facing.
When asked if AEW wanted to re-sign him, Santana admitted that he wasn’t actively pursuing it. He acknowledged that the timing of his injury coincided with the contract negotiations, but he had already mentally checked out and needed a break. While he believes something could have worked out if he had pursued re-signing, Santana emphasized that it was a dark time for him personally.
One of the topics discussed was Santana’s failure to become an AEW Tag Team Champion. Santana expressed frustration at the reason given to him for not achieving this goal. He was told that there were too many other individuals vying for the spot, which left him feeling disheartened. Santana emphasized the importance of advocating for oneself in the wrestling industry and how this played a significant role in his fight within his team.
Interestingly, Santana revealed that there were initial talks about him and his partner Ortiz becoming Tag Team Champions. They were supposed to start a program with Frankie Kazarian and Scorpio Sky after their feud with The Young Bucks. However, tragedy struck when Santana received news of his father’s passing on New Year’s Day, causing him to leave for two weeks. Unfortunately, during his absence, plans changed, and the opportunity to become Tag Team Champions slipped away.
The interview provides valuable insights into Santana’s mindset during his time with AEW and sheds light on the challenges he faced. It also highlights the importance of personal well-being and the need for wrestlers to advocate for themselves in a competitive industry.
To hear more about Santana’s experiences and thoughts on leaving AEW, you can watch the full interview on the “Insight” podcast with Chris Van Vliet.