Reactions from WWE's Saturday Night Main Event and an exclusive interview with TNA World Heavyweight Champion Mike Santana

Ladies and gentlemen, fans of the No Contest Wrestling Podcast, welcome. to a championship Monday episode. Of NCW. I am the only one. the heel that you love and hate.

O'Shea Jackson Jr., AKA, Petty Guerrero. Hey, yo. It's me, it's me. It's the T-Dou O, the J-I-G-G, Two Jagurt. TJ Jefferson, what up though?

How you feeling, man? How you living? How you live? I have had. Possibly.

One of the best Saturdays of my life, man. Because for those listeners. The people who are viewing can see that I have brought back because I just had it last year. have brought back my Dodger championship belt. Courtesy of the WWE shop.

because the Dodgers, if you are unaware, gave us what can only be described as Cinema. And it uh Not only that. Before we get into that, before that happened, okay. Saturday Night's Main Event. I see.

Our pal, my friend. First guest ever on NCW, CM Punk. He wins the world heavyweight title before I can even react, before I can even.

Soak in the moment. The Dodgers go down 3-0. It happened right after one another, and it was insane.

So I couldn't even fully. grasp what happened, TJ. But of course, later that night, By the grace of the Lord above, America's team, the Dodgers. Are world champions. That's right, America's team.

America's team. Going up against those are Brothers of the North. Respect to the Blue Jays. And yes, this is a wrestling podcast, but I have to let everyone know, everyone out there. Who is a Dodger hater or a Dodger lover?

No. that the Dodgers are your Back. to back World Series Champions. Praise him. Praise him.

What time is it? It's time. For a Dodger baseball base. Maybe. Oh, you You don't seem I'm excited.

I'm cool with it. You know, I'm like when the Lakers win a championship here, when I dislike it, because I don't like Laker fans. Such as yourself. What is it? But here's the deal: when it comes to the Dodgers, we've said this on this podcast before because of my grandpa.

You know, I grew up as a little kid learning. One of the ways I was learning how to read Shay would be me and him. Summer, you know, summer afternoons on the porch, the newspaper would come and I'd sit there and I'd read him. He'd teach me how to read the box scores. You know what I mean?

So I'd sit there and read, you know, Garvey and Sachs and Say and, you know, just all the great like Dodger players of the, you know, the early, the mid-80s. And so I've always had a love for the Dodgers. You know, it's kind of wild that they're not my favorite team based upon the fact that me and my grandpa were so close, but my uncle was a Mets fan.

So I think I just, like I said, I saw Daryl Strawberry swing a baseball bat when I was a little kid. And I was like, I've never seen a swing like that. I'm like, I like him.

So I started, you know, as a, as a Mets fan, but. Yeah, the w when when the Dodgers win. And I guess maybe even with the Lakers, too, even though I don't accept it because I'm angry when the Lakers win, when the Dodgers win, man, it just kind of does something for you. For the community, it does something for the city, man. It kind of uplifts this whole city.

People are just happy. People are friendlier. You know, there's just a vibe that goes around. And when you look at the Dodgers, it's very much. like the the city of Los Angeles, man.

It's built upon a lot of Different people that come from different backgrounds, guys, you know, different colors, different ethnicities. different birthplaces, they've all converged. Here it's like a united colors of Bennetton. It's a melting pot of a franchise, which kind of, you know. You could say the same about Los Angeles, where you have all different types of people coming together to make this whole thing work.

So, yeah, man, I was excited. I camp front. You know, I said on the Rich Eisen show on Friday when the Dodgers were down the game, that I said, this is going seven. There was no doubt. And I also said, like, something is going to happen in these two games that we're going to remember forever.

And that proved to be the case too. Just amazing. Yamamoto, Otani, Rojas, you know, Tay Oscar, got Kike. You know, you look at guys like that, along with the Will Smiths, and, you know. Everyone, man, the Mookies and Freddy Freeman.

Freddy, you know, Triple F as I call him. And I can't say the first word because, as a brave, he used to just do the Mets dirty. I used to call him Triple F, Freddy Freeman. But yeah, man, I got to be honest. I don't mind the Dodgers.

I dare say I'm somewhat of a fan of the Dodgers. And I got a lot of fa friends, obviously, who are Dodger fans.

So, yeah, man, it's kind of dope when the team. when we all kind of rally together uh and and that's what this city did man and It's pretty cool. Yeah, I'm pretty excited about it. I think about the. The years that I've had uh here People trash Clayton Kershaw.

How many times you hear on the radio that Dave Roberts needed to lose his job and you know it For Clayton to be able to go out And right off into the sunset, the way that he did. you know you when you announce it and You want to go be a dad. You know, you know, you recognize that, you know, my kids are growing up. I've had my fun. I've had my fill.

This is it for me. He provided for you. And then for you to, man, for you to have that moment in that 18-inning. Uh game i i game three. A lot of people doubted him, man.

When he came in that game, I saw Twitter. I saw my group changing. Bases loaded. People amount with bases loaded. I gotta be honest with you, dog.

There was no doubt in my mind. I was like, there is no way the baseball guides. Yeah, they're not going to let Clayton Kershaw get through this inning. I just, I just, it was, I felt it, you know what I mean? Like, there's no way.

Yeah. Another person going out. Uh riding off into the sunset, um, Miguel Rojas, you know, Miggie. For him to be able, for both of them to be able to have those huge moments. And for the game to end the way that it did, and they got to do it in front of their families, and both of them getting surrounded by their children and their wives.

And it was uh dude, it's storybook ending. I always trash baseball because I've had so many years where I've hated it, you know. And I think about those Kemp, like I told you over the phone, those Kemp. Andre Ethier team. Get teams.

Yeah, man. My man Aegon and. I I think about just how we would fall short in twenty seventeen getting cheated the way that we did in 2018. They they told us, yeah, you might have gotten cheated, but it wasn't as much. And then like 2020, they tell us it didn't matter.

So like I hated baseball for that, but now. You are bad. I love baseball. He's so good. Shay Jackson, big baseball guy.

Big baseball guy. You hear me? Yes, man. And shout out to Freddie freaking Freeman. Yeah, that's not what I called him.

Yeah, it's all right, man. But yeah, he did amazing. Back-to-back World Series for the Dodgers, man. Congratulations, LA. Man, it was.

I literally, this tells you how wild it was. There was a point. Sunday. Or Saturday night, because it wasn't too late. I literally thought, Do I want to get in the car and drop?

No. No, I don't want to be no part of it. Oh, no way. No, I'm not going to be able to do it. And also, just a shout out to because.

That man, that game was so crazy. LA ain't felt a smack by Will Smith like that since the opportunity. Whoa, what did I do? I didn't do nothing. And speaking of Will Smith, the fact that there have been six consecutive world champions that have had a Will Smith on the team is insane.

Insane. Yeah, man. But you know, that, you know. That's a simulation. Yeah.

Congratulations to the Dodgers, man. Congratulations to Los Angeles. We needed it, and we'll see you next season. Yeah, and just for everybody, we understand this is a wrestling podcast, and I know not everybody's a Dodger fan, so I know I'm sure they probably skipped this part already, but I'm gonna just let you know right now. I will continue.

To remind you that the Dodgers are world champions throughout the show, throughout the weeks, throughout the months, until that first pitch of next season.

So it's gonna happen randomly. I don't know when it's gonna happen, but I will remind you that the Dodgers are your. Back-to-back World Series Champions. And here's the thing. Let's talk about wrestling.

Here's the thing, folks. Here's going to too. I'm the hill that you love to hate. That's the first things I tell you. Come on.

Good point.

Now let's get into the reason why we're here. A little professional wrestling.

Now, Saturday Night's Made event. You did mention that. Before that, though, we planned this, I think, two and a half months ago when we saw the sketch. You were this was before you even left to go shoot your movie. I said, October 27th is a Monday.

They're in Anaheim. You know what that means. Yeah. I said, we got to do the show. Then we got to hop in the whip.

Make our way down to Anaheim, and that's exactly what we did. Shout out to our boy Walter for getting us there quick, fast. Yeah, shout out to Walter. You know, um. It uh Monday Night Raw, right?

It's... In Anaheim, in the pond, you know, we were going to see a main event that consisted of the tag team champions, Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss, taking on Lyra Valkyrie and Bailey. We also knew that we were going to see Jey Uso and CM Punk in some type of. you know, face to face because they were getting together For the World Heavyweight Championship at Saturday Night's main event.

So we got there, you know, right when we got there, we got ushered to the back, and the first person we see was. Jey Uso. Oh, yeah, right. Becky was the other. No, no, no.

I was going to say Bailey, because we saw Bailey once we got past him. We saw Jey Uso and we dapped him up. He goes, Yeah, I'm about to go here. And I forget what he said. I'm about to go here and get these people.

Yeah, get these fools or whatever. You know, it's typical Jey Uso. And he did. And then we made our way in the back, and as we're walking in the back, I, I. I had a goat sighting.

I had a goat sighting, and I saw Asuka and Kyrie, and they were walking towards us. And I was like, shay, shay, shay. And they were busy and they walked right by us. I'd never been that close to seeing Oscar. This is going to be later, but so then after.

The show was over. We went into the backstage area, and here come the Kabuki Warriors again. We were chopping it up with Dragon Lee. Yeah, his family. I was taking pictures.

Yeah, so he was like asking them to take pictures with his family, and I was like, I have to do it, right? And you're like, oh, absolutely.

So you were like, you're his favorite. And then, do you want to tell them what I did when I finally met? This dude, all right, this is his. His alpha, his omega, his everything, okay. And in the in the most TJ fashion, out of full respect for the culture.

He got on his hands and knees and bowed at the feet of greatness. That is Asuka. And, you know, she was obviously overwhelmed. She was like, you know, we're like, wow, okay. I was like, yeah, no, he loves you.

For real, for real. She was that you're his favorite of all time. Yeah. And they bowed to each other. And I was like, can we get a picture?

We got the flick and you got to meet your ghost. Yeah, man. It was crazy. You know, being in Hollywood for as long as I have, you know, I've. Had the opportunity to meet pretty much everyone I've ever wanted to meet.

Right. And so I don't really trip too much. There's very few people that will. Fully make me kind of mark out, you know. Like, I've still never met Pacino, I still never met Denzel, you know, everyone else.

So I pretty much. Scene. And so, like, she was one of those. I didn't realize that I was going to have that moment where I was like, oh, snap, it's Asuka and Kyrie, you know?

So, like I said, we saw them going into the show. But we didn't get a chance to speak to him.

So that picture that we popped up, that was after as we were leaving. And then. You know, after the show, we also got a chance to meet another favorite. Yeah, Raquel, man. She's so nice.

But she's mean on TV. Yeah. But she's super sweet.

So, yeah, we ran up. We got the chance to chop it up with Raquel Rodriguez. And, you know, she's awesome. And. You know, look, I did it.

You didn't think I was going to do it. I did it. Yeah. I told her. What my name for her tag team with Roxanne Perez was.

And she was like, Well, what is it? And you were like, Oh my God. Here you go. And I said, I call you the hard R's. And she stopped and she thought about it and she started laughing.

She's like, I like that. I like it. Cause it's funny. Like, we know why it shouldn't be funny, but it's kind of funny. Kind of hilarious, man.

Especially the pronunciation of the R's. The hard R's. Hard R's.

So yes, you got the approval.

So, yeah, shout out. And then you got the hard R's right there. And man. Yes, that was right before Roxanne took on another friend of ours, Nikki Bella, and the fun and exciting. Matching we gotta get that Bella twins guest spot, yeah, for sure, for sure because we gotta talk about them you Your fantasy football that they managed.

Oh, yeah, they know they were terrible at that. But yeah, so you know, we got Punk and J to kick off the show. You know, we got. Roxanne taking on Nikki Bella, hitting her with the pop rocks. She got the win.

Then we got Punk and J setting a tone for the. The beginning of the show where punk kind of was like, you know, four, two words, four letters, two words. What was it? I forget what it is. Four letters, one word.

Oh, so we didn't switch it.

Okay. Punk. My bag because I thought maybe he flipped it around because we were there and it was loud.

So they was rocking it and a high. And apparently, I almost cut one of the only things they get to rock about. Apparently, I almost cut Jay's glasses. I wasn't looking. Yeah, bro.

He put so Jay throws his glasses. TJ, just a split second. Split second look away. The person directly next to him, way shorter individual. TJ had the reach by a mile.

Uh the mayor put his hands up. The glasses smack him in the hand and bounce in the lady behind him's lap. TJ, they were yours. Yeah, I didn't. I literally, like you said, I was looking.

I went to put my phone in my pocket, I think. And then all I saw, I heard of and then I saw the crowd curse, so I just kind of put my head down. And then I got a text from a buddy of mine who was sitting behind us. He goes, those are your glasses. Those were your glasses.

I didn't even see him. Boy, if you would have seen them, it would have been Michael Irvin, CeeDee Lamb. You, bro, you would have grabbed them, yoinked them. But yeah, so that all set up, so maybe I'll get another pair. I almost caught Cena's hat at the Philly WrestleMania.

I had the bill on my hand. Whatever, though, man. Yeah, I mean, like, I've got enough. Oh, yeah. Of all people in the crowd, we're around.

A lot. Yeah, so it's let the lady have her glass.

So we did see a great that let's cut to the main event on that before we get to Saturday main event. Yeah. That tag team match, like I said, between Charlotte. uh in electric and Lailey and Lyra, man, that was that was a great match. It always seems like Lyra's having something, some type of malfunction with the wardrobe.

At one point, she got her hair yoked, she got her hair cut in Alexis top. And remember, we were. Kind of like, what's going on? Because she rolled out the ring. Turned out it was stuck on her top.

Luckily. Alexa had a top under a top, so she was able to slip that off and roll out the ring. But yeah, it was just a great match. The crowd. Very Was very much into it.

They got the This Is Awesome chance. Um unfortunately barely took the pin which kind of like I'm barely taking a pin. But yeah, it was. She's a vet. Yeah, just worth noting that that was a really fun role.

Main event. And now I guess let's move to Saturday night's main event. Yes, sir. Our guest. Drew McIntyre, he came on with us last week.

And we kind of thought, I think you and I thought that this was maybe Drew's time. We had some scenarios where it's like, all right, now Cody can't get counted out. He can't get DQ'd. This seems like a perfect time for maybe Randall Kaye to come in and maybe make a distraction and do it on purpose or. You know, some type of shenanigans to happen that's going to let Drew win the belt without Cody technically taking a pin, which would save him, right?

But. Nah, man, Drew McIntyre, I guess being the company guy he is, he did the job even though he's think about Cody using heel tactics. See, you said that to me. I don't believe it was a hill tactic because Drew pulled the belt under the ring. Cody hit him with the DDT, but it's not like Cody looked down, saw the belt was there, and purposely did it.

If you watch, he never even looks.

So he picks him up. Drew, the belt was there, obviously. He did hit him with it. Yeah. But was it like Cody the slow look at it?

Pick it up and throwing it out the ring like You and I both thought that that was the moment the ref was going to see that. And I was like, oh, there's the DQ. Right. And then that didn't happen. Yeah.

So, and then when you think about the ways that Cody has been. kind of beating Drew and It just feels very like a sprinkle of heel tactics. And then you think about the line Cody had during the press conference of good guys used to finish last until I got here.

So it's like, are they sprinkling these heel things while keeping him a face of just like, you know, I know the goody two-shoes babyface way? Don't necessarily get the job done all the time, so it's just something to monitor, something to monitor. I don't mind that, though, you know, because Cody's telling you, like, I'll still be a good dude, but I'm gonna do whatever I can to keep this title, and I don't think anyone. can take umbrage with that still the underappreciated Drew Mac. Drew Mac retired.

You always got a home here, brother. And I think the thing about Drew, I guess, now is he's in that position, right, where. Drew McIntyre Even if you don't see him for a month on TV, you can instantly drop Drew McIntyre into a main event program. incredibly, right, with anybody. And know that he's got a chance to win a title.

So I think, I guess, the good thing about that is Drew has positioned himself in such a way where he's always going to be a credible threat. And, you know, people complain, but I kind of feel like that's not a bad spot to be in, knowing that you can always be counted on. to come in and move the needle a little bit. Yeah. And he.

Just his delivery and promos, the work that he does. as a as a wrestling fan, you know, We're all fantasy bookers. And we see somebody who deserves. You know, recognition and the title, what that brings. But then, when you're so good that you can still do it without something around your waist.

It does speak volumes, but we're fans. We gotta complain about something. And it's not like we're hating on Cody. No, I love Cody Rose. Are you kidding me?

Yeah, so it was just interesting. It was interesting to see, but we got three other matches. Yeah. And then we got, and You put up after this match like. Already?

But to me, it made perfect sense. For Jade Cargill and this new Jade Cargill, this hill Jade Cargill, to run through Tiffany Stratton. She messed up her knee. That's earlier.

So Tiffany comes in already hurtful.

Now it's like you've got this badass challenger who's pissed off. who wants her spotlight. She thinks it's her time. She flipped the script. And now she comes in and just runs through and already injured.

Tiffany Stratton. And I feel that's kind of how the match should have played out. Yeah. And it did. People always want to complain about Jay Cargill and.

You know, is she going to put on a five-star classic? Maybe not, but not everybody needs to put on. Think about this, Shane. Think about the amount I can. Give you a bunch of five-star classic matches that have the people there probably won't even watch because they don't want to watch.

45, 50 minute chain wrestling matches, but So with Jade, I think that was the The right way to book her in this match. I was extremely entertained with their first two matches. Their first two matches that they put on, I remember thinking, wow, man, they kind of going right now. You know, they helped build Tiff up, too. And so I.

I guess remembering those first two, I was like, all right, this is going to be the, you know, and WWE did a great job of. Recapping how many times Jade was this close in those other matches. And so, when I have those other two in my mind, I guess I was thinking, like, all right, this is going to be the one that culminates all of this. But you're right, with her already being hobbled, Jade with this new attitude, it makes sense. It's just, you know, I was.

I wasn't ready. I wasn't ready for it to be all the way over. And Jade gets the title, you know, the title that's eluded her for so long. And now it's to see what you're going to do with it because now they have built her to be the big bad, which is completely. Completely believable.

Yeah. And then um It makes me think down the road. Yeah, I see. You know, you need a you need a good guy that people ain't seen in a while. It might be some hair whipping down the line.

And we've been dying for Bianca to come back, and this seems like the perfect setup for the match that we all knew was going to come eventually. And So here we go. Here we go. They're placing us on this ride. And it's about what Jade does in between, whether The decision to uh for uh you know, either side to be uh Victorious.

Yeah, man. So, yeah, congratulations to Jade. Yeah, congratulations. Storm is here. Storm is here.

Storm's not coming. Storm is here. And then we got a match that. You know, I want to say it's no surprise because he's the goat, the young goat, but you know, we got dirty Dominic Mysterio retaining the intercontinental. Championship as he defeated Rusev and Penta.

I got to be honest with you, too. There were a few moments when I thought Rusev. Was going to take this match on Campfront. Yeah. He's been looking great since he's been back.

He's putting the fear of. of uh Rusev into Dom every time Dom sees him. And you know, Penta is a star too. How you feel about Blue Pinter? I I I don't think that Penta should be held back by a color scheme.

I know, but like, it's just some some that don't it don't. It seems a little like... He seems a little more terrifying in black or red. Yeah, yeah, some about him. Penta seems like a little bit more like a little happy penta.

But I saw, you know, Lucha Underground Penta. And I'm going to be honest with you. That Penta El Zero Mendo, he scared me. Yeah. Because that was a dude who was snapping arms.

He was beating up men and women. Yeah, shout out to EO. You know what I'm saying? Kyrie, too, got it. You know what I mean?

So that Penta was legitimately terrifying. And I'm hoping that at some point we get that Penta. We won't now because he's way too over. Way too. Way too over.

He's going to have that belt. He's going to have a belt at some point. I don't know if it's going to be intercontinental because I came up with an idea this weekend that I think that Dominic Mysterio, listen to me now, should be the forever intercontinental champion. I don't think Dom should ever lose that belt. I think Dominic Mysterio should go on a 10-year run.

Oh, full decade of battle. That would put him 30 years in the business. Yeah, man. And he'd still only be 40.

So, what are we doing? You know, but I just was thinking that the other day, like, Dom should never, he's so entertaining. Name it after him. You know what I'm saying? So, yeah, so Dom gets the big win into the triple threat.

Um, he brought the hammer back in. It looked like he was trying to get away with something. He didn't use it. He didn't use it. He didn't use it.

That's a clean win. That's dirty dumb. And then. We had the World Heavyweight Championship match between. Charles Montgomery, Punk, and Jay.

Mm.

So it was okay. It was okay, Max. I gotta be honest, something felt a little off. You know, you look back and. You see the clip of The neck breaker that I guess J over rotated and it looked sloppy.

Punk got up, kicked him in the head, and did it right. There was also the move where he hit him with the go-to-sleep, bounced off the rope. Yeah. Now that I get. Yeah.

Because that, you know, that was a little timing, that was a little awkwardness.

So he went to. As Jay bounced off the rope, landed on Punk's shoulders. Punk couldn't quite get him over. They fell. But if you, like true professionals, no one's bringing this up.

Do you see the way they immediately went and Jay put him in a sleeper hole? Yeah. Like they went and they worked. Yeah, went and they worked for about three minutes. Cody had a moment like that too.

Yeah. With the ref getting in the way. And then, you know, like, so you have to tip your cap when you see them in full flow. Yeah, when you know. Still getting something out of it.

Yeah, so they did that. Jay did went for the sleeper. They kind of chain wrestled a little bit for about two minutes and then they hit the spot again. and went from there. And that just goes to show you, man, I think I hate.

when fans yell botch or something. Because to me, I'm surprised there aren't more botches in wrestling matches. 100%. You know what I mean?

You're out there, you're sweaty, you're tired, you're trying to have perfect timing with another human being and like. It's amazing that it doesn't happen more often, is all I'm trying to say. Yeah. And, you know, at the end of the day, it is. You try to go and do a full workout.

in front of The millions and millions and live, and it all goes smoothly. Bro, I am exhausted. I gotta carry this 200-pound dude off my shoulders real quick and like make it look seamless and all that. Either way, kudos to both performers. They got through it.

And at the end of the day, CM Punk. CM Punk, man. And I told you, my heart wanted to see him punk. My mind said it, Jay. But CM Punk getting that title, what does this mean?

Braun Breaker, I'm sure, is chomping at the bit. We got to see. And I hit Punk immediately. Obviously, we were talking about the Dodgers, talking about him winning the world title. I said, bro, my friend won a world title, and my baseball team won a world title.

I'm having a pretty good Saturday. And then I was like, don't worry, I'm definitely going to make sure I give you a nod on the show. He was like, what time do y'all do that show? And I was like, we do it like. You're going to be doing raw.

And he was like, oh, yeah. But so he's keeping an eye on us. Who was this? CM Punk. Oh, next one.

CM Punk, bro.

So, but we got to have. We're talking about world champions, though, right? Yeah. Talked about the Dodgers. Yeah.

Talked about Jade Cargill. Yeah. Talk about Charles Montgomery Punk. Yeah. Talked about Dominic Mysterio.

Yeah, yeah. Talked about Alexa Bliss and Charlotte. Yeah. They're all champions. Yeah.

So I think right now it only makes sense. For us to bring another champion into the fold. Oh, I love how you did that, TJ. That is my favorite segue you've ever done. Ladies and gentlemen.

Let me just say, in this world of professional wrestling, We are forced to believe. We watch and we accept a world of smoke and mirrors. And within that world, Every now and then The real shines. And you can tell. You can tell when the real is shining.

And there are few people that can take on the moniker of a baby face, but still show. that real person in there. One of the realest To do it. in today's wrestling Your TNA world champion. Mike Santana, welcome to the pod, bro.

What's good, man? How are you feeling? Yo, TJ O'Kee, what's good? What's good? What's up, baby?

I'm feeling amazing, man. Thank you guys for having me. As you should be, dog. Look at this. The world champion, Mike Santa, in the building with us.

BK's finest. Stand up. It's dope. You're from the Bronx. My bad.

My bad, Mike Allen. Yeah, I wouldn't disrespect. I said, K. I meant that. Nah, thank God.

Like, I'm in the BX right now. Thank God I didn't have this on speaker and have everybody listen.

Well, Mike, first and foremost, I got to say thank you. You know, back in April, we came to a TNA show. O'Shea was going to do some colored commentary on your match, and then A.J. Francis invited him to come out to the first class. uh penthouse segment and then things got a little uh They took a little disrespectful there.

Now, it looked like AJ and Casey Navarra were about to, you know, get my man here caught up in the mix.

Now, you know, I would have helped him, but I had a drink in my hand, like Daryl from coming to America, you know, so I couldn't really, you know, like I, you know, I'm in the crowd. You know, I'm saying I couldn't really help my tag team partner, but lo and behold, I heard some music and I said, oh, you know what? My man's going to be all right because here comes Mike Santana to save the day for you. And I thank you because if had you not, I might be sitting here Dolo. You know?

Yes, sir. Yes, sir. I was just helping a good brother out. I'm glad I was there and able to make it happen. Yeah, man, it was a good time.

And I think that was the first time we all got to meet. And it was awesome, man. What you guys are doing now, and just like putting a spotlight on a bunch of stuff, man. It's dope, man.

So, thank you guys. Yeah, you know, we um We talk so highly of TNA. Um I've been I've been to a lot of wrestling shows. Throughout my life, and I have never felt as welcomed and just involved and you know, appreciated the way that TNA shows love. And just being able to see you guys and Gorilla and how you guys work.

Amongst each other, and just the camaraderie that you feel being at a TNA show. Talk to us a little bit about what TNA means to you. And just that that environment that we felt as outsiders being let in. Yeah, I mean, going to what you just said, man, I feel like TNA, even going back to when I first joined in twenty seventeen, always had the reputation of having a tight knit locker room. in a locker room that everyone helps elevate each other.

You know, this, as we know, it could be a very cutthroat business, right? And it's you in there with sharks, and it's every man for himself. But honestly, with my experiences at TNA, it's been the total opposite. If anything, we're all just trying to work together collectively to elevate each other and elevate the brand. And I think that's what's been shining through all these years is that Like we all have a common mindset.

Right, and I think that's important for a wrestling company, and by all means, everybody has their own ways of doing things, and everyone finds success in their own ways, but. This is the thing that's helped TNA throughout the years. And I'm glad that so many people are starting to see it, experience it firsthand. And you saw it firsthand, like you said, when you were in Guerrilla and you saw everybody just hyping each other up. and making sure that we were all cheerleaders for each other.

And I mean, yo, as for me, TNA and what it means to me. Like again, TNA put me on the map when I first came. in in 2017 it was the uh place that put me on a bigger platform introduced me to a bigger audience because before that for maybe like six or seven years, I was grinding it out on the independents, you know what I mean? Just paying my dues and getting my name out out there as much as I could. And um know finally something popped off and and an opportunity opened up and I'm thankful, man, and here I am because of that.

A friend of the show, uh, you know, one of the f the first. One of our first few guests. You actually won that title off of Trick Williams. And even, you know, there was a picture that got out, you know, a little peep behind the curtain a little bit for everybody. But trick was even There for when you got in the back and had that title coming through the curtain.

Speak to us a little bit about We know the trick Williams on camera, but the trick off camera and what he's. been like through this journey of yours. Man, I'll keep it a buck with you, man. Like, you saw he was. Front and center when I came through that curtain.

And just the camaraderie that we built and the trust that we built within each other. Because as you know, as you guys follow the business, like we're putting each other's lives in our hands. Yeah, right. And there has to be a certain level of trust and respect when it comes to that. And that's something I take very serious and so does he.

And when we first started working together, That was one of the things that We connected on that. We both had a respect for the business, a respect for each other. And at the end of the day, we're doing what we can to help elevate each other. And I was selfless, he was selfless. And that's what helped us allowed us to create the magic that we did and tell the story that we did.

Um but yeah, man, he's a total pro. Uh, you know, he's came up under some of the best guys in the business and been taught by some of the best guys in the business. um yeah man like that dude has paid his dues and he's continuing to pay his dues and It it was a joy getting to work with him and getting to work with A lot of the other people at NHC and Yeah, man, it's just been a wild journey to say the least, just overall, man. Like, I was uh. taking a s I always try to take a second to reflect on things, right?

And Just thinking back on like two and a half years ago before I came back into wrestling after my injury, it was like, man, there was a more moment where I didn't think this was gonna happen. Any anything. And the fact that I'm sitting here in front of you guys as a TNA World Champ is pretty amazing. Hard work pays off for sure. That's absolutely I don't want to get you emotional here.

Champ, but I'm gonna ask you a question that might take you down that path. There was a letter to Santa. that was written that seemed to have changed everything. for you can you share with the people listening to no contest what exactly I'm talking about and and what that letter meant to you. Oh man.

So Back in, you know, so I was struggling with addiction for. I'd say Three, four years. Like it got really bad when my dad passed away in 2020. Uh that's when like A whirlwind just hit me, you know what I mean? All the things that I ran from and I didn't deal with.

growing up. Uh Everything just like it was the soda bottle popping off, you know what I mean? And um My dad passing away. set me down a dark path. And along with other things that was going on, especially at work in my personal life and stuff like that.

Yeah, it led it led me down some dark, dark roads in, um You know, like there was the holidays were coming up. It was. 2023. And it was December and my daughter always Um wrote Santa her list every year since, you know, since she could write And um Specifically like those I'd say six months. It was bad.

Like it got to the point where, you know, to be real, like, I wasn't coming home. for days. And, um That's when she started to notice. You know, she started to notice: oh, Bobby's not here in the morning to take me to school.

Something's wrong. And um Yeah, man, like She wrote that letter. And she gave it to she I think she was at her grandmother's house at the time. And her grandmother had told her mom and and stuff like that and That's when it was like All right, this is enough. you know, and everyone at that point had had enough.

And it was brought to my attention and that was my rock bottom. That was my rock bottom because, you know, As Me personally, as a child that grew up in a household where addiction was so prevalent and drugs and and abuse and violence and all these things, I always vowed to never give that life to my daughter. And the fact that I was on the road to giving her that same life, it was just like, nah, I can't do this. And I'm thankful to this day, man, because if it wasn't for that letter and if it wasn't for my family and their support. I wouldn't be here today.

And that letter. Set me Um the path of recovery. And um And I'm thankful, man, because. I remind myself every day If I can ask, what what exactly did the letter say? The first line, it was Dear Santa.

Can you please make my patience stop? And uh And I can't tell you how low I felt. You know, for some people. You know, it's losing everything.

Some people are losing their home.

Some people are losing their car, losing money, losing this. For me it was the realization that my daughter was was knowing what was going on. And You know, her mom told me straight up after that, she was like, Either you get yourself clean and you get yourself together. or we're gone. And And she had every right.

And um That was it. That was all I needed. Absolutely. Her name is Ariana. Ariana.

So shout out to Ariana. And she actually, she got a good shot in on Trick too during the world title match. She actually slapped the face off of Trick's lips at one point. She it was funny because she um In the back, afterwards, she comes to me and she was like, I put everything behind that flask. And I was like, I believe you.

Ha ha ha ha ha. Nah, but you know because of of all that and what we went through. I felt It was important for me to present the title to her and for her to share in that glory and that moment with me. Because again, if it wasn't for her, it wasn't for my family. I wouldn't have been doing what I'm doing.

I wouldn't be here today and that was a thank you. That was such a beautiful moment. Yeah, really. As a girl, dad, myself, my daughter, Jordan, is eight years old. And I you know, I tell people.

It bro, it's nothing like uh Those little hands touching my face or hugging me. You know how many times I had to hold in boot hoos? Because she'll say. Randomly, I'll randomly, she'll see something and be like, Daddy, I'm proud of you. He's like, yeah.

Thank you. I appreciate that. Hold on one second, I go to the bathroom. It's just those moments, like even when I perform and I need some quick tears, I think about them little moments, you know? And When I saw that, I was like.

Dang, like that, you know, I'm choked up because I feel you 100%. Everything that you do, you do for her. And everything you don't do, you don't do it for her. Even more importantly. And so, yeah, that moment right there, dude, that's what I was like: yo, this is like, it's just one of those moments that.

The world is stopped between those two. Like, there's no one in that arena in a moment like that. And so, you know, it was great to see you finally climb that mountain, finally get to it. Anyone who's in the intro I gave for you. That real People feel that real when they look at you, and then you find out the stories, and then you're like, yeah, man, that.

That's it. And out Now that you are world champion, I want to Pull back a little bit because there's a question that I usually start interviews off with, but You know, we we kind of got going. Um When did you get bit by that wrestling bug? When did you know, like, oh, this is what I want to do? There, so I've been into wrestling all my life, I feel like.

And the first time that I discovered pro wrestling, it was my grandparents.

So my dad and my uncle. They grew up watching wrestling.

So I grew up on their VHS tapes. that uh that they they you know recorded through the years So the very first memory that I have of watching pro wrestling was WrestleMania 7. And it was the first match, the Heart Foundation versus the Nasty Boys. And when I saw Brett and Anvil. coming through down that aisle, bro.

And just the pink and the black and the shades and the jackets and the flashing lights from the photography and the crowd, bro, that was it. I was like, these are the two coolest dudes I've ever seen. And. Yeah, man. So, like, that was my very first vivid memory of watching wrestling.

And then through the years, man, like I was I was obsessed. You could ask anybody in my family, all I did was watch wrestling and play with wrestling toys. I didn't want to like. I remember my grandmother telling me a story back in the day that she thought something was wrong.

So she saw a therapist and asked. Uh, you know, like my grandson, he's like obsessed with this thing and it's all he does. And she was afraid that I was going to turn out to be violent, which I wasn't violent because of wrestling, I was violent because of other things, but But yeah, man, so like wrestling was always my thing, and then I did the backyard wrestling when I was a teenager and a kid, you know what I mean, with my friends and stuff like that. In high school. I remember being in gym class.

I was a I think junior year, I was in gym class and I saw this dude changing next to me and he went in his bag and he pulled out like wrestling shoes and kick pads and And all these things, and like my nosy ass, I was like, yo. You do uh MMA or something? And he was like, now I'm training to be a pro wrestler. And I was like. Wait, where at?

Like, what is this at? And he told me that at the time I was living off Staten Island. And he uh Yes, sir. Yes, sir. And he told me.

Yo, there's a school. It's on the other side of the island. It's in the middle of nowhere. But if you want, I could take you one day and introduce you to the trainer. And I was like, that's exactly what you're going to do.

How were you at this point? I was Starting something. Yeah, so then I went, he took me, he introduced me to the trainer. And we were talking, and he was like, Listen, before you train, before you pay for anything. I want you to go and bring me your diploma.

And uh that alone meant a lot to me. Because at that time in my life, he was one of the very first people to like show that he cared about my education and cared about me, you know. being successful in in other ways.

So, um I was like, yes, sir. And after that, I went back to school. I did what I had to do. Got my diploma. And the next day I was like, here you go, sir.

And that's that was it. Yeah, that that's That's always great to hear because, you know, there's always people who have those moments. On somebody's road to success, that they might not even know at the time, they know what they're saying at the time means something, but you never know if it sticks with the person. You know, you never know if, like, if that is something that they'll remember that you did for them. Who, if you, you know, take the time to let us know who are the people?

who without them We don't get the Mike Santana that we see before us today. Bam. There's a good feel, man. Um First and foremost, I have to give a shout out to my father in heaven, man, because he. was uh My biggest cheerleader.

You know, um And when I was growing up, we didn't have like... He was always present. But we didn't have the greatest relationship because he struggled with addiction himself. And also, having a disability, he. struggled with the thought of not being Enough and not being able to be the father that he wanted to be.

So he struggled with that a lot. And I didn't understand it because I'm a kid, and I just think he's. You know, a jerk, because whatever. But, you know, he was dealing with his own demons. And thankfully, we got to have a conversation when I got older and had my daughter.

and I got to understand him more and he got to explain a lot of things to me and And that was it, man. Like, he honestly, he's the biggest influence that I have in my life, whether it's movies. Music television like he put me on to everything you know Um And Also the rest of my family, my grandparents. My daughter, her mom, like there's just so many people that I could, you know, list off that. played such an integral role in getting me here.

Um But yeah, like You know, I've always said I have a very small circle. I don't like put myself out there a lot. And I just, you know, come from a background that, like, I wasn't really able to trust a lot of people.

So I feel like I've. Carried that on into my adulthood. You know, there's very few people that I could say, yo, you know, this is my homie, but. Um But yeah, I'm very family oriented. You know what I mean?

Like my family is everything.

So I'd say like without those people, also in in wrestling. I'd have to give a shout out to Homicide. Um I'd have a give a shout out to Conan. Yeah. A lot of like those old school New York.

you know, crew that like. saw this poor Puerto Rican kid from the pro project and was like, Yeah, we want to take him under our wing and And put them on and help them out. And, you know, because we all came from similar backgrounds, you know. And Yeah, those dudes really like We were a part of putting the battery in my back and, you know, like influencing me a lot.

So Mike, you know, I got family in uh Jamaica, Queens. And I I grew up I grew up in a little town in the Smack dab in the middle of Pennsylvania.

So, when my cousins would come from Jamaica, you know, we're kind of, you know, looking back at it now, I didn't realize it then, but I can see why they thought we were country. A lot of grass, like I said, the middle of the state. And I would always knew, though, that my cousins coming in from Jamaica, Queens. They grew up a lot different than I did. Like, you know, they were hard rock kids, you know what I'm saying?

Like, cats that you didn't want to mess with. But I also got everything in terms of hip-hop and fashion. From my cousins, when they come down.

So, just what was it like for you as a kid growing up in the Bronx? Because I've always said New York kids grow up different than here. Kids anywhere else, man. It's a whole nother ball game growing up in New York. What was life like for you?

Yeah. So for me, I'm originally from the Lower East Side of Man.

So I was born and raised on Avenue D, Jacob Reese Projects. That's like where all my family's from. A lot of my family is still there. Um So I mean, growing up there, and then I moved around a lot. From there, I went to the Bronx.

From the Bronx, I lived in Harlem. From Harlem, I went to Staten.

So I did a lot of moving around as a kid. My mom, God bless her. You know, she a teenage mom. You know, I was born, she was 15 years old.

So you have a child raising a child. And, you know, I feel like she was always chasing that. fresh start. And that's why we we moved around a lot. But You know, growing up, just put it like this: growing up in New York City, like you said, it was a totally different ball game.

And at the time, like. A lot of things for me were happening at home that just weren't Right. A lot of abuse, a lot of drug abuse. And I did anything. not to be home.

So What happens to a kid that You know, it's trying to find love and trying to find attention and all these things. They try to find it in the street. And that's the worst place that you could look, as you know, you know.

So, um, You know, I got involved in a lot of things with a lot of people, a lot of things that I ain't proud of, but. At the end of the day, it allowed me to learn and You know, I'm dating. Fold that. I had this wrestling thing. I'm thankful that I had family members to help school me.

Um But yeah, you know, there were situations that I went through in the street that Could have not had me here today. And that's just real tough. And um Again, like When I think about it now, man, it's wild because my daughter's mom, we met when we were in high school. And she's every now and then she'll remind me: like, it's amazing to see who you are today. knowing who you were.

Back then. Um And she tells me all the time, she's like, yo. I didn't think you were gonna make it. Cause a lot of our friends that we grew up with. They not around.

And I could have easily been one of those people. And I was. on that road, you know. And she tells me all the time, like especially when Uh when she was helping me find uh a rehab to go to like before then she she sat me down and she was like yo Like Look at what you've done. Look at what you've accomplished.

Look at what you've survived. And you're going to piss that all away because of drugs and alcohol? Like What are you doing? You know, and I'm thankful that she. opened my eyes to a lot of things because she saw who I used to be.

And she's like, yo, you survived that. Like, so you're gonna give in because of this? Ma'am. And um Yeah, man, I'm I'm Gratitude is a big thing for me. And I'm just thankful to again have people in my life today that remind me of Like, yo, you again.

a poor Puerto Rican kid from the projects. and got to see the world with wrestling. How crazy is that? You know, like we didn't have a lot of people to look up to. We didn't have a lot of people to help guide us on the right paths, but.

You found your way, and the best thing about it was that, like. I built this Myself. from nothing. I didn't have a handout. I didn't have someone in the business that like.

Help steer. I didn't have nothing. This is something that I built on my own. This is something that, like, nothing was given to me. And that's why I take so much pride in it and I take it so serious.

You know, you always hear people say wrestling saved my life and I feel like in this case it seems like Mike that is truly what happened and what wrestling did for you. 100%. There's no. No doubt in my mind that like wrestling saved my life for sure.

Now we know The You know, the uplifting that you got in your personal life. And now we know how serious you take the growth that you've had. And now that you have the And you know, being a guy from TNA, the ultimate accomplishment in TNA. But you are also the first. Puerto Rican born.

I mean, like, dude, what is that level? Yo, hold on, hold on. Oh, Shea, I'm sorry. I'm sorry to cut you off, but you got to say that again. I've been making everybody say it again.

Like, Jimmy, two times. I don't get the papers. Yeah. I know that's got to feel. Number one, talk to us about how amazing that feels for you.

And then speak about the level of responsibility you feel. being the first and what that means for others watching you. Main, like As far as how much that means to me, man, like. I've been very uh very open and very honest about like How I feel about my people, and just like from the beginning, again, I was looking back at some pictures. In my very first Promo pic that I took.

I was 18 years old. It was right before my very first match. And I remember taking this picture in my bedroom. And I was like, the dude needed a picture of me so he could use as a graphic. And I was like, all right, I'm going to put my tights on and stand in front of this white wall.

And take this picture, but in that picture, I have a Puerto Rican flag on my shoulder. And it was something that, like, I told myself, you know, coming into this, I want to represent my people. And put on for my people. Because, again, growing up, we didn't see a lot of Latinos in the game at a high level. You know, for us, it was like, You know, my dad and my grandfather's generation was Pedro Morales, and then, yeah, we grew up with Osavio Vegas, but like he wasn't like a top, top name, you know what I mean?

And you're probably too young to remember Carlos Tallone, too. Carlos Exactly, right? Uh mute.

So like It was Eddie Guerrero. That was as close as we got, right? But There was never a Boricua. There was never a top guy who was Puerto Rican, and that at least I got to see in my lifetime. That was something I always strive for.

And also, A lot of the guys that I grew up watching from the independents, the homicide, the low-key, the amazing red. uh you know the sat is like these were all borrowed from new york So you mean that Again, similar backgrounds, similar upbringings, and they made something of themselves, and they got to see the world and travel the world. And I was like, yo, I want to be like that. That's what I want to do. Um But again, going back to now.

Being the first ever TNA World Champ to be Boricua and what responsibility that means to me is like. My whole thing with My representation, and just like with all of that, is showing that it's possible. It doesn't matter who you are, where you come from, what you've been through. It's possible. Um Again, like, there was a lot of people that laughed at me.

Some in my own family. There were a lot of people that doubted me, some people who I considered brothers and friends. Um But at the end of the day, I use that as a fuel to keep lighting that fire. You know what I mean?

And just like, to show other Boricuas that are coming up in the game that It's possible to dream as big as you can and to make it happen. There ain't a lot of us.

So We gotta make it happen, you feel me? And again, if I have to be the face of that and I have to be the catalyst of that, by all means, I always said. Mm.

If I didn't get into wrestling, I want to do something that was going to help people in general. And I feel like wrestling is my way of doing that, and especially for people in my culture. Yeah. You you're so many it uh you always have naysayers. You always have people always talking about, you know, why does it matter so much?

Why does it matter so much to be the first? You have people who. Yeah, I don't even want to get into it. We got to get into it. We got to get into it.

You don't get it because you've seen you do it. You've seen it. You see people that look like you a thousand. You don't, when it's people that look like you or me or Mike. Yeah.

We don't always see that. You know how long I've been watching wrestling, man? You know how long it took for me to see a world champion that looked like me? Yeah. It was Ron Simmons.

And that was, you know, that was what 1992. Wrestling's been around forever. That's how long it took. Yeah, and it's just something that there's no way to. Explain it or describe it to those who don't get it, but like it's something that.

happens in you When you feel like you saw you do it. Exactly, man. And that's all somebody needs to be the match that lights a fire up on the roof. And so, you know, we are extremely proud of you for that, man. I know that's gotta be a crazy feeling for you to have the flag and your daughter, just that.

That moment, you gotta have it framed somewhere. You know, where that picture's gotta be hanging up in the crib or something. You know what happened? It's crazy, too, because like. You see that man and one of the best like feelings and moments For me too, aside from having my daughter be a part of this and Like I love when I go back to the hood.

And I mean, I live in the BX, right? But when I go back to visit like my grandparents on Avenue D. And seeing people Like that, I grew up with, or that have known me since I was a kid, and know what I'm doing now, and they see me still walking the same streets that I came up on. Still, you know, in the same neighborhoods, and just like, especially kids, man, like, they're like, yo. Like you still here.

And I love, and I love, for me, I love that accessibility that I'm able to offer, right? I Again, like a lot of us didn't grow up with. Seeing guys that we watch on TV or this, like walking the street. Like, I go to the mall with my daughter. I walk through the streets with my daughter, and people stop, and people, you know, talk to me.

And she's like, here we go again. But if so, but it's But it's for me, it's so dope, man, because like I didn't get to have that. And the fact that I get to offer that to someone else is pretty amazing to me and um. And that's something I don't take for granted. That's something that I appreciate.

Again, I want to continue doing the absolute most with my platform and with what I'm doing today. Like The key is to aspire to inspire, right? And if I could continue doing that, bro, like by all means. And especially the fact that I get to do it. Being me.

Yeah. Yeah. Um I feel like it's the biggest part, right? Like I told myself when I. came on this journey Like, I took a risk.

As we all know, I've spoken about it many times. I took a risk, I bet on myself, and I told myself that, like, yo, if I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna do it my way, and I'm gonna do it being me. Um you know like You're going to hit roadblocks. There's going to be people to tell you no. There's going to be this, there's going to be that.

staying true to yourself, as you guys know, bro, staying true to yourself is is is key.

So I feel like I've I've maintained that and I'm going to continue maintaining that for The rest of my days up for like another fun question we like to ask. in the beginning of your wrestling journey. What was your welcome to wrestling moment? Either a bump that you took that was like a, okay, all right. You got me wrong, that one.

This is what I'm doing now for the rest of my life.

So, what was that welcome to wrestling moment for you? Oh man, I think it was a few years in. Um I was on this kick. My boys and I, we came up in the same circles, and we were pretty much traveling a lot together. We came up on this kick where we were like, Yo, we want to.

Pay homage to the guys who came before us from NYC, like that doghouse crew and that old school crew, but also. Take the reins. from them. And of our own path. And I remember we were doing that, like we started wrestling them a lot throughout the Northeast.

We did a series of matches with the hit squad, which was Dan Moff and Steve Mack. old school tag team. We wrestled Homicide and Okey. We wrestled, you know, the amazing all these guys and um Finally, it all culminated in a big match where it was uh for Jer Jersey All Pro. And Jersey All-Pro back in the day was like it.

That was like Ring of Honor before it was Ring of Honor. And that's where all the all-stars went. And we got to finally wrestle there and wrestle against the guys who were the forefathers of NYC. And They whooped.

So bad when I tell you. They made us earn it. Yeah. They made us earn it for real. But I tell you what, after that.

That was the biggest battery in my back that I needed. Because after that they were like Yep, y'all got it.

Okay. That's what it takes, right? And I just got to give a shout out because you mentioned him, Pedro Morales. He was the to the people, I know we got a lot of younger people. I think our show runs the gamut from older fans to younger fans.

But to the younger fans, you got to understand Pedro Morales was the first ever WWE Triple Crown winner. He was the first man to ever win the WWF Championship, the Intercontinental Championship. And he and my guy, Bob Backlund, were the WWF tag team champions, albeit for like a day. They beat the Wild Simoans and then they had to give the belts up because Backlund was the world champion and Pedro was the IC champion. And they had a rule back then that you couldn't have two belts, unlike now.

So yeah, just to give a shout out and a little history lesson about the greatness that is Pedro Morales held that belt for almost three years.

So I just like to throw that out there. That's why you're here, man. Yeah, man. And yeah, man. And during that time that he was champion, like.

You know, in the years of the 70s, I feel like it was like a renaissance year for Puerto Ricanos in New York City. Right. It was a huge deal to have a Puerto Rican world champion. But at the same time, like a little history lesson, that's when. the the salsa music um genre started blowing up, you know, with the Hector Lavo, with the Willie Colong, with Celia Cruz, the whole Faniya all-stars.

Like it was such an integral uh Era for Boricuas and in the city.

So, like, We were hitting our all-cylinders during that time. Hell yeah.

Now you you've been a fan of wrestling for a long time. You know, you you we we love when we have guests that are fans because they remember moments and things like that. Can you tell us when as a fan when you can remember the first time or any time Where wrestling broke your heart. An example that I use for me all the time is watching Hulk Hogan. Run the rock over in an ambulance with a semi truck.

I was heartbroken. I was like, he's dead. It's over, you know?

So do you remember a time as a fan when wrestling broke your heart? There were two moments, and they both had to. be with the same people and i feel like and i feel like that is the uh The like epitome of the era that I grew up in, like, really watching heavy.

So the first moment was. WrestleMania 12. Brett versus Sean. I was always a Brett guy. Uh growing up.

Because again, going back, like he was the guy that. that really inspired me to be a wrestler because he was like Bret Hart was Bret Hart. Right, and he spoke about his family, his values, where he came from. He represented heavy. And um So yeah, I was always like drawn to Brett and then Sean.

was just the nastiest.

Okay. So like I remember that match. happening and I remember staying up And just drop like I did not move. From that television. And when the time went out, and the Iron Man.

All right. I was like, all right. Yeah. Brett gets to keep the title. I was hyped.

I was like, we good. And then Guerrilla Monsoon Jack Tunney comes out. And he's like, yo, I think we got to go to sudden death. He's like, what the hell? And I was like.

What do yo, what are we doing here? Like when you know, and when when Yo, and when Sean gave him the sweet chat music, bro, and he, yo, first of all, that was the deepest cover I've ever seen. Oh, yeah, in my life, bro. Like, bring his knees right around his head. His knees, bro.

Like, he had that. No. Bro, it was so tight, bro. He made sure he wasn't kicking off. It's like, you ain't getting out of this.

So I remember it. Hell no, fuck I remember that. breath in my heart and like And then another one. Was Survivor Series 907, bro? Yeah.

That'll do. I'll bro, I'll never forget. I watched it live. And the bell rang. And I was like Wait.

If you didn't tap up. Like what's going on here? Like I knew something was wrong. Like But then, when I saw Brett get up and spit in Vince's face, bro. Like It was like I I started crying because I knew something was terribly wrong.

Like something is not right.

So Yeah, man.

So, those are the two moments that broke my heart. That'll do it. Yeah, for those who aren't aware, we're talking about the Montreal screwdriver in 1997, which to this day, you know, there are still people that say that the screwdriver was. Was it working? No.

It was in the shoe. I don't know if we're ever truly going to find out, but. Watching the footage of Vince wobbling down the hallway after Brett apparently socked him in the eye socket, it looked pretty real to me. You know, it was still real to me, damn it. Oh, man.

Oh, that's a good one. Yeah, that makes sense. Dude, that makes sense. Oh, that's amazing. Let's jump ahead in your career a little bit, if we could.

You debuted in 2007. Mm-hmm. Started a tag team and then you guys in 2017. Under the name of Santana Ortiz, you made your way to Impact Wrestling. Let's talk about impact back in those days and what was it like?

Were you hooked up with Conan, you formed LAX, the Latin American Exchange, and you guys were on fire. Back then, and on fire, so much that I believe you held the record, right? 600 plus days. As tag team champions, what was it like? back then in impact.

Well, it was an interesting time, man, because there was so many transitions going on. You know, it went from Jeff Jarrett was the boss and then From Jeff, it went to Scott Yamur, then it went to Anthony. There was just a lot of transitions going on. But thankfully, we uh had someone like Kona in that, I mean, what better learning tree? we could have asked to sit under at that time, especially than CONANS, right?

Um It was it was It was an awesome time because, again, we were learning something new and we were. placed in this high level position. Not having television experience, not having experience on a bigger stage. And it was almost like that sink or swim feeling. And um I'm thankful because If there's anything, you know, it taught me that like, yo.

when the pressure's on is when I'm going to do the best and do the most. Um Yeah, it was an interesting time, but it was a great time, man, because there was so much learning happening. And we got to work and learn from so many other guys. that that were there at the time. And yeah, man, that LAX run was truly, truly special, man.

Like, we got to travel the world. That was the first time that, you know, we went to England, we went to Germany, got to do cool, you know, matches and have cool moments with like the Lucha Bros and stuff like that. But um Yeah, man, it was an awesome time. And again, like for me, what I take away from that time the most is just the knowledge that I gained, you know. And learning about the business is one of my favorite things.

being able to learn from guys like Conan, guys like Just got guys like Homicide and and everyone that was there at the time. It was a huge deal, man. And us, like, also, I don't think a lot of people remember. We came in Right after the Hardys had left after doing their broken Hardy run. There And they were like the hottest thing.

They brought so many more eyes back to TNA and Impact at that time.

So they had left and showed up at WrestleMania. that year.

So we were coming in to fill that spot. Oof.

So Having the pressure of having to take over that. Spot was immense, bro.

So, uh You know. There was a lot of times where, me personally, I was like, oh man, this is rough. Again, sink or swim and and chose to swim man and I'm thankful. You know, we spoke about Penta. earlier.

in the show in in the in Yeah. You and uh Ortiz and the Lucha Brothers. Pentagon Jr. and Ray Phoenix. You guys had some classic matches.

Let's. Tell people who work. Necessarily watching at that time, or don't know, man. Let's talk about some of those battles between LAX and the Lucha Brothers. Bro, we took that match all around the world, literally.

We wrestled each other, I think it was 24, 25 times in one year.

So after we did the first initial, I think our first ever match against them was. in Rhode Island at a place called Beyond Wrestling. And then That match popped off, and everybody started talking about it. And then the next time, I think it was at LA, we did it in LA. And that match was even better and it popped off.

And then once Conan got TNA to bring them in, it was a wrap. And I knew right away that we were going to be married to them for a while, and like you said, man, our chemistry with them. Was like anything I've ever experienced, Moe. Like it got to the point, I'll tell you a quick story. There was one time we went to England together.

and we were a part of this tournament. It was uh uh What was it? It was like the the Dream tag team tournament, or something like that, in England. And I remember we weren't scheduled to wrestle each other at all. which was surprising.

Because at that point, we had wrestled each other a bunch all over the indies and on TNA and stuff.

So One of the teams that the Lucha Bros were supposed to wrestle, one of the guys got injured. uh the day before in the tournament, so he wasn't able to have the match the next day.

So the promoter comes to us, like, yo, you think you guys could open the show? Mind you, this is maybe 15 minutes before the show starts. Yo, you think you guys could open the show with the Lucha Bros? Um And we just look at each other. Yeah, right.

We look at each other. We look at the Nucha Bros. And we don't even say anything. We're like, yo. I bet.

And I can Honestly, say us and the Lucha Bros didn't speak about anything other than the finish. And we went out there. and had one of the best matches still that I've probably ever had. And I remember a vivid moment of me and Phoenix standing in the middle of the ring. before the bell even rang and the crowd was going ridiculous.

We didn't even touch each other. Yeah, here we go. And the crowd was, bro, the crowd was bugging. And I remember at one point, me and Phoenix look at each other. We go, yo, we don't even have to do anything.

We start walking off the ring. And But yeah, and then at one point we do a crazy spot, and all four of us are laying on the ground, bro. And the crowd was going so crazy that the ring was trembling. Hell yeah.

And it was like that moment still lives with me. Yeah, getting to work with them was awesome. And just to see what they're doing now, like those dudes. I got to go. like they took me to their mother's house and where they grew up.

In their hood in Mexico, those dudes deserve everything that's coming to them, everything that they've done. They like myself, we came from the bottom. Like those dudes like deserve everything man, so I'm proud of them. I'm happy with them. And we still keep in touch.

We still chat here and there. And Yeah, man, it's always good times. I don't think that story's done. Yeah. Your past's going to cross again.

Especially with the partner. And you know, it's something I do. Real quick, can I just go to the store? Go ahead, go ahead. Because I like to talk to wrestlers.

you know, entertainers about this. Your medium is more on film, right?

So you don't get the immediate reaction of. The crowd after they see Dennett Thieves. But someone like you, Mike, who's in the ring and you hear that, like someone like me, I work on a sports talk show, right?

So I'm never gonna know what that feels like, but. Share with us, man, when that many people, whether it's 500 people or 50,000 people. And they're on their feet and they're showing you love and applauding you and cheering for you and rooting you on. What does like? Can you even describe what?

that feeling is like. There's no better drug in the world. Mm.

There's no there's nothing that could truly Take the place of that. And I've I've been blessed in my career. Wrestle in front of 80,000 people. And uh Bro, there's that rush that you get, that uh adrenaline rush that uh Like you said, it's hard to even explain, like unless you you live it. you know and um I'm thankful that I have a job where I get to live that every week.

Um But yeah, man, like it's something that I can't even describe. It's like. That it's such a euphoric feeling, you know, the fact that, like, the crowd, you, When you have, there's nothing like having the crowd in the palm of your hand. Um Mind you, like we get to do it with movement, we get to do it verbally, we get to do it like in so many different ways. My favorite, again, is telling stories and getting the crowd invested into what you're doing and taking them on a roller coaster ride, bro.

Like that to me, that's That's it. Like, and I feel like I've been doing that with the story. I'm telling at TNA and Uh Yeah, and I and just get it started, yo. But again, it's it's a hard feeling to to to describe. Pinta and how you know it it's it's definitely you guys are definitely going to cross paths.

Especially with the partnership. that uh WWE and TNA have been having. But I got two questions about this partnership. Number one. Was there ever was there ever like a conversation Because the NXT people came in and they was kind of taking belts from TNA left and right.

Yeah, we were kind of like a hey man. What's cracking? What's cracking here, man? Your cousin come in that you just met and you're just taking all the toys out of the house? Wait a minute, hold on, bro.

So what was that like? You know, obviously we know that there's plans down the road and things like that. But is there ever like at least somebody joking backstage of like, hey, it's kind of empty back here? It's cracking. First of all, they definitely were in jokes.

Everybody was straight. Everybody was straightforward and pissed off, I'll tell you that. Especially the guys like, you know.

So the original core guy is like uh Like guys like me, guys like uh Eddie Edwards and Moose and Kazarian, yeah. All these guys, like we were like, yo. We gotta change this, B. Like, this is not, you know what I mean? And then it's like, Yeah, and of course, you don't like to listen to what other people are saying or whatever, but especially not on the internet, Mike said.

That kind of gets to you. Yeah. That kind of gets to you, too. You know what I mean?

But Again, I feel like the best thing that came out of it was that it motivated everybody. And it got everybody like. Bro, the the uh the fire that was lit backstage was like Yo, this is not, we ain't popping off like this. This is not happening. You know, and we all banded together, and we were like, yo, we got to do something about it.

And um Yeah, that's when everything started to kick off, and we started making more moves on their end. And um And yeah, and I remember. Remember when I first went to NXT. Um I made it very known in Trick's face. I was like, yo.

Oh wait. Yeah, we ain't living like this, man. It's not happening, and I'm glad that I was the one to do it, man, because uh. Yeah, man, but again, it just motivated the hell out of everybody.

So it was, I think it did some good. And then the second thing, we've seen. This Farewell Tour of John Cena And on on this this farewell tour, We kinda got word. to AJ Styles will be on a farewell tour himself next year. It'll be his last year.

Now How bad? Do you need that? I know and come on, I know. I need to know. I Again, I've been Very blessed in my career to have worked.

With so many different people, especially people that I grew up watching, guys that I played with their action figures, guys that I've eyed a lot, you know what I mean? Like, I've been very, very blessed. Um But there's only one dream match that I'm chasing. There's one left for me. And that is AJ Styles.

AJ Styles from truly like There's no one like him. And I think When he's gone, there ain't gonna be no one like him, you know? And the fact that, like, See hasn't been in TNA what since 2016? 2015. Mm-hmm.

The fact that He still recognized still To this day, after every amazing thing that he's done, uh since leaving The fact that he's still synonymous with TNA. And still considered the face and the original homegrown talent of TNA. It just speaks. Volumes well. And Again, the fact that I'm also like in this position as the face of the company and another homegrown talent.

Uh of TNA. Like, I think the story is there. The story writes itself and To be able to get in there with him and learn from him, and just say that I went toe-to-toe with. What are the absolute best? in professional wrestling ever.

Is it, and if I could do it for the TNA World title. in a TNA ring. That's it right there. I'm gonna tell you right now, Mike. As a co-host, and my co-host sitting next to me right here on the No Contest Wrestling Podcast.

We will pump Mike Santana versus AJ Styles propaganda as many weeks as it takes, bro. Inject it straight in the veins. Yeah, bro. You know, blessed to ESPN for giving us a platform. We will push this propaganda until this match happens, bro.

Here at ESPN. Here at ESPN, baby.

So, yeah, I had a different question, Mike, but I'm going to pivot because you just said something and it. It's a question we You just mentioned that you're the face of the company. Mm.

So a question that we also do like to ask all the time, we didn't get to you yet, but like that night we talked about your daughter, Ariana. You went in the title, you know, presenting it to her. But that night, dog. You go back to the hotel, you go back to the crib, wherever you were, and you lay your head down at night, and you've got. That 20 pounds of gold that's sitting on your shoulder.

Shay, go ahead, finish the question, because I know it's yours, man. What is it like? when you lay your head on the pillow. As champion of the world. For the first time.

First time. It's crazy. It's been. What, two, three weeks? Since Bound for glory.

And I could still hear the crowd in my ear. When I laid out. And um Again, it's a moment that's going to be with me probably for the rest of my life. It's my very first World title. When?

Um But The feeling is I'll put it this way. The feeling is I'm just getting started. Mm.

And the work continues. The real work continues. It's now like I've said it. carried my city, my culture, my family on my back. But this time I have a company.

I have a locker room. I have a brand. On my back. And if there's anything I know about myself. is that I thrive in the trenches.

I I thrive on the pressure. And um That pressure is just used as gasoline to continue lighting this fire. Because Like I said before, if there's one thing that I know about myself is that. I'm going to put in the absolute most. and do the absolute best.

And I said it. after my match. Whoever It's coming at me. better come with the same fire and passion that I bring. Because I I do not care what.

three letters you represent I don't care. who you are, where you come from. If you don't come with that same fire and that same passion, I'm going to eat you alive. That's just me being, like you said, that's just me being as real as possible. What?

Going back, what I feel is Let's get this pressure. Let's get it. Like I'm I'm excited I'm ready to go. And especially. being the face of the company going into this new era of the company and this new path where the company is going.

is a huge deal and um Obviously, the company has a certain level of trust. to have me in this position. And um I embrace it. And I get that. You know, I like to, I guess, you and I both like to throw our own personal stories in, but something you said kind of took me back 22 years ago when you were like, now it starts, right?

Because I I'd like to remember I... Remember the show Punked that used to be on M T V? Yeah. Okay, so at that time I'm I'm roommates with Aston Kutcher. And so at that night, it was a Monday, it was March 2003, the very first episode of Punk came on.

It was the Frankie Munez where they they repossessed his car. It was Justin Timberlake thinking that his house was going to get repossessed. Punk came out. I was at a club called Joseph's that Monday night. And when I tell you, the entire club was talking about punked and everyone was like congratulating me.

Even though I hadn't even started working on this show yet. And I got home that night and I told Kutcher, and I was like, yo, man, everybody in the club, because you know, he didn't go out, he was a workaholic. And I was like, everybody in the club tonight was talking about punk. I'm like, it's a hit. And I expected him to be real hyped.

And I never forget, he looked at me. He was like, okay. Cool.

Well, now the work starts because he knew that, like, yeah, getting there was one thing, but now you got to work hard just to keep it. And that was a mentality that I don't know that I ever had until he said that to me. At that moment.

So it just, what you said took me back, and just I wanted to put that out there. I get what you're saying, man. It's one thing to get there, but Now, you gotta keep it. Gotta keep it. And everybody's gonna be coming.

For you and your belt.

Now, speaking of the No, go ahead. Oh no, I um Yeah, man, like again, the work starts and I'm just like. I remember when I got back to the hotel. I was the last person. It was me.

Bubbaret? And one of my camera dude friends, his name is David. We were the last three people to leave the Sanga Center. And I was still full of blood. I was still in my gear.

And um I remember getting to the hotel. And almost the entire roster was in the lobby celebrating. And you know, having food and drinks, and everybody was chilling. I walk in, everybody congratulating, blah, blah, blah, blah. And um I said, what's up?

I walked past everybody. And I went straight to my room. And I remember sitting on the bed I put the title down. And I sat on my bed and I was like That's exactly what I said to myself. I was like, the work starts.

Let's go. Absolutely, dude.

Now speaking of everybody. Coming at you. We have our number one question on the No Contest Wrestling Podcast. You know, you've given us your time for a little bit over an hour now, so I feel like it's a great time for us to bring up the question.

Now, it's a scenario-based question. You're in a bar, you're at a restaurant, whatever location it is. There are fifty dudes. in this location. that got problems with Mike Santana.

They don't want you in there. I need you to pick a team of you. and four other wrestlers. To make sure that the champ is getting to the car and back to the room safe. Back to the BX.

And these could be wrestlers from any era, anytime, Mike. First off, I'm gonna let y'all know real quick. I'm spitting two blades out of my mouth. I ain't going to work. Oh my god.

So buck fifties, everybody's getting a buck fifty. Yard and a half, yard and a half. Yeah, everybody. Mike, that is the first time, by the way, the first time anyone's ever said they're going to give somebody a buck fifty. Yo, listen.

I'm spinning those two blades down and we're going to work. But, man, so. Yeah. I'll keep it simple. I won't go too far ahead.

I'll keep it simple. I'll say. My boy Josh Alexander is one of them.

Okay. Okay. The walking weapon. You know what I'm saying? You don't get a name like that for no reason.

I mean. That's for real. Oh. My boy Steve Macklin is another one. Oh, yeah, for a guy.

You know, that's a former Marine there, so I feel good about that. Yeah, he's biting faces for sure. I would say Moose. I mix it. Yeah.

Solid. Yeah, that's a big dude. That's a big dude. That's one more. And I'll say Eddie Edwards.

Okay. Silent.

Solid. Yeah, those four, those four, honestly, and I mentioned those four. Because I will say That we've kind of been in situations where shit almost popped off. We went into that. We went into that.

And we all and we all would just give a look and we like, I agree. Are there one of these stories you can legally share with us? I mean, nah, I mean, and mind you, they happen in separate occasions. Like, I'd say I had a moment with, you know, Moose Eddie Edwards, like in England, one point. There's, you know.

Josh and Steve, I feel like we just all have a common mindset of like, we just give each other a look, and it's like, it's go time. And, um, But yeah, like I would, I wouldn't say specific, you know, whatever. It's just moments that we're like. Yeah, if it gets rowdy. Yeah, and we get rid of it.

Time to get busy with it. And yeah, so After what I saw with her taking some thumbtacks, you picked Eddie Edwards. I might say you might want to listen too, because a few years ago. First of all, I'll I've known Alicia over 10 years. Uh I know where she comes from.

And she bought it for real. I'll put it that way. I get the feeling about Alicia that she's about to be real. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, she's about it for real.

And she don't care you man or woman. She getting busy. Yeah. Well, let me ask you this, Mike. We have, and don't tell everybody about this because I don't give the keys to everybody.

I'm going to let you know. We got our own time machine here at No Contest Wrestling. Doc Brown from Back to the Future hooked up the Baron. And uh the Delorian. Why did they say LeBaron?

It's a DeLorean. I don't know why I said, I think LeBron was on my mind for some DeLorean. Chrysler LeBarian, though, that was the move back in the day. We got a DeLorean, right? It's a little time machine, you know, no big deal.

So, what I'm gonna do is, I'm gonna give you the keys, right? And I'm going to give you a chance to go back in time. to have Five main event caliber matches with any wrestler. from any time period and you're the baron slash the laureate. Uh Who are you going to travel back to either go back to their time or bring them forward?

to this time you get five matches main event caliber. Boo. Carrie Funk? Oh, forever. Yeah forever.

Mm-hmm. Bruiser Brody? Oh, okay. All right. You want to go to bed sore that night?

I mean, we're going to work. Eddie Guerrero.

Okay. Of course.

So that's three, right? Bret Hart, of course. I think I was waiting for that one. And um Man. I got one more.

Uh Article Pedro Morales. Ah, okay. I was kind of thinking that. Right. Because I mean mainly, mainly.

Yeah, mainly just to um To Feel? the atmosphere. during his time. of him being on top. As a Boricua in New York City at the garden.

He sold the garden out many, many, many times. Gadget. Eight. Mm.

Yeah, so just to live, just to live that and experience that for sure. Yeah, and he doesn't have to say AJ because we're gonna get that. Yeah, we're gonna get that. That's coming next year. You know what I mean?

We're gonna see that match. Absolutely. No, I don't need a time machine for that one. That's what I'm saying, right? Exactly.

So, Terry Funk, Bruiser Brody, Pedro Morales, Eddie Guerrero, and the hitman Bret Art. I like that. That's pretty good. Buying tickets to all five of those. I'm hoping maybe I might you know, we might get a comp ticket from our boy the champ.

But you know. Yeah, we'll yeah, we'll see how that goes. Either way, man. Mike, dude, this has been a great interview, man. I hope you had fun with us.

I hope, you know, we treated you right, man. There's so much more we could discuss too, man. But you know, absolutely.

Next time we get you, we'll go down there. Yeah, man. And I don't be rocking people's shirts when I interview. But come on man Come on, man. I got you right here.

Put your mic out. Put your mic out. Push that off. Hey, got you, dog. I'd like to appreciate it.

He saved me, man. That's the homie. That's right. Because, like I said, Mike, you know, I had a drink in my hand and I couldn't quite get over the barricade that comes.

So, thankfully, you saved. You saved my brother. You know what I mean?

Mike Santana, y'all make some noise. The championship. There you have it. Santana. World champion.

World champion. That's hard to do here. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. I mean, not always, but that was nice.

That was dope, man. I feel like. Mike's the type of cat that I want to sit around and chop it up with for real. Yeah, you know what I mean? Because you feel the real, feel the real, you know, and like I said, I.

Just New York cats are different, man. Yeah. They really are. Two razor blades. Yeah, but somebody getting bucked for 50 or you know, I guess that's a 300.

My God. That's good math, TJ. Thank you. And I ain't good at math. For those that don't know what a Butt 50 is, well, we're on the Disney platform now, so I'm not going to tell you.

But you Google it, you don't want no parts of it, is all I'm saying. Have you ever seen Above the Rim with Tupac has a he has a keeps a blade in his mouth and that that's for protection.

Okay, so uh That's fun. You don't want no parts of that, folks. You really don't. Yeah, TJ, that was a good episode, man. Yeah, that was fun, bro.

That was fun. We got to head out of here and and catch us some Monday Night Raw. I just want to remind everybody. that the Dodgers that the Dodgers are your. back to back World Series champion and our pal CM Punk is your world heavyweight champion.

Come on now. And you want to know something else? You want to know something else? What's that? He is still your AEW world champion.

That's right. That's history. That's history. You know, and speaking of which, you know, we could talk about, you know, the picture going around. And you know how our people are on the internet.

Now you have half the people. Blacks?

Well, no, just wrestling fans.

Okay. Yeah. Wrestling fans. You know, that picture that Punk put out of MJ. Just so happy we all were in the same.

And Cody. Yeah. You know, but here's the deal. You can play that on both sides of the fence. right you can go over adw and say well look there was a point where their champions were all you know You guys who are so caught up in this, this okay, guys.

It's fine, bro. It's okay to like all different types of wrestling. It's okay to like both companies. It's okay. To like New Japan.

It's okay to like Ring of Honor. It's okay to like CMLL and triple O as a drive. By the way, Ethan Page said that he and Chelsea Green are now the triple A mixed tag champions. And I had never heard anybody call a triple A like that before.

So, yeah, man. Like, well, man, my niece is calling me right now. I know that means she wants some money.

So I'm going to decline this call. But yeah, man, it's uh Wrestling, it it's It is what it is, man. You either get caught up in that stuff or you just enjoy what you're watching, I guess. Hey, listen, of all people to take a job. Kinda funny.

It's kind of funny. Anyway, guys. You know where we are right now, but TJ, can you tell them where to find us? Oh, I sure can. Listen, if you want to follow us on social media.

Here's where you can do it. And make sure when you get to all these places, you subscribe, or you follow, or you like. You know, you do all that. But on Twitter slash X, there's no contest. On Instagram, no contest wrestling podcast.

On Tick. Talk, no contest wrestling pod. And of course, you go to YouTube, you type in the Rich Eisen show. You can find all of our videos from CM Punk episode one to this episode with the TNA World Heavyweight Champion Mike Santana and everything in between. That's right, man.

For my co-host TJ, I am O'Shea Jackson Jr. Make sure y'all have a good day, but not too good because who the hell do you think you are? It's rocking fors today, I see. Oh, yeah, bro. Would you say, may the Ford be with you?

Yeah, you know, what's the time it is? Hey, man, love you, bro. My man. See you guys next week. I'm sure it's going to be a great episode.

We don't have a guest yet, but we will. Yeah. And once again, congratulations. to the Dodgers. Back-to-back World Series champions.

Have a good day, y'all. Knichi wild, bitches. Bye, Miss Parker. Barbers Parker.