“He asked for a release from AEW” - Matt Hardy opens up about Tony Khan losing recent WWE debutant

A former AEW name competing for TNA recently made his debut in WWE. Now, wrestling veteran Matt Hardy has shared his perspective on the talent in question, Mike Santana, and his departure from the Tony Khan-led promotion.

The Nasty Assassin made headlines recently after appearing on NXT for the very first time at Battleground earlier this month. Shortly after, Santana wrestled his first match on the brand's weekly television show, defeating Tavion Heights of the No Quarter Catch Crew. The 34-year-old star is seemingly aiming to bring the TNA World Championship back from Trick Williams' grasp to the Nashville-based promotion.

Speaking on a recent edition of his Extreme Life podcast, WWE legend Matt Hardy commented on Mike Santana's growth and success since his All Elite Wrestling exit last year. The Broken One praised the former LAX member for his recent work in TNA, stating:

“I like the fact that Santana is getting the opportunity to move into the upper echelon of TNA, top level talent, and work in championship matches, in main events. He’s a guy who has busted his ass since he left AEW.”

Details of Goldberg's last match HERE

Hardy further speculated on the reason behind his All Elite departure, and again complimented his recent performances.

“Big respect for Mike because he bet on himself. He asked for a release from [All Elite Wrestling]. He left AEW. He didn’t see a chance for him to move up the roster… or how management perceived him, and he bet on himself. He went to TNA, and he has been killing it. He’s been doing great.” [H/T - Wrestling News.co]

Besides plying his trade in TNA, Santana has also been actively competing across various promotions on the indie circuit.

A brief overview of Mike Santana's AEW run

Mike Santana was involved with All Elite Wrestling since its foundational year, initially as a member of the Chris Jericho-led group The Inner Circle alongside his tag partner Ortiz. After the inaugural AEW World Champion turned on Proud & Powerful to form the Jericho Appreciation Society, the duo reunited with Eddie Kingston and joined forces with the BCC to battle the heel faction in 2022.

After sustaining an injury during the extremely violent Blood and Guts match three years ago, Santana returned in 2023 to aid the BCC and later competed alongside them in a Stadium Stampede bout at All In London. Following on the heels of rumors regarding alleged backstage conflict between the two, The Real Deal wrestled his final AEW match against Ortiz, defeating the latter in a No-Disqualification showdown on Rampage.

Santana left the Jacksonville-based promotion the following year, and returned to TNA at Rebellion 2024.

About the author

Anurag is an AEW writer for Sportskeeda Wrestling. He holds a BA and MA degree in English along with a TEFL certification to teach English. Before Sportskeeda, he worked as a Content and Correspondence writer at Nayabad Titas, a theater group. He has also worked as a English language tutor.

To ensure complete accuracy, he uses internet resources, social media platforms, and especially pieces composed by his peers to find solid, verified information that he presents as objectively as possible. Thanks to his academic background, he can research different subjects thoroughly.

Anurag's interest in wrestling began as a child. He watched RAW and Smackdown frequently from age 10 or 11 and was officially hooked by the YES Movement story in WWE heading into WrestleMania 30.

As a lifelong wrestling fan and lover of stories, Anurag would read news, articles, and other content about the talent and events he enjoyed watching. His understanding of the business continued to grow with time, and his interest in the art and sport of wrestling led him to pursue a career as a writer.

Apart from writing, he loves to read books, watch movies and television programs, play and listen to music, and write poetry and fiction.

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Edited by Anurag Mukherjee