Santana Addresses Hometown Heartbreak Following Slammiversary Loss
Mike Santana’s dream of capturing the TNA World Championship in front of his hometown crowd at UBS Arena came to a crushing end this past Sunday at Slammiversary 2025. The Bronx native took to social media to address the disappointing finish that saw NXT’s Trick Williams retain the title in the main event triple threat match.
Santana appeared to have victory within his grasp during the 13-minute bout, landing his signature Spin the Block finisher on Williams twice. However, in a controversial finish, Williams—who many believed was injured after taking a dive to the outside—suddenly reemerged to steal the victory by pinning Joe Hendry while Santana was momentarily out of position.
The loss was particularly stinging for Santana, who had described the opportunity as “unprecedented” and a potential “full circle moment” during pre-event interviews. The former four-time TNA World Tag Team Champion has been positioning himself as the new face of the company since his singles return to TNA in April 2024.
“This would be a full circle moment,” Santana had said before the match. “And especially me, being in the position that I’m in currently—being built as the new face of the company—this is it.”
The defeat marks a setback in Santana’s quest to add singles gold to his decorated tag team legacy, though his journey toward championship gold is far from over.
