Tag: Santana and Ortiz

Mike Santana no longer with AEW

Posted on by Ian Carey

Mike Santana is no longer with AEW. 

His profile was removed from the AEW roster page recently and he hasn’t wrestled for the promotion since the October 25, 2023, Rampage taping. He defeated his longtime tag team partner Ortiz on the show. 

Fightful Select is reporting that sources close to Santana say he is done with the company. 

Santana and Ortiz came into AEW as Proud-N-Powerful in 2019, quickly aligning with Chris Jericho, Sammy Guevara, and Jake Hager as the Inner Circle. Santana teamed with Jericho and Ortiz to beat Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks in the main event of the very first episode of Dynamite. 

Santana wrestled for AEW just three times after suffering a torn ACL in the 2022 Blood & Guts match. His first match back was Stadium Stampede at All In. He then had a singles win over Bronson the following month and then his win over Ortiz in October. 

As for Ortiz, he’s wrestled in AEW just once since his loss to Santana in October. He teamed with Eddie Kingson in a loss to Bryan Danielson and Claudio Castagnoli on the January 20, 2024 episode of Collision. 

Santana has been keeping active on the independent wrestling scene in the Northeast. This weekend he wrestled Penta El Zero Miedo on a House of Glory show in New York and also wrestled Homicide on a show in New Jersey on Sunday. 

Ortiz: Santana was ‘very adamant about not working with me anymore’

Posted on by Ian Carey

Ortiz says his tag team with Mike Santana split up because his partner was “very adamant” about not working with him anymore. 

Ortiz appeared on today’s episode of The Shining Wizards podcast and spoke about what led to the team’s break up and the program they worked together on Rampage feeling “kind of rushed.”

He said:

Unfortunately, it wasn’t the company’s call to split us. Me and Santana just couldn’t get it together personally and he just was very adamant about not working with me anymore, for whatever reason. So, the company kind of had no choice but to split us up.

So they’re like, ‘Okay, you’re not going to just not tag, it doesn’t make any sense. Let’s at least make this make sense why you split.’ But even when we did it on TV, it just ended up, I feel like, being kind of rushed and you know what I mean? Due to stuff that was going on backstage and it was making it hard to really put forward a program.

Earlier in the conversation, Ortiz mentioned that there had been plans on more than one occasion for Proud N Powerful to win the AEW Tag Team Championships but it never panned out. 

Ortiz said: 

We could have forced a hand a little bit more where we did have the opportunities that we had. I can’t completely blame the company because there was talks about (us winning the tag titles) but it was almost like it was never the right time. It just wasn’t our time and it was just because we were always intertwined with a huge storyline with the Inner Circle and it would have been hard to like sway off and do our own tag thing and go after the tag titles.

It was actually supposed to happen more than once but just due to stuff out of our control, or out of my control, it just never seemed to pan out.

It’s not like those people on the internet that were clamoring for us to be tag team champions, it was noticed by the people in AEW and above. It almost happened two times, it just never panned out. I won’t get into the weeds of things only because I think I’ll get in trouble if I do. 

Neither Santana nor Ortiz has wrestled in AEW since they faced each other at the October 25 Rampage taping. Santana won the no-disqualification match in just over 10 minutes. Our own Dave Meltzer gave the match a four-star rating.  

AEW’s Santana teases return with new video

Posted on by Ian Carey

Santana posted a new video on Friday amidst reports he is nearing a return from injury. 

The 32-year-old has been out of action since suffering a knee injury during the Blood & Guts match on June 29, 2022. Moments after entering the cage, Santana attempted a uranage on Daniel Garcia but landed awkwardly on his leg. He would eventually be helped to the back. Tony Khan revealed the following week that Santana was looking at a long recovery time. 

Last week, Santana posted the following to Twitter:

Today, he posted the below video featuring him commuting to a high school gymnasium. 

Santana had posted a similar video to Twitter on April 21 as well. 

Last week, our own Dave Meltzer reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Santana is nearing a return. He also mentioned the rumored falling out with Santana’s LAX teammate, Ortiz, who is not featured in any of the above videos.  

Meltzer wrote:

Santana is going to be ready to return soon. Not sure where he’ll fit in since he and Ortiz had a falling out. They are better off as a team than singles and Ortiz hasn’t done much since Santana was gone. They were one of the better teams in the company.

Ortiz had been teaming with Eddie Kingston early in 2023 but has been used sparingly since Kingston was moved to the ROH roster. He hasn’t wrestled since dropping a match to Brian Cage on the ROH TV tapings held on April 5. Prior to that, he hadn’t wrestled since the Face of the Revolution Ladder match on March 1. 

Santana and Ortiz began teaming with each other in 2012. They would eventually join Impact Wrestling and become members of the new LAX in 2017. They signed with AEW in 2019 and quickly joined Chris Jericho’s Inner Circle faction. Together they are four-time Impact tag champions, three-time HOG tag champions, and one-time CZW champions. 

Eight matches announced for AEW Dark

Posted on by Josh Nason

For Tuesday’s edition of Dark, AEW will finish airing footage from their recent taping in Newark, New Jersey, with an eight-match lineup.

Brian Cage will look to rebound from his loss to Ricky Starks in the AEW World title eliminator tournament as he faces former ROH TV Champion Tony Deppen.

ChocoPro’s Hagane Shinno will make his official AEW debut as he takes on Angelico. Shinno competed against Michael Nakazawa at the company’s Fight Forever event at September’s Tokyo Game Show. This is Angelico’s first singles match and third match overall since September.

Former AEW Women’s Champion Hikaru Shida will take on Layla Luciano.

Here’s the full lineup:

  • Hikaru Shida (w/ Hagane Shinno) vs. Layla Luciano
  • Matt Hardy & Private Party vs. The Wingmen (Peter Avalon, Cezar Bononi & Ryan Nemeth)
  • The Factory (Lee Johnson, QT Marshall & Cole Karter) vs. Justin Corino, Ryan Mooney & Steve Josifi
  • Zack Clayton vs. Chris Wylde
  • Angelico vs. Hagane Shinno
  • Brian Cage (w/ Prince Nana) vs. Tony Deppen
  • Jericho Appreciation Society (Matt Menard, Angelo Parker & Daniel Garcia) vs. Tracy Williams, LSG and Jack Tomlinson
  • Emi Sakura (w/ Baliyan Akki) vs. Tiara James

Blood and Guts announced for June 29 edition of AEW Dynamite

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The return of Blood and Guts is happening later this month.

AEW announced that a special edition of Dynamite, Blood and Guts, is set to take place on June 29 in Detroit, Michigan. This follows an angle during tonight’s Dynamite that saw Chris Jericho accept a Blood and Guts challenge on behalf of the Jericho Appreciation Society from William Regal and Eddie Kingston.

Jericho appeared during tonight’s show, highlighting himself and the Jericho Appreciation Society winning the Anarchy at the Arena match at Double or Nothing this past Sunday. Kingston arrived with Regal, with Regal dropping the term “blood and guts”. 

Jericho initially rejected the challenge. However, after Ortiz ran into the ring and managed to snip off a lock of Jericho’s hair, Jericho accepted. Jericho, however, said he wanted something in return. He wanted a hair match against Ortiz that was later confirmed for AEW Road Rager on June 15 in St. Louis, Missouri.

After Jon Moxley defeated Daniel Garcia on tonight’s Dynamite, he said he wanted in the Blood and Guts match as well.

The first and so far only Blood and Guts match took place on the May 5, 2021 edition of Dynamite. In the match, The Pinnacle (MJF, Wardlow, Shawn Spears, and FTR) defeated The Inner Circle (Chris Jericho, Sammy Guevara, Jake Hager, Santana, and Ortiz).

AEW Rampage spoilers from Garland, Texas

Posted on by Bryan Rose

AEW taped matches for this Friday’s Rampage following tonight’s AEW Dynamite in Garland, Texas:

  • Trent, Chuck Taylor, Orange Cassidy, and Rocky Romero defeated The Young Bucks, Bobby Fish, and Adam Cole in an eight-man tag team match. Trent pinned Fish to win the match.
  • Dan Lambert returned to AEW and cut a promo. He was interrupted by Cody Rhodes. This eventually led to Men of the Year (Scorpio Sky and Ethan Page) jumping Cody. Dustin Rhodes came out to even things, but was also attacked until Sammy Guevara made the save.
  • Tay Conti defeated Penelope Ford in a submission match.
  • Daniel Garcia, The Acclaimed, and 2point0 defeated Eddie Kingston, Santana, Ortiz, and The Lucha Bros. in a ten-man tag match.

AEW next week will be holding AEW Dynamite and taping Rampage at the Greensboro Coliseum in North Carolina. Matches already announced for Dynamite include MJF & FTR vs. Darby Allin, Sting, and CM Punk in a six-man tag match and Malakai Black vs. Griff Garrison.

Best Friends vs. Santana & Ortiz set for AEW Dynamite

Posted on by Bryan Rose

A tag team match has officially been confirmed for Dynamite.

AEW’s social media confirmed this afternoon that a tag team match will take place between The Best Friends and Santana & Ortiz. Best Friends, including Orange Cassidy, have had problems in recent weeks with The Inner Circle.

A debate between Orange Cassidy and Chris Jericho featuring a mystery moderator will also take place on the program. This will be ahead of their match on the August 12 edition of Dynamite.

Also set for this week’s Dynamite:

  • Jon Moxley vs. Darby Allin for the AEW World title
  • Matt Cardona (Zack Ryder) & Cody vs. Jon Silver and Alex Reynolds of The Dark Order
  • In a twelve-man tag team match, Kenny Omega, Hangman Page, FTR, and The Young Bucks will face Mr. Brodie Lee, Colt Cabana, Evil Uno, Stu Grayson, Five, and Ten of the Dark Order
  • An update on MJF’s challenge to Jon Moxley for a title match at AEW All Out.

Twelve matches announced for AEW Dark

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Tony Khan has announced twelve matches for next week’s AEW Dark. 

A triple threat match will headline as Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian of SCU will face Santana and Ortiz and Private Party. 

Brandon Cutler and Peter Avalon will continue their quest for their first AEW victory when they face FTR in tag team action. 

Other tag action on the show will see Best Friends vs. Alex Reynolds and John Silver of Dark Order, Evil Uno and Stu Grayson of Dark Order against Shawn Dean and Will Hobbs and Michael Nakazawa and Pineapple Pete vs. Sonny Kiss and Joey Janela. 

Singles matches on the show will see Sammy Guevara make his in-ring return against Fuego Del Sol. Scorpio Sky, Abadon, Lance Archer, Wardlow and Penelope Ford in action. 

Here is the full card: 

  • SCU vs. Santana & Ortiz vs. Private Party
  • Brandon Cutler & Peter Avalon vs. FTR
  • Best Friends vs. Alex Reynolds &  John Silver
  • Evil Uno & Stu Grayson vs. Shawn Dean & Will Hobbs
  • Michael Nakazawa & Pineapple Pete vs. Sonny Kiss & Joey Janela
  • Sammy Guevara vs. Fuego Del Sol
  • Wardlow vs. Aaron Solow
  • Penelope Ford vs. Kenzie Paige
  • Scorpio Sky vs. Corey Hollis
  • Abadon vs. Skyler Moore
  • Lance Archer vs. Frankie Thomas
  • Orange Cassidy vs. Serpentico

AEW Dark premieres Tuesdays at 7 p.m. Eastern time on YouTube.