A former AEW star just made his WWE debut tonight. He is a wrestling veteran.
Mike Santana first made a name for himself in TNA Wrestling, where he wrestled for a couple of years. Following a successful stint in TNA, he moved on to AEW, where he was part of Chris Jericho's Inner Circle stable. Santana was a prominent feature during the early days of All Elite Wrestling. However, as his bookings dwindled, he left the company in 2024 and returned to TNA Wrestling, where he has been a prominent feature as a singles star.
Due to the Stamford-based promotion's partnership with TNA Wrestling, Mike Santana made an appearance at NXT Battlegrounds 2025, where he was interviewed backstage. However, this interview segment was interrupted by the No Quarter Catch Crew. As a result, Santana challenged one of them to a match tonight on NXT.
So, tonight on the black and silver brand, Mike Santana faced off against Tavion Heights in a singles match, thereby making it his official WWE debut after several years of wrestling on the independent scene.
It will be interesting to see if Tavion Heights will be able to defeat a wrestling veteran like Mike Santana tonight on NXT.