TNA's Mike Santana Explains Why WWE's Shawn Michaels Is A Big Influence On His Career

TNA Wrestling's Mike Santana has detailed how the likes of Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart have inspired him in his singles career, as he hopes to tread in the same path that they did years ago.

Santana has had a breakout year as a singles star in 2025, following years of being a tag team wrestler. The former TNA World Champion recently spoke on "Pro Wrestling & MMA Interviews with Me (Jimmy V3)" about what has motivated him to transition from tag team wrestling to being a singles star, one of whom was Michaels.  

"Honestly, like I had set forth a plan for myself and I didn't put a timetable on it. I was like, 'This plan, you know, it could take two years, five years, 10 years,' but I knew the work that I was willing to put in. And like you named a few, man. Some of my favorite wrestlers that I grew up watching, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, guys like that, like you know, I was very inspired by that, the fact that they went from very successful tag teams and they cemented their legacies as singles wrestlers, you know what I mean?"

Santana had made a name for himself in pro wrestling alongside Ortiz, first in Impact Wrestling (now TNA), and later in AEW, before the former left the promotion to carve a name for himself as a singles wrestler. Since his return to TNA, Santana has been pushed as a solo act, while also being featured on WWE NXT, working under Shawn Michaels as part of the TNA–WWE partnership. His crowning moment as a singles star came with his TNA World Title win at Bound for Glory, which he ultimately lost to Frankie Kazarian. He now has another opportunity to reclaim the title at TNA's first pay-per-view of 2026– and the company's first following its upcoming switch to AMC — Genesis, where he will challenge the reigning champion, Kazarian.