Former TNA & AEW Star Mike Santana Confirms New Ring Name Following WWE NXT Debut
When former TNA World Champion Mike Santana made his official "WWE NXT" debut last Tuesday by confronting NXT Champion Tony D'Angelo following his successful defense against Naraku, fans noticed that commentary did not mention the star by name. Ahead of the show at the WWE Performance Center this week, Santana took to X (formerly Twitter) with a video to re-introduce himself.
"Last week, I made my official debut on 'NXT' and set the wrestling world on fire," the now former-Santana said. "All without saying a thing. But, my actions let everyone know exactly what my sights were set on. Tomorrow night, live, I put words behind those actions, and for the first time, you get to hear what Cruz Montana has to say."
It was revealed on X earlier in the day by various accounts that WWE had filed a trademark for "Cruz Montana." Many fans believed that Santana would be changing his ring name, unlike fellow former TNA stars Jordynne Grace and Joe Hendry.
Last week, I set the world on fire...
Tomorrow night, I throw gas on the flames.LETS GET IT!
8PM | LIVE ON @WWENXT pic.twitter.com/kFHx06JAWB
— Mike SANTANA🇵🇷 (@Santana_Proud) July 27, 2026
Montana has wrestled on "NXT" as Santana in the past, as recently as March 31 when he teamed with OTM's Bronco Nima and Lucien Price against DarkState in New York City. He also wrestled on "NXT" as part of Team TNA in a Survivor Series-style elimination match in October, when the brands ran their "Showdown" special. Montana wrestled Trick Williams for the TNA World Championship on the show when Williams held the gold.
Rumors of the now-former Santana's TNA departure were all but confirmed after he dropped the TNA title to Nic Nemeth at Slammiversary. The star laid low for a few weeks, before heading to the Performance Center to wordlessly challenge D'Angelo last week.