Cruz Montana (FKA Mike Santana) Details Thought Process Behind His WWE Name

Fans have been familiar with the name Mike Santana for a couple decades and also know him as just his last name. Since leaving AEW to join TNA again, he has gone by his first and last name. That's also the name he used for appearances in "NXT'. When he officially arrived as an official member of Tuesday night's brand, fans assumed he'd go by the name he'd made for himself. Instead, he'll be known as Cruz Montana.

On a recent episode of Busted Open After Dark, the former TNA World Champion explained the story behind his new name. He said there's a lot of layers to the name he chose. "First and foremost, I put it together to honor my father who passed away." Mike Santana was in honor of his grandmother, who saved his life and also introduced him to wrestling. He bonded with his dad over movies and music. At 10 or 11, his dad introduced him to "Blood In Blood Out" because of the life lessons it teaches. One of the characters, Cruz, is someone that he relates to in his own life as the character battled addiction. Another character is named Montana. "This guy was trying to change the perceptions of Latinos. He preached Latino empowerment."

Cruz also means cross. "One of my boys used to always say 'from what you've done within your life or what you've struggled with, it's almost like you're carrying the cross'. Montana means mountain and one thing that my daughter would always tell me is 'Papi, you move mountains for what you want.' So overall, it's a lot. Very in-depth."

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit Busted Open After Dark and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.