Mike Santana was missing from the July 2 episode of TNA iMPACT!, just days after losing the TNA World Championship at Slammiversary 2026. TNA did not explain why he wasn’t on the show. Nevertheless, his absence has added more fuel to the rumors that he could be heading to WWE.
Santana went into Slammiversary as the TNA World Champion but lost the title to Nic Nemeth in the main event. Even before Slammiversary, rumors about Santana’s future ran rampant. When asked about them before the event, he said his full focus was on defending the championship.
Now that he is no longer champion and didn’t appear on the next episode of iMPACT!, many fans believe his time in TNA could be coming to an end.
Mike Santana’s TNA iMPACT! absence raises questions about WWE future
This week’s TNA iMPACT! opened with new TNA World Champion Nic Nemeth celebrating his title win. Elsewhere, Leon Slater continued his feud with Cedric Alexander, Fabian Aichner earned an X-Division Championship opportunity, and Ricky Sosa found himself caught between The Righteous and The System before joining forces with Slater.
Despite everything that happened, Santana was nowhere to be seen or mentioned.
Santana returned to TNA at Rebellion in April 2024 by defeating Steve Maclin. He officially signed with the company a few days later. During this run, he became one of TNA’s top stars, winning the TNA World Championship twice.
He also has a strong history as a tag team wrestler. He has won the TNA World Tag Team Championship four times with longtime partner Ortiz.
According to PWInsider, Santana’s TNA contract is expected to expire in mid-July. The report says WWE is very interested in signing him. Moreover, they have been impressed by both his performances and his professionalism. It also claims WWE would like to bring Santana to the main roster before the end of 2026 if negotiations go positively.
Nothing has officially come to light about his future. Nevertheless, his absence after losing the title has only made the WWE rumors stronger.
Even though Santana has never officially been part of WWE, he has already appeared on WWE programming through the WWE-TNA partnership. Most recently, he teamed with OTM’s Bronco Nima and Lucien Pierce to beat DarkState on the March 31, 2026, episode of NXT.
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