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Santana Issues Statement Following AEW Return – “My Story Will Be Told Eventually”

By Sondra Ruth • Published 24th August 2023
Mike Santana Ortiz AEW Proud & Powerful

Santana issued an emotional statement after his long-awaited return on AEW Dynamite.

On the August 23rd episode of Dynamite, Santana made a huge return for the first time since suffering a knee injury at Blood & Guts in June of 2022. Now, despite their previous falling out backstage, Sanatana has reunited with tag team partner Ortiz to align with the Blackpool Combat Club as they take on Eddie Kingston, Penta El Zero Miedo, Best Friends, and Orange Cassidy in a Stadium Stampede match at AEW All In on August 27th.

Taking to social media after his return, the star shared an emotional statement about his struggles over the past three years and thanking both family and fans for their support.

“To say that I knew what the road ahead of me was going to be like when I got hurt, would be totally false. The struggles and battles I’ve overcome to get back to what I love and have dedicated my life to is unimaginable. But the most important thing was that it taught me so much about myself and made me a 10x better person than who I was.

I’m thankful that everything from the last 3 and half years happened the way they did. It needed to. Everything from losing my father, to unhappiness at work, to personal struggles, and everything in between.

I’m thankful for all those things. They forced me to face me. To look in the mirror and learn to love/appreciate the person looking back. My story will be told eventually. I just want to enjoy this moment that I’ve worked so damn hard to get to.

Thanks to EVERYONE who ever reached out. Every message from the fans. All the support from my family. Those who were there during my darkest days. I’ll forever be grateful for all of you. NOW LETS GET TO WORK!”

How Was Santana Injured At AEW Blood & Guts?

During the opening minutes of the 2022 edition of Blood & Guts on AEW Dynamite, Santana appeared to tweak his knee while he attempted to give a uranage slam to Daniel Garcia. The star was removed from the match and did not return, indicating that the issue was serious. Despite being down one man, his team was victorious against the team led by Chris Jericho.