Mike Santana Slams ‘Cornball’ Joe Hendry And Ego-Driven Trick Williams Ahead Of TNA Slammiversary

Mike Santana previews the big night ahead at TNA Slammiversary 2025. He talks about his issues with Trick Williams and his respect for Joe Hendry. Also, he opens up about how his haters drive his success and the importance of having the chance to headline a TNA pay-per-view in New York.

Mike Santana will challenge for the TNA Wrestling World Championship at TNA Slammiversary. He will take on Joe Hendry and the WWE NXT Superstar currently holding the TNA World Championship, Trick Williams. Santana spoke with Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful ahead of the big event on July 20. Early on in the conversation, Santana was asked how it felt to prove himself right and his daughters wrong. He says it felt great to use all of his naysayers’ energy as fuel for his success.

“It feels great. Again, man, I embraced that. Of course, it was tough, right? It was like the internet could chew you up and spit you out, as you know, right? But I embraced it all, and I was like, ‘Watch me work.’ I used all of that just to get me to where I’m at today. It was just noise, bro. It was just noise. Sometimes there’s going to be people that see what you see and that don’t. That’s just the way life is. So, yeah, it is what it is. I’m here today. I’m doing pretty well for myself, if you can ask me. All that doubt and all that negativity and all that crap just got me to the main event.”

Mike Santana is a very goal-driven individual. When he returned to TNA Wrestling on his own, he was very open about his goals: He wanted to become the TNA Wrestling World Champion. Now, he’s reaping the rewards of the opportunities he has created for himself. Santana credits Cody Rhodes for helping him understand the importance of maximizing his on-camera time, and he attributes that lesson to the success he’s experiencing today.

“Oh, absolutely. I made it very clear in the very first conversations that I had. I made it very clear that, ‘Listen, I want to be here and I would love to be here, but I don’t have to be here. No matter what, I trust in myself and I trust in the work that I’m going to put in, that I’m going to make it happen wherever I go or whatever I do. So, if you are willing to give me the opportunity to show what I can do and prove that I can be a major player, then great, here we are.

“But if not, then let me know and I could go on my merry way.’ But thankfully, like you said, I have such a rich history here, and I’ve maintained such a great relationship with so many people here that they were willing to give me that opportunity. I seized every moment, you know? I think one of the biggest things that I learned from Cody actually was to maximize your minutes. That’s what I do every time I’m in front of a camera, is I maximize whatever time that I have and make the most of it and make sure that I force the hand of whoever’s in charge to put me where I should be.”

Both on screen and behind the scenes, Mike Santana has forced the hand of those in charge, and now, he’s headlining a TNA Wrestling pay-per-view at the UBS Arena on Long Island, New York. A proud Nuyorican, Santana is even more proud that the work he’s put in to get to this moment has put him in line to win his first major world championship in wrestling in his home state.

“It definitely is. Again, like you said, I had a pretty quick one the last time I was there and the fact that I’m going from that to the main event, pretty wild to me. I was thinking about it actually the other day, I use a lot of my time now to reflect and make sure that I appreciate every moment and everything that I’ve done. I was thinking about that, like, man, it’s crazy that the last time that I was in that building, five seconds, and now I’m headlining. God is good and when you put in the work, you make it happen.“

Before he can proudly lift the TNA World Championship over his head at TNA Slammiversary, Santana must get past former champion Joe Hendry. He has a lot of respect for Joe. Still, he believes that Joe Hendry is corny and thinks he’s the representative TNA Wrestling needs.

“He’s the biggest cornball of all time. I mean, what more needs to be said? Look, listen. I’ve said it before. I’ve said it to him. I respect what he’s done. I respect his grind and how he’s represented TNA, He’s taken the TNA title to the Royal Rumble, showed up at WrestleMania. He’s been such a great poster child for the company. But at the end of the day, I’ve said it before, I’ve said it live on TV—the TNA World Title was built off the backs of the very best professional wrestlers and that’s what I’m planning to bring it back to.”

For Trick Williams, Santana is less flattering. He considers Williams to be egomaniacal and is eager to take the TNA World Championship from him and return it to TNA.

“Definitely ego-driven. Definitely cocky, which is okay, you know what I mean? We all got to believe in ourselves. I just don’t feel like he’s the right representative for TNA. I don’t think he puts respect on that TNA strap. I don’t think he understands the weight that that belt has really had. Again, I go back to saying it. It’s been built off the backs of some of the greats and I don’t think he has respect for that. I think he takes it for granted even. That’s not taking away from what he’s done in the past or how he is in the ring or whatever the case is. But I’m here repping TNA. I’m here as the guy who wants to bring it back to the essence and really like put on for this brand and that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”

Should Santana be able to get past Williams and Hendry, he’s looking forward to the moment when he can present the TNA World Championship to his daughter. Learn why he believes his daughter saved his life at this link.

Check out the full card for TNA Slammiversary here. Fightful will have full coverage of the event on July 20.

Check out the full interview with Mike Santana embedded above.