Mike Santana has addressed WWE’s AJ Styles passing the torch to him in TNA Wrestling, as well as potentially facing “The Phenomenal One” in a future “dream match.”
With TNA enjoying one of its most fruitful spells in years amid their ongoing partnership with WWE and beginning of their new TV deal with AMC, Mike Santana is leading the charge as the face of the company.
Earlier this year, at the January 15 TNA Impact premiere episode on AMC, Santana came face-to-face with the former long-time flag bearer of TNA: AJ Styles ahead of Santana’s TNA World Title Match with Frankie Kazarian.
Whilst imploring Santana to kick Kazarian’s ass, Styles passed the torch to Santana, telling him it was now his turn to hold TNA down.
He said:
“I held this company down as long as I could. Now it’s your turn. So do what you do best: win.”
During an interview with the Humble Roses Podcast, Santana was asked about Styles retirement and potentially facing him inside the ring in the future.
While he said he’d be “honored” if it happened, he said Styles’ body of work and the moment they shared in TNA earlier this year is enough for him.
Santana said:
“That’d be amazing man. When people say dream matches, not all dreams come true right? So they’re called dream matches for a reason.
“If it happens, great. I’d be honored. If it doesn’t, great. Because he left me, this business and so many others something to truly be inspired by.
“He left a body of work that will never be duplicated again. And for him to say that he’s one of the very few in this business who inspired a generation, what more can you ask for right?
“So yeah, if it happens, great, if it doesn’t, great. At least I got to share a moment with him and he got to legit like pass a torch over to me. So that felt good and I’m okay with that.”
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How Likely Is An AJ Styles In-Ring Return?
While it doesn’t seem quite as impossible as a John Cena return, AJ Styles stepping back into a ring again, at least in the near future, seems highly unlikely.
Speculation and fan hopes were extremely high for this possibility after Styles didn’t leave his gloves in the ring after his final WWE match with GUNTHER at the Royal Rumble, with Styles adding more fuel to the fire of a potential return during an appearance on Stephanie McMahon’s What’s Your Story? podcast, by saying “never say never” to the possibility.
This led to a certain level of expectation that Styles could potentially cross over and continue his career in AEW, however, this was quickly extinguished at WWE’s tribute night to AJ in Atlanta on February 23, when Styles definitively retired, leaving his gloves in teh ring and being confirmed for the 2026 WWE Hall of Fame.
With Styles now taking up a behind-the-scenes role in the company, it seems doubly unlikely that a return will be happening in the near future, particularly outside of WWE, with something that monumental being something they would want a hand in.
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