TNA Has Failed Mike Santana

Fans thought to themselves, “Surely Williams is only a transitional champion. No way Santana is losing in his hometown before over 10,000 people, with a good number of his fellow Puerto Ricans in attendance!” Unfortunately, that was not the case.

Williams retained, continuing to sully TNA’s image even further. It would not be until Bound for Glory that Santana would finally reach the top – but even then, TNA proceeded to botch his momentum afterward.

Instant Wastage

In a stunning move, TNA had opted not to schedule any shows after Bound for Glory. Now, the promotion had such lulls before, but they usually occurred during Thanksgiving and Christmas, when wrestlers would understandably want to relax and enjoy the holiday.

Instead of new content, the next two weeks were dedicated to retrospectives, interviews, and other backstage moments regarding Bound for Glory. Such content may have been palatable for the diehard TNA fan, but the casual just looking for actual wrestling neither cared for nor appreciated it.

If that was not enough, after those specials came “A Very Hardy Halloween”, where tag team champions Matt and Jeff Hardy looked back at their past matches. Once again, fans would have to wait for at least some semblance of new content.

That would eventually manifest in the return of “Open Fight Night”, consisting of matches that TNA had taped during the weekend of Turning Point in Canada. The in-ring fallout from Bound for Glory would not be until the week after, though, and of course that finish happened.

The worst thing about that finish, however, is that it also hurts Kazarian. The man was among the first crop of TNA wrestlers and became a promotional stalwart, becoming a six-time X Division champion and three-time tag team champion. Yet for some reason or another, he could never win the big one until now.

Winning the world title surely must have been a dream come true for Kazarian after over two decades of work. For it to happen the way it did, however, leaves a bad memory in fans’ minds.

End Of My Mike Santana Rant

Of course, there has been speculation that Santana lost the title early because his contract is expiring next month. If so, it will be another massive blow for TNA after Hendry was confirmed to have joined WWE the same day as the match, but not the only one.

Of course, there is also the state of the Knockouts division, traditionally a strong point for the company. Ash by Elegance (fka Dana Brooke) was forced to leave wrestling and vacate the title because of medical issues. Masha Slamovich is now persona non grata because of domestic abuse allegations.

Right now, there is no clear-cut choice to dethrone Kelani Jordan, yet another outsider holding the top title. Indi Hartwell has already lost to her. Dani Luna is now a heel, and her old tag partner Jody Threat may be being perceived as too old to be pushed.

Rosemary is now a gatekeeper. Tessa Blanchard still carries reputational baggage. Xia Brookside and Lei Ying Lee will be focusing on tag duty. Most of the rest are still relatively green.

That is already bad optics for America’s third-most visible promotion. Losing the supposed male “face of the franchise” only 2-3 months after he was crowned, though, will put TNA in dire straits…