TNA Locker Room Was Furious Watching NXT Stars Take Over Their Titles

Mike Santana isn’t sugarcoating how the TNA roster felt when WWE NXT stars started snatching their championships—and now, he’s the one holding the flag.

Ever since WWE and TNA kicked off their crossover partnership in January, NXT talent like Trick Williams, Jacy Jayne, and Kelani Jordan have all captured major TNA championships. But behind the scenes, that domination didn’t sit well with the TNA originals.

Appearing on No-Contest Wrestling with O’Shea Jackson Jr. and TJ Henderson, Santana said the locker room took it personally.

“They definitely weren’t jokes. Everybody was straightforward and pissed off. Especially the original core guys like me, Eddie Edwards, Moose, Kazarian. We were like, ‘Yo, we have to change this.’”

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Santana admitted that seeing outside talent parade around with TNA gold stung more than most would admit—but it also lit a fire.

“You don’t like to listen to what other people are saying, but that kind of gets to you. I feel like the best thing that came out of it was it motivated everybody. The fire that was lit backstage was, ‘We ain’t popping off like this. This is not happening.’”

That frustration quickly turned into resolve. Santana says the TNA locker room unified with one goal: take their company back.

“We all banded together and were like, ‘We have to do something about it.’ That’s when everything started to kick off and we started making more moves.”

When Santana made the trip to NXT, he made it clear that things were about to change.

“I remember when I first went to NXT, I made it very known, in Trick’s face, ‘We ain’t living like this.’ I’m glad I was the one to do it. It just motivated the hell out of everybody. I think it did some good.”

That statement wasn’t just talk. Santana went on to defeat Trick Williams at TNA Bound For Glory, bringing the TNA World Championship back to the home side where, as far as he’s concerned, it belongs.

Do you think TNA should’ve pushed back sooner? Or did Santana and the others time it perfectly? Let us know what side you’re on in the comments below.