Former AEW and TNA Wrestling star Mike Santana is expected to arrive in WWE by the end of summer 2026.
According to WrestleVotes Radio on Fightful Select, Santana’s move to WWE has long looked like a matter of when, not if. The report adds that his appearances in NXT earlier this year helped bolster belief within the company about how quickly he could contribute.
The outlet indicated that his recent NXT run has strengthened internal confidence that he can succeed at the main roster level. That timeline is the latest signal in a free agency saga that has been building since the former TNA World Heavyweight Champion finished up with the promotion in July.
Santana last competed for NXT in March, teaming with OTM to face DarkState in a six-man tag. His final TNA match came in June at Slammiversary 2026, where he dropped the TNA World Championship to Nic Nemeth in the main event.
From TNA Champion To WWE Free Agent
Santana returned to TNA after leaving AEW in 2024 and went on to become a two-time TNA World Champion before his second run wrapped up. His title loss to Nemeth in the Slammiversary main event marked the end of that chapter, coming just as his TNA contract was set to expire.
The free agent status hasn’t been quiet. Santana teased the date “7/15” on social media, which multiple outlets read as the point his TNA deal lapsed and his availability opened up.
He has been widely reported as a WWE target throughout the process, with belief that he could bypass developmental and head straight to the main roster.
His WWE arrival has been corroborated across several reports, though no official announcement from WWE or Santana confirms a signed contract or a debut date as of now. F
or a fuller picture of how the contractual timeline reached this stage, see our earlier coverage of Santana’s TNA contract timeline amid WWE interest and the cryptic social media post that fueled the rumors.
Until WWE makes it official, the end-of-summer window remains an expectation rather than a locked date. Santana is a free agent, and the reporting points firmly toward WWE as his next home.
