An established AEW star looks to be returning to the ring soon and it’s right in time for the company’s new beginning with Collision.
A new report from Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer has Santana docked down to make a return in the near future after being on the shelf for nearly a year. One half of Proud & Powerful happened to suffer a devastating ACL during the Blood & Guts match on June 29, 2022 episode of AEW Dynamite. At the time, Santana was really coming into his own as a growing babyface with creating more opportunities for himself behind the microphone, but the injury curtailed the momentum he was building as a singles precense. A recent report from Fightful did state that Santana was still signed with AEW and he was getting paid during his time away.
What Could Be Planned For Santana Upon His Return?
Meltzer did make mention of Santana’s reported falling out with longtime tag partner Ortiz and questioned if their strained relationship may affect where the former may land on the roster when he returns. Before the injury occured, speculated tension between the two parties stemmed from Santana taking singles bookings away from Ortiz on the independent scene which also led to the notion that Santana could leave the company when his contract expired. Later on, Konnan confirmed that Ortiz and Santana did have heat between one another. The options will likely be open for the the two either way as Ortiz has had very little presence on AEW programming during Santana’s absence. He did happen to tag with Eddie Kingston from time to time, but other than that, Ortiz has not been a featured player on the roster.