Santana sustained a knee injury during an episode of Dynamite in June of last year, while performing a uranage on Daniel Garcia during the Blood and Guts match. This caused him to take time off to recover from the injury. After more than a year away from the ring, he returned on Dynamite this week and it appears he penned an emotional message after his return.
Last year, it was reported that Santana might be thinking about leaving AEW. Santana was tweeting cryptic countdowns such as “126 days” and “Soon.” This led to fans believing he was done with AEW for good.
That changed after this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite, where Santana and Ortiz made their shocking return. Santana took to Twitter and penned an emotional message after his return, making it clear he is back and better than ever.
“To say that I knew what the road ahead of me was going to be like when I got hurt, would be totally false.
“The struggles and battles I’ve overcome to get back to what I love and have dedicated my life to is unimaginable. But the most important thing was that it taught me so much about myself and made me a 10x better person than who I was.
“I’m thankful that everything from the last 3 and half years happened the way they did. It needed to. Everything from losing my father, to unhappiness at work, to personal struggles, and everything in between.
“I’m thankful for all those things. They forced me to face me. To look in the mirror and learn to love/appreciate the person looking back. My story will be told eventually. I just want to enjoy this moment that I’ve worked so damn hard to get to.
Thanks to EVERYONE who ever reached out. Every message from the fans. All the support from my family. Those who were there during my darkest days. I’ll forever be grateful for all of you.
NOW LETS GET TO WORK!”
There were reportedly issues between Santana and Ortiz prior to Santana’s injury, but it appears that the two have mended fences after what transpired on AEW Dynamite this week. We’ll have to see how they will fare in the Stadium Stampede match at AEW All In on August 27.
What’s your view on Santana and Ortiz’s return? Do you think AEW will book them properly this time? Let us know in the comments!