Mike Santana faces Steve Maclin in grudge match for TNA world title, Cedric Alexander's challenger and more

TNA Wrestling star Steve Maclin shares with Fox News Digital why free agents should be considering signing with the company.

Steve Maclin made his dramatic return to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) on Thursday night’s "Impact" to take on Mike Santana for the world title.

Maclin’s match against Santana at Sacrifice was stopped due to an injury, and later, Maclin was briefly "fired" from the company before Director of Operations Daria Rae worked to get him reinstated. It was a highly anticipated match to see who would become the face of TNA.

Rae and Maclin were a part of a segment before the match began. Rae gave Maclin a pep talk of sorts before the match took place.

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Mike Santana enters the ring during NXT at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York on March 31, 2026. (Brien Adams/WWE)

"You remember when you got fired? Of course you do. You know what’s so interesting about this company? Everybody loves to brag about loyalty, that is until it’s inconvenient," she told a stoic Maclin. "You put your hands on Tom Hannifan and this entire company turned on you overnight. They want to erase Steve Maclin from TNA history. But not me. I saw the situation differently. They saw you as a liability, and I saw the value. I saw a man who everybody else feared because they know exactly what you’re capable of when you’re focused.

"More importantly, I understand why men like you are built the way you are and what you’re built for. And tonight, you have an opportunity that nobody else is able to do – take out Mike Santana. Rip the heart right out of this company and put the TNA title back on somebody who is worthy of carrying it."

Eric Young, who