Former TNA World Champion Mike Santana made his WWE NXT debut on the July 21 episode by confronting NXT Champion Tony D'Angelo. TNA World Champion Nic Nemeth reacted positively to the appearance during an interview on Busted Open Radio. TNA Wrestling publicly congratulated Santana on social media.
Mike Santana confronted Tony D'Angelo after D'Angelo retained the NXT Championship in a Street Fight against Naraku. The appearance marked Santana's return to WWE NXT following his departure from TNA, where he lost the TNA World Championship at Slammiversary.
Nic Nemeth said Santana had carried the flag for TNA as a fighting champion. "For the last two months, I have been singing the praises of Santana and what he was doing for TNA," Nemeth stated on Busted Open Radio.
Nemeth added that Santana's arrival at NXT seemed fitting. "It just seems right now, this time and place, Santana showing up at 'NXT,' after the main event, looking at the champ," he said. TNA's official account posted congratulations to @Santana_Proud for the debut.