Mike Santana Says Jim Ross Helped Him Through Interview Segment Shortly After His Dad Died

Mike Santana recently looked back on his February 2020 sitdown interview with Jim Ross and how JR made him feel comfortable despite some hefty emotional weight at the time. Santana did the interview segment during a short feud with Jon Moxley, and Santana spoke with Fightful about doing the interview just two weeks after his father passed away. He noted that JR helped him through the whole thing. You can see some highlights below:

On his father dying two weeks before the promo: “That happened right after my dad passed away. We were in Jacksonville, my dad passed away, I found out New Year’s Day. I was in Jacksonville get ready to do a show, I get a call, I had to rush back home. I took two weeks off and came back, which I think still, to this day, was the worst thing I could have done. That sit down, it affected me so deeply, losing my dad, because we were so close. That sit down was real as hell.”

On Jim Ross helping him out: “I remember JR telling me, I was kind of nervous because I was still very emotional at that time and my biggest worry was not being able to keep it together, emotionally. JR comes to me and is like, ‘Let’s just talk, no character stuff, just talk. We’re going to have a conversation. That’s it. Pretend like the cameras aren’t there.’ He did a great job of just relaxing me. I look back on it now, and that pain was there, and it came out. In the best way possible. I was able to…there is a saying I learned while I was out, ‘Pain equals paint.’ Sometimes your greatest pain will give you your greatest art. That was an example of one of those moments.

“It was very special. Just to sit down with JR in general. All the greats have done it. They’ve all sat down with him and had interviews and moments that have put them on a whole different playing field. That’s another thing I was thinking about. ‘Take advantage of that moment, make the best of it.’ Working with Moxley was great. We spoke and he knew everything going on and we were in that storyline with Inner Circle and him. It was all good stuff. It was great working with him and I’d love to work with him again.”