Mike Santana On Being TNA World Champion, Upcoming Defense vs. Eddie Edwards at Rebellion & More

Mike Santana is set for a huge match next weekend, as he is set to defend the TNA World Championship against Eddie Edwards at Rebellion.

The match came about after Edwards brawled with Santana at Sacrifice and subsequently decided to cash in his Feast or Fired World Title shot at Rebellion.

Santana has been the TNA World Champion for 78 days now, having won the belt by beating Frankie Kazarian on iMPACT’s AMC premiere on January 15, 2026. In a recent conversation with The Sporster, Mike Santana opened up about his title reign. The veteran will be up against it at Rebellion, as The System will likely have its say in the match. While Santana acknowledged the threat, he believes that his current version will overwhelm Eddie Edwards and his stablemates.

During the conversation, Sanatana revealed which version of Eddie he wants to face at Rebellion.

Below are the highlights:

On being TNA World Champion

“It feels great, and it’s been busy. Being in this position, like, people are very few and far in between, right? Not everybody gets to this position. Yeah, man, I’ve been learning a lot; I’ve been taking it all in, and it feels good. It’s a huge validation for the bet that I took on myself. Everything has paid off, and it’s continuing to pay off, and I’m riding the wave, bro. Like, I’m living on the edge of a lightning bolt.”

Mike Santana on the threat that The System poses to his title defense at TNA Rebellion

“Well, the good thing is that when I first came to TNA, The System was definitely one of my first obstacles, and I went through the entire squad on my own. So, I have the experience, I guess, the blueprint of getting through them. Yes, there is a new crop of guys. You got Cedrick Alexander and you have Bear Bronson, two guys that I know very well, two guys that I fought against multiple times. But, like you said, it’s the whole team vs. Mike Santana, right? But I don’t think they understand the version of Mike Santana that they are getting, right?

“I’m more experienced, more hungrier; just because I’m in this position, just because I’m world champ, just doesn’t mean that that hunger has died down. Not even a little bit. If anything, I’m hungrier than ever; if anything, I’m more motivated than ever. A lot of guys look at this position as, ‘Alright, finally, I accomplished it, and now I can just chill and relax.’ I look at it as the total opposite. Now, the work really starts.”

On which version of Eddie Edwards he wants to battle at Rebellion

“And as far as Eddie, man, like, you know, Eddie and I have very similar paths, very similar careers. We both started as two very successful tag teams, and we broke out on our own and became two successful singles wrestlers. So, yeah, it’s definitely going to be a fight. It’s definitely something where we both have something to prove. But as I’ve said before, Eddie better not be bringing the Eddie that I’ve seen in the last two years. I don’t want the comfortable, complacent Eddie Edwards, and if that’s not the guy that’s coming to Rebellion, keep your a*s at home.”

Check out Mike Santana’s comments below:

You can check out the full card for TNA Rebellion 2026 RIGHT HERE.

Please credit The Sportster and give an H/T to 411Mania for the transcription if you take quotes from this copy.