Tommy Dreamer Opens Up on Decision to Keep TNA Title Off Mike Santana at Slammiversary 2025

Tommy Dreamer has shared his thinking behind one of TNA Wrestling’s more discussed booking calls of 2025 — the decision not to put the TNA World Championship on Mike Santana at Slammiversary.

The Slammiversary 2025 main event was a three-way title match featuring champion Trick Williams, Santana, and Joe Hendry. Both Williams and Hendry are now affiliated with WWE, adding a layer of retrospective intrigue to how the match played out. Santana did not walk out with the title that night, though he would go on to win the championship later in the year.

Dreamer addressed the reasoning behind that call, explaining the thought process that led to Santana being passed over at what is TNA’s marquee annual pay-per-view event. The specific details of his explanation remain behind a subscription wall, but the broader picture is clear: the decision was a deliberate one, not an oversight, and Dreamer felt compelled to explain how the company arrived at it.

For Santana, the delay didn’t derail his trajectory — he ultimately captured the TNA World Title, validating the long-term vision for his push. Still, Slammiversary is the kind of stage where title changes carry extra weight, and passing on that moment there is the sort of booking decision that tends to generate conversation long after the fact.

Dreamer’s willingness to walk through the internal logic suggests TNA is comfortable being transparent about its creative process, even when that process means holding off on a feel-good payoff for a fan favorite.