Nic Nemeth Reacts To Mike Santana’s WWE NXT Return, Kurt Angle Hated WWE-ECW Brand

Nic Nemeth had nothing but praise for Mike Santana after his surprise WWE NXT return/debut, saying the move feels like a natural fit.

Santana, who came up short against Nemeth in the TNA World Championship match at Slammiversary 2026, made an immediate impact after the main event by officially “crossing the line.” Appearing from the crowd, he confronted NXT World Champion Tony D’Angelo, signaling his arrival in a major way.

Speaking on a recent edition of the “Busted Open Radio” podcast, Nemeth said he was genuinely excited to see Santana make the jump. He described Santana as someone who proudly represented TNA throughout his run and praised him not only as a talented performer but also as a great person outside the ring.

According to Nemeth, Santana’s move to NXT simply feels right, adding that the brand appears to be the perfect place for him at this stage of his career.

You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:

On Mike Santana: “For the last two months, I have been singing the praises of Santana and what he was doing for TNA and carrying the flag and representing TNA as the champion, a fighting champion. Someone who wears his heart on his sleeve and the emotions are there and it’s really easy for fans to get behind him… He’s changed his life for his daughter, his family, and it’s like, man. I’m trying to fight this guy and hate his guts and I go, ‘I’m behind you.’”

On Santana’s NXT return/debut: “Then he shows up on NXT and I cannot stress enough how that just seems right. It just seems right now, this time and place, Santana showing up at NXT, after the main event, looking at the champ, I go, ‘This is the perfect time for him to hit NXT, possibly run that damn place.’”

Kurt Angle has admitted that he was far from happy when WWE drafted him to its ECW brand in 2006, believing at the time that the move was a step backward in his career.

The Olympic gold medalist and WWE Hall of Famer was selected for the relaunched ECW brand during the 2006 WWE Draft. Shortly after arriving, he challenged Rob Van Dam for the ECW World Championship in June, but his run on the brand proved to be brief.

Just two months later, in August 2006, Angle was granted his WWE release, bringing his short ECW stint to an end.

Speaking on a re-released episode of WWE Photo Shoot that was recently uploaded to the WWE Vault YouTube channel, Angle reflected on his initial reaction to being assigned to ECW, revealing that he viewed the move as a demotion when it first happened.

You can check out some highlights from the interview below:

On being moved to ECW: “I remember when Vince wanted to start ECW back up again, and I didn’t really know what his plans were for it. I was his best wrestler; I knew that. I mean, when you’re talking about thoroughbred in-ring wrestling. ECW, basically, was all about hardcore wrestling. Vince wanted me to be the face of it and I felt like this was a demotion. I got very bitter.”

On his reaction to being told he was going to ECW: “And I remember him saying, ‘Listen, I’m going to tell you the truth upfront. You’re going to make less money and you’re going to work in smaller arenas.’ And I said, ‘Why the hell do I want to do that?’”

On how he views it in retrospect: “I look back now, maybe what Vince was trying to do was make me the new age Tazz, because Tazz was a thoroughbred wrestler as well. He carried that company pretty well. But I didn’t understand it at the time, and this was very hard for me to accept.”

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