Santana and Ortiz, sometimes nicknamed Proud & Powerful, were an American

professional wrestling Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to Real life, real- ...

tag team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establis ...

consisting of Mike Santana (real name Mark Sanchez, born February 4, 1991) and

Ortiz Ortiz () is a Spanish-language patronymic surname meaning "son of Orti". "Orti" seems to be disputed in meaning, deriving from either Basque, Latin ''fortis'' meaning "brave, strong", or Latin ''fortunius'' meaning "fortunate". Officials of the Sp ...

(real name Miguel Molina, born September 27, 1991), who are best known for their time together in

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (abbreviated as TNA Wrestling or TNA) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment, a Canadian media company owned by busines ...

(TNA) and

All Elite Wrestling All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is an American professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. It is owned and operated by Shahid Khan, Shahid and Tony Khan, with the latter serving as President (corporate title), president an ...

(AEW). In 2012, Sanchez and Molina, then known as Mike Draztik and Angel Ortiz respectively, formed a tag team known as EYFBO (acronym for Entertain Your Fucking Balls Off or Entertain Your Freakin Butt Off) and worked for several years on the American

independent circuit In professional wrestling, the independent circuit (often shortened to the indie circuit or the indies) is the collective name of independently owned promotions which are deemed to be smaller and more regionalized than major national promotions. ...

. They won several titles, including the

AAW Tag Team Championship The AAW Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling #World Tag Team Championship, world tag team championship (professional wrestling), championship which is created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion All American ...

CZW World Tag Team Championship The CZW World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling World Tag Team Championship, world tag team Championship (professional wrestling), championship owned and copyrighted by the Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) professional wrestling promoti ...

and the HOG Tag Team Championship. In 2017, they were hired by

Impact Wrestling Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (abbreviated as TNA Wrestling or TNA) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment, a Canadian media company owned by busine ...

, and changed their names to Santana and Ortiz. They joined

Konnan Charles Ashenoff (born Carlos Santiago Espada Moises; January 6, 1964),''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'', Dave Meltzer, ed., May 10, 2010, issue.Sims, Steve"Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame/Founded by Dave Meltzer - Konnan". Accessed August 1, 2016. On ...

as the members of the stable The Latin American Xchange (LAX) and became a big part of the promotion's tag team division. During their time in Impact, they were four time Impact World Tag Team Champions, holding the record for most combined days as champions, with 662 days and, at one point, the record as the longest reign with 261 days. They also won GFW Tag Team Championship and unified the title with the Impact Tag Team Championship. Santana and Ortiz left the promotion in 2019 and, soon after, joined the newly created All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where they joined

Chris Jericho Christopher Keith Irvine (born November 9, 1970), better known by the ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-Canadian professional wrestler, rock musician, and actor. As a wrestler, he has been signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) , where he ...

's stable The Inner Circle. After a dispute in The Inner Circle, they left and teamed up with

Eddie Kingston Edward Moore (born December 12, 1981), better known by the ring name Eddie Kingston, is an American professional wrestler. , he is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is out of in-ring action because of a leg injury, but continues to mak ...

. They disbanded in 2024 and Santana subsequently left AEW that same year.

History

Impact Wrestling (2017–2019)

On the March 16, 2017 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Santana and Ortiz were part of LAX with

Homicide Homicide is an act in which a person causes the death of another person. A homicide requires only a Volition (psychology), volitional act, or an omission, that causes the death of another, and thus a homicide may result from Accident, accidenta ...

, Diamante, and manager

. LAX attacked

Decay Decay may refer to: Science and technology * Bit decay, in computing * Decay time (fall time), in electronics * Distance decay, in geography * Software decay, in computing Biology * Decomposition of organic matter * Mitochondrial decay, in g ...

Laredo Kid Laredo Kid (born December 30, 1986) is a Mexican ''luchador enmascarado'', or masked professional wrestler. He is signed to both Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) and Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide. In TNA, he is a former TNA Digital Media Cham ...

, Garza Jr., and Reno Scum inserting themselves in the

Impact World Tag Team Championship The TNA World Tag Team Championship is a men's professional wrestling world tag team championship which is owned by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) promotion. The current champions are The Nemeth Brothers ( Nic Nemeth and Ryan Nemeth), ...

picture and winning them the following week, establishing themselves as heels in the process. On the March 30 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Ortiz and Santana defeated Decay, Laredo Kid and Garza Jr. and Reno Scum to win the Impact World Tag Team Championship. On the April 23 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Santana and Ortiz defeated Veterans of War ( Mayweather and Wilcox) in a tournament finals to win the GFW Tag Team Championship. On November 5 at Bound for Glory, they lost to

Ohio Versus Everything Ohio Versus Everything (oVe) was a professional wrestling stable in Impact Wrestling that consisted of Sami Callihan, Jake Crist, and Madman Fulton and Rich Swann. The group's name was based on a majority of the members over the faction's lif ...

(OVE) as part of a double turn with

Sami Callihan Samuel Alton Johnston (born September 1, 1987), better known by the ring name Sami Callihan, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and promoter. He is signed to Major League Wrestling (MLW) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestlin ...

interfering on OVE's behalf,

Jake Crist John Crist (born July 13, 1984), better known by the ring name Jake Crist, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to Major League Wrestling (MLW). He is best known for his time with Impact Wrestling where he is a one-time Impa ...

performing a low blow on Ortiz, and OVE attacking them after the match, thus turning LAX into

face The face is the front of the head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may affect th ...

in the process. On the May 24, 2018 episode of ''Impact''

King King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...

became the newest member of LAX. After the group leader

was attacked, and

and Diamante went missing in action, King assumed leadership of the faction and guided Ortiz and Santana back to being tag team champions. In June, Konnan and Diamante returned, both showing suspicion about King's involvement with the group. On the July 5, 2018 episode of ''Impact'', Konnan confronted King who admitted that it was he who had "taken out a hit" against Konnan to takeover the faction. King then attempted to get Ortiz and Santana to recognize him as the new head of the group but they rejected this and stood beside the original leader, Konnan. Then, former LAX members Hernandez and Homicide returned, entering the ring and attacking Konnan's trio. At Bound for Glory on October 14, Hernandez and Homicide lost to Ortiz and Santana in a Concrete Jungle Death match. On January 12, 2019, The Lucha Bros ( Pentagón Jr. and

Rey Fénix Rey Fénix (born December 30, 1990) is a Mexican '' luchador enmascarado'' (masked professional wrestler). He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand. He is also known for his tenure in Mexican promotions Lucha Libre AAA , ...

) defeated LAX during the TV Tapings in Mexico to win the Impact World Tag Team Championships. Santana and Ortiz would reclaim them at the

Rebellion Rebellion is an uprising that resists and is organized against one's government. A rebel is a person who engages in a rebellion. A rebel group is a consciously coordinated group that seeks to gain political control over an entire state or a ...

pay per view on April 28. They held the titles until July, when they lost them to The North (

Ethan Page Julian Micevski (born September 20, 1989), better known by his ring name Ethan Page, is a Canadian Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT (WWE brand), NXT WWE brand extension, brand, and is ...

and

Josh Alexander Joshua Lemay (born May 29, 1987), better known by his ring name Josh Alexander, is a Canadian Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of the Don Callis Family. He also makes a ...

). On July 8, it was revealed that Santana and Ortiz would soon be leaving Impact and had interest from

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...

and

. During August 9 tapings Santana and Ortiz were given a "send off" by the Impact locker room. Santana confirmed the following day that he and Ortiz were in fact done appearing on Impact Wrestling.

All Elite Wrestling (2019–2024)

On August 31, 2019, at All Out, Santana and Ortiz debuted as heels for

(AEW), attacking both

Lucha Brothers The Lucha Brothers were a Mexican professional wrestling tag team consisting of brothers Pentagón Jr., Penta and Rey Fénix. They are signed to WWE, where Penta performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw brand while Fénix performs on the SmackDown br ...

( Pentagón Jr. and Fénix) and

Nick Jackson The Young Bucks are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of brothers Matthew Massie and Nicholas Massie, who perform under the ring names Matthew Jackson and Nicholas Jackson. , they are signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), whe ...

after their tag team ladder match. On October 2, the inaugural episode of ''

Dynamite Dynamite is an explosive made of nitroglycerin, sorbents (such as powdered shells or clay), and Stabilizer (chemistry), stabilizers. It was invented by the Swedish people, Swedish chemist and engineer Alfred Nobel in Geesthacht, Northern German ...

'', they teamed with

in the main event and defeated The Elite (

Kenny Omega Tyson Smith (born October 16, 1983), better known by the ring name , is a Canadian-born professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the current AEW International Champion in his first reign. He also works as an ...

and The Young Bucks). Led by Jericho, they subsequently formed a new faction along with

Sammy Guevara Samuel Guevara (born July 28, 1993) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of The Sons of Texas and is a record tying three-time former AEW TNT Champion. He also appears in AEW's sist ...

and Jake Hager called The Inner Circle. On the November 18, 2020 episode of ''Dynamite'', Konnan reunited with Santana and Ortiz during an Inner Circle party in Las Vegas. On the February 9, 2022 episode of ''AEW Dynamite'', the Inner Circle had a team meeting that ended with Sammy Guevara throwing his vest and walking out. It was later announced that Jericho and Hager would face Santana and Ortiz in a tag team match the following week, with it being billed as the ''Inner Circle Implodes'' match. On the March 9, 2022 episode of ''Dynamite'', the Inner Circle was disbanded after Jericho and Hager attacked Santana and Ortiz and formed an alliance with

2point0 Angelo Parker and Matt Menard, also formerly known as 2.0 (stylized as 2point0) and 3.0, and later Ever-Rise in WWE, are a Canadian professional wrestling tag team signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), both as wrestlers and, in Menard's case, an o ...

and Daniel Garcia. On the June 15, 2022 special episode of ''Dynamite'' '' Road Rager'', Ortiz would have his head shaved after losing a

hair vs. hair match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...

to Jericho. On the June 29, 2022 at '' Blood And Guts'', they competed in the main event, defeating the Jericho Appreciation Society. During his absence, it was reported Santana and Ortiz had problems working together. After the tag team returned following Santana's recovery from injury, Santana had his ring name changed to Mike Santana. The team competed alongside the

Blackpool Combat Club The Death Riders are a Heel (professional wrestling), villainous professional wrestling stable that performs in All Elite Wrestling (AEW), New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), and Ring of Honor (ROH). The stable consists of the leader Jon Moxley, Cla ...

losing to Kingston, Penta El Zero M and Best Friends'

Trent Beretta Gregory Marasciulo (born March 30, 1987), better known by the ring name Trent Beretta, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of the Don Callis Family and one-half of Roppongi Vice wi ...

, Chuck Taylor and

Orange Cassidy James Cipperly (born May 4, 1984), better known by his ring name Orange Cassidy, is an American professional wrestler and Glossary of professional wrestling terms#school, wrestling trainer. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is ...

in a Stadium Stampede match at All In at

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...

on August 27. After the event, the team disbanded which led to a match on ''

AEW Rampage ''AEW Rampage'', also known as ''Friday Night Rampage'' or simply ''Rampage'', is an American professional wrestling television program that was produced by the American promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW), running from August 13, 2021, to Dece ...

'' on October 27, where Santana defeated Ortiz. In March 2024, Santana's profile was removed from AEW's official website, ending his almost five-year tenure with the company.

Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (2019)

On September 8, 2019, Santana and Ortiz debuted with the Mexican promotion

Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide Promociones Antonio Peña, S.A. de C.V. doing business as, d/b/a Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (commonly referred to as simply AAA, pronounced "Triple A" – an abbreviation of its original name Asistencia, Asesoría y Administración de Espectáculos ...

(AAA), earning their first victory after defeating the team of Arez and Daga and

and Myzteziz Jr.

Championships and accomplishments

* AAW: Professional Wrestling Redefined **

( 1 time) *

** Dynamite Award (3 times) *** "

Bleacher Report ''Bleacher Report'' (often abbreviated as B/R) is a website that focuses on sports and sports culture. Its headquarters are in San Francisco, with offices in New York City and London. ''Bleacher Report'' was acquired by Time Warner's Turner B ...

PPV Moment of the Year" (

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

) –

Stadium Stampede match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmick, gimmick matches" in the Glossary of professional wrestling terms, jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick m ...

( The Elite vs. The Inner Circle) –

Double or Nothing Double or nothing (UK often double or quits) is a gamble to decide whether a loss or debt should be doubled. The result of a "double or nothing" bet is either cancellation of a debt ''or'' the doubling of a debt. It can be seen as a gentleman's ag ...

(May 23) *** "Biggest Beatdown" (

) – The Inner Circle jumping

– ''

'' (June 10) ***Hardest Moment to Clean Up After (

) – ( Best Friends vs. Santana and Ortiz) –

(September 16) *

Combat Zone Wrestling Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) is an American independent professional wrestling promotion founded in 1999 by John Zandig. Commonly associated with the 2000s hardcore wrestling genre, early CZW shows showcased a brand of wrestling dubbed by the p ...

(1 time) * House of Glory ** HOG World Heavyweight Championship (1 time) – Santana ** HOG Tag Team Championship (3 times) *

** GFW Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) **

( 4 times) ** Impact Year End Award (1 time) ***Tag Team of the Year (

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

) * Jersey Championship Wrestling ** JCW Tag Team Championships (1 time) *Greektown Wrestling **Greektown Wrestling Championship (1 time) – Santana *Latin American Wrestling Entertainment **LAWE Heavyweight Championship (1 time) – Santana * ''

Pro Wrestling Illustrated ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishing Group. The maga ...

'' ** Faction of the Year (2021) – with The Inner Circle ** Ranked Ortiz No. 115 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the ''

PWI 500 ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishing Group. The maga ...

'' in 2019 ** Ranked Santana No. 119 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the ''

'' in 2019 *Pro Wrestling Revolver **PWR Tag Team Championship (1 time) *WrestlePro **WrestlePro Tag Team Championship (1 time) *Warriors Of Wrestling **WOW Tag Team Championship (1 time) *

World Wrestling League La Liga Wrestling (formerly World Wrestling League or Liga Mundial de Lucha), was a wrestling promotion company based out of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Founded in 2012 by businessman Richard Negrín with the cooperation of established wrestling figur ...

** WWL World Tag Team Championship (1 time)

''Luchas de Apuestas'' record

References

External links

* {{Navboxes , list1= {{AAW Tag Team Championship {{TNA World Tag Team Championship {{CZW World Tag Team Championship {{HOG Tag Team Championship {{Global Force Wrestling Champions (2014–2017) {{Game Changer Wrestling Tag Team Championship All Elite Wrestling teams and stables Total Nonstop Action Wrestling teams and stables Independent promotions teams and stables Entertainers from the Bronx AAW Tag Team Champions GCW Tag Team Champions CZW World Tag Team Champions HOG Tag Team Champions Puerto Rican male professional wrestlers TNA/Impact World Tag Team Champions Sportspeople from the Bronx