Shortly after CM Punk returned to WWE, more information about his AEW termination began to be reported. Notably, Bryan Danielson, a long-time friend of Punk’s, was a part of the disciplinary committee that recommended to Tony Khan that he terminate The Second City Saint. Furthermore, it was revealed that Bryan has been a part of the committee for a while now and is responsible for handing out fines to talent when they get out of line.
Santana has shared the following on X, seeming to imply he is the latest victim of a fine by Danielson and the AEW Disciplinary Committee.
“Fined me?” he posited. “Yea. Ok.”
If Santana was fined, it is not immediately clear what it was for. The fines Danielson has handed down so far seem tied to negative comments talents have made on social media about AEW. Yesterday, the former tag team star posted the following cryptic message that may have been interpreted as having a negative meaning, but that is just speculation.
“Careful who you choose to give access to you…” he began. “Not everyone wants to see you win. Not everyone wants to see you happy. And most of the time, it’s those closest to you. Protect your energy at all cost and KEEP WINNING!”
Following his X post implying his fine, Santana has replied to a few fans who believe he deserves to be booked better in AEW.
“Can’t wait around on your dreams,” one fan wrote.
“Louder for those in the back,” he shot back.
“Hope AEW starts providing those forward motion opportunities soon,” another fan said. “Thought they’d strap the rocket after that Ortiz match.”
“It is what it is,” he lamented. “I’ll provide them for myself. Like I’ve been doing.”
Santana’s last AEW match occurred on the October 25 episode of AEW Rampage, where he defeated Ortiz in a No Disqualification match. The two men previously tagged under the names Proud & Powerful and LAX. Konnan told me earlier this year that the two had a real-life falling out after they disagreed about how AEW pushed them. As the LWO founder described it, Ortiz is more laid back regarding his booking, while Santana is adamant he should be pushed harder.