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Santana and Ortiz

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Santana and Ortiz
Mike Santana (right) and Ortiz (left) in 2019
Tag team
MembersAngel Ortiz / Ortiz
Mike Draztik / Mike Santana / Santana
Name(s)The Latin American Xchange / LAX
EYFBO
Proud & Powerful
Santana and Ortiz
Billed fromNew York City,New York
DebutMarch 9, 2012
Years active2012–2023

Santanaand Ortiz,sometimes nicknamedProud & Powerful,were anAmerican-Puerto Ricanprofessional wrestlingtag teamconsisting ofMark Sanchez(born February 4, 1991) andMiguel Molina(born September 27, 1991), who are best known for their time together inAll Elite Wrestling(AEW).[1]

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)[2]and worked for several years on the American independent scene. They won several titles, including theAAW Tag Team Championship,CZW World Tag Team Championshipand theHOG Tag Team Championship.

In 2017, they were hired byImpact Wrestling,and changed their names to Ortiz and Santana. They joinedKonnanas the members of the stable TheLatin American Xchange(LAX) and became a big part of the promotion's tag team division. During their time in Impact, they werefour timeImpact 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 wonGFW Tag Team Championshipand unified the title with the Impact Tag Team Championship. Santana and Ortiz left the promotion in 2019 and, soon after, joined the newly createdAll Elite Wrestling,where they joinedChris Jericho's stableThe Inner Circle.After a dispute in The Inner Circle, they left and teamed up withEddie Kingston.

History

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Impact Wrestling (2017–2019)

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Main article:Latin American Xchange

On the March 16, 2017 episode ofImpact Wrestling,Santana and Ortiz were part of LAX withHomicide,Diamante,and managerKonnan.LAX attackedDecay,Laredo Kid,Garza Jr.,andReno Scuminserting themselves in theImpact World Tag Team Championshippicture and winning them the following week, establishing themselves asheelsin the process. On the March 30 episode ofImpact 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 ofImpact Wrestling,Santana and Ortiz defeated Veterans of War (MayweatherandWilcox) in a tournament finals to win theGFW Tag Team Championship.On November 5 atBound for Glory,they lost toOhio Versus Everything(OVE) as part of a double turn withSami Callihaninterfering on OVE's behalf,Jake Cristperforming a low blow on Ortiz, and OVE attacking them after the match, thus turning LAX intofacein the process.

On the May 24, 2018 episode ofImpactKingbecame the newest member of LAX. After the group leaderKonnanwas attacked, andHomicideandDiamantewent missing in action, King assumed leadership of the faction and guided Ortiz and Santana back to beingtag team champions.In June, Konnan and Diamante returned, both showing suspicion about King's involvement with the group. On the July 5, 2018 episode ofImpact,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 membersHernandezand Homicide returned, entering the ring and attacking Konnan's trio.[3]AtBound for Gloryon October 14, Hernandez and Homicide lost to Ortiz and Santana in aConcrete Jungle Death match.

On January 12, 2019,The Lucha Bros(Pentagón Jr.andRey Fénix) defeated LAX during the TV Tapings in Mexico to win the Impact World Tag Team Championships.[4]Santana and Ortiz would reclaim them at theRebellionpay per view on April 28. They held the titles until July, when they lost them toThe North(Ethan PageandJosh Alexander).

On July 8, it was revealed that Santana and Ortiz would soon be leaving Impact and had interest fromWWEandAll Elite Wrestling.[5]During August 9 tapings Santana and Ortiz were given a "send off" by the Impact locker room.[6]Santana confirmed the following day that he and Ortiz were in fact done appearing on Impact Wrestling.[7]

All Elite Wrestling (2019–2024)

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See also:Inner Circle

On August 31, 2019, atAll Out,Santana and Ortiz debuted as heels forAll Elite Wrestling(AEW), attacking bothLucha Brothers(Pentagón Jr.andFénix) andNick Jacksonafter their tag team ladder match.[8]On October 2, the inaugural episode ofDynamite,they teamed withChris Jerichoin the main event and defeatedThe Elite(Kenny Omegaand The Young Bucks).[9]Led by Jericho, they subsequently formed a new faction along withSammy GuevaraandJake HagercalledThe Inner Circle.[10]On the November 18, 2020 episode ofDynamite,Konnan reunited with Santana and Ortiz during an Inner Circle party in Las Vegas.[11]On the February 9, 2022 episode ofAEW 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 theInner Circle Implodesmatch.[12]On the March 9, 2022 episode ofDynamite,the Inner Circle was disbanded after Jericho and Hager attacked Santana and Ortiz and formed an alliance with2point0andDaniel Garcia.On the June 15, 2022 special episode ofDynamiteRoad Rager,Ortiz would have his head shaved after losing ahair vs. hair matchto Jericho. On the June 29, 2022 atBlood And Guts,they competed in the main event, defeating theJericho Appreciation Society.

During his absence, it was reported Santana and Ortiz had problems working together.[13][14]After the tag team returned following Santana's recovery from injury, Santana had his ring name changed toMike Santana.[15]The team competed alongside theBlackpool Combat Clublosing to Kingston,Penta El Zero MandBest Friends'Trent Beretta,Chuck TaylorandOrange Cassidyin aStadium Stampedematch atAll InatWembley Stadiumon August 27. After the event, the team disbanded which led to a match onAEW Rampageon 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.[16]

Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (2019)

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On September 8, 2019, Santana and Ortiz debuted with the Mexican promotionLucha Libre AAA Worldwide(AAA), earning their first victory after defeating the team of Arez andDagaandLaredo KidandMyzteziz Jr.[citation needed]

Championships and accomplishments

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Santana with the Impact Tag Team Championship belt
Before they signed with Impact, Santana and Ortiz worked as EYFBO in the independent circuit

Luchas de Apuestasrecord

[edit]
See also:Luchas de Apuestas
Winner (wager) Loser (wager) Location Event Date Notes
Chris Jericho (hair) Ortiz (hair) St. Louis, Missouri Road Rager June 15, 2022 [32]

References

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  1. ^AEW Staff (November 9, 2019)."AEW FULL GEAR Recap November 9, 2019 (**Includes Spoilers**)".allelitewrestling.com.All Elite Wrestling.RetrievedNovember 9,2019.
  2. ^"EYFBO/LAX Interview · The Indy Corner".www.theindycorner.com.Archived fromthe originalon 2018-08-14.
  3. ^"Homicide & Hernandez RETURN and Lay Waste to LAX! | IMPACT! Highlights July 5, 2018"– via www.youtube.com.
  4. ^"BIG SPOILER FROM LAST NIGHT'S IMPACT WRESTLING TV TAPING | PWInsider.com".www.pwinsider.com.
  5. ^"Daily Update: Thiago Santos, John Tatum, LAX".WON/F4W - WWE news, Pro Wrestling News, WWE Results, UFC News, UFC results.July 8, 2019.
  6. ^"LAX Given Send Off By IMPACT Roster At TV Tapings In Mexico | Fightful Wrestling".www.fightful.com.
  7. ^"LAX Thanks IMPACT Wrestling, Confirms They Have Wrestled Their Last Match For The Company | Fightful Wrestling".www.fightful.com.
  8. ^"LAX Debuts At AEW All Out".Wrestling Inc.August 31, 2019.
  9. ^"AEW Dynamite Results - Oct 2, 2019".Ringside News | Wrestling News & WWE News, Rumors & Spoilers.2019-10-02.Retrieved2019-10-18.
  10. ^Chris Jericho reveals The Inner Circle,retrieved2019-10-18
  11. ^Gagnon, Joshua (November 18, 2020)."Konnan Appears During Inner Circle's Visit To Las Vegas On AEW Dynamite".Wrestling Inc.RetrievedNovember 19,2020.
  12. ^"Inner Circle Implosion, No DQ Bout Set for 2/16 AEW Dynamite".10 February 2022.
  13. ^Beltrán, William (July 1, 2022)."Santana podría tener problemas con Ortiz y marcharse de AEW".Superluchas.
  14. ^"AEW tiene otro culebrón: Santana y Ortiz discuten en las redes sociales".solowrestling.mundodeportivo.com.September 9, 2023.
  15. ^Savage, Amanda (2023-08-24)."AEW Star Returns With New Name".WrestleTalk.Retrieved2023-08-26.
  16. ^Ravens, Andrew (2024-03-04)."Mike Santana Departs From AEW".411Mania.Retrieved2024-03-04.
  17. ^"AAW Tag Team Championship".Cagematch.RetrievedMay 8,2017.
  18. ^"CZW Tag Team Championship « Titles Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database".www.cagematch.net.
  19. ^"HOG Heavyweight Championship".Cagematch.RetrievedDecember 1,2023.
  20. ^"RIC FLAIR APPEARS, AMAZING RED VS. ZACK SABRE JR. LAX IN INSANE FATAL FOUR WAY & MORE: COMPLETE HOUSE OF GLORY 'SEVEN' COVERAGE FROM NYC - PWInsider.com".www.pwinsider.com.
  21. ^Martin, Adam (April 23, 2017)."Spoilers: 4/23 Impact Wrestling TV tapings results from Orlando".WrestleView.RetrievedApril 24,2017.
  22. ^"Solie's Title Histories: TNA-IMPACT World Tag Team Championship History".Solie.org.RetrievedApril 28,2016.
  23. ^Impact Best of 2018 Fans' Choice Awards Reveal with Anthony Carelli and Alicia Atout! Behind the Lights Episode 34retrieved December 20, 2018
  24. ^"GCW Tag Team Championship « Titles Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database".www.cagematch.net.
  25. ^"Santana Reacts To Becoming The First LAWE World Champion".22 May 2022.
  26. ^Grifol, Ignacio (January 14, 2022)."Pro Wrestling Illustrated anuncia los ganadores de sus PWI Awards 2021".Solowrestling.com.Retrieved15 January2022.
  27. ^ab"Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) 500 for 2019 - the Internet Wrestling Database".
  28. ^"PWR Tag Team Championship « Titles Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database".www.cagematch.net.
  29. ^Kreikenbohm, Philip."WrestlePro Tag Team Championship « Titles Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database".www.cagematch.net.
  30. ^"WOW Tag Team Championship « Titles Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database".www.cagematch.net.
  31. ^"WWL World League Team Championship History".
  32. ^"Chris Jericho Set To Face Ortiz In A Hair vs. Hair Match At AEW Dynamite Road Rager".ewrestling. 2 June 2022.RetrievedJune 7,2022.
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