WWE has filed a new trademark for a ring name that sounds a lot like one of the biggest free agents in wrestling.
The company submitted an application for “Cruz Montana” to the United States Patent and Trademark Office on July 24. The filing covers the standard range of categories WWE attaches to a performer’s name, beginning with in-ring work.
The description reads: “Entertainment services, namely, wrestling exhibitions and performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer rendered live and through broadcast media including television and radio, and via the internet or commercial online service.”
It goes on to cover news and information services, an online community portal, a website, fan club services covering both wrestling events and social events for members, online newsletters, and blogs, all in the field of sports entertainment.
The name is the reason the filing is drawing attention. Cruz Montana is a close rhyme with Mike Santana, who became a free agent this summer and has been widely linked with a move to WWE.
Santana finished up with TNA Wrestling at Slammiversary on June 28 in Boston, losing the TNA World Championship to Nic Nemeth in the main event. He was not booked for the television tapings TNA held in Albany, New York that week, and his contract was reported to be expiring in the days that followed. He leaves as a two-time TNA World Champion.
WWE’s interest has been reported for months. PWInsider and WrestleVotes have both covered the situation, with the reporting indicating that WWE would like Santana on its main roster before the end of 2026 and that at least one main roster performer has pushed internally for the company to sign him. No brand has been attached to him in any of that reporting.
Santana already has a working relationship with the company. He made several WWE NXT appearances during the promotion’s partnership with TNA, including a tag match against DarkState in March.
