Steve Maclin is opening up about the frightening in-ring injury that abruptly halted his recent match against TNA World Champion Mike Santana at TNA Sacrifice.
Speaking on his Boots To Boots podcast, Maclin gave a detailed, first-hand account of the moment things went wrong, and how quickly the situation turned serious inside the ring.
“I hit the ropes, and next thing I remember, the next thing I know I’m on the ground trying to figure out what’s going on with my body even though my head from the neck up is normal,” Maclin said. “This is the first time I’ve ever been rocked in a match where that is the complete opposite. Normally, my body is good and you’re in autopilot moving and your brain is like, ‘We’ll get there.’ This was the complete opposite and it scared the hell out of me because you see me grab the rope. Training sunk in because that saved me from possibly going through the ropes or hitting a rope on the way down. You even see me throw up the gang signs with my hands. I couldn’t move. My body wasn’t computing with my brain. ‘Oh shit, what are we doing? Okay, give me a second.’”
A scary situation, no doubt.
Maclin went on to credit referee Alice for her quick thinking and professionalism in the moment, noting that her awareness played a key role in stopping the match before things could get worse.
Maclin continued, “Ref Alice, she was there and she was instantly the savior I needed. That’s why I asked for her for the match. I always ask for her in all my matches because she gets it. She listens to me. I call my audibles to her beforehand, and she knows to relay that. She’s good at her job. She proved she’s very professional at her job that night because she stepped in and knew something was wrong. I was coherently talking to her, ‘I’m good. Just give me a minute. It’s going to drop down, leap frog, drop down, elbow.’ Seeing me do that with the way I had deer legs probably would not have been entertaining to watch. I knew what was coming next, but my body said no. She called for the ‘X.’”
He also acknowledged the presence of Ace Steel and Carlos Silva, who came to ringside to assist, praising both men for stepping in and helping manage the situation.
“The whiplash got me so much off and it drilled the side of my neck where the nerve is. Dangerous spot to get hit. Luckily, I didn’t have any problems after the scans and the concussion protocol I went through at the hospital,” he said.
Despite avoiding serious long-term damage, Maclin admitted he was disappointed for the fans, as he and Santana had built strong momentum heading into what was planned to be a lengthy main event bout.
The match was originally scheduled to run 26 minutes.
“When you’re in there with friends, you lay it in there a little bit more,” he said. “This was one of those freak moments where it was just a step off. He needed to be a step closer in the ring, and me coming off where I could step off the ropes with it. Timing is everything in wrestling, good or bad, and this was one of those bad moments, but also a good moment where it showed the proper way to handle, in 2026, when something like this happens.”
