Tito Santana Interview - Talks about wrestling in 1980s and young stars
On Sunday, April 30, 2006 at 7:28 PM EST The following was transcribed by Mr. DFL:
Former two-time WWE World Tag Team Champion, former WWE Intercontinental Champion, former WWE King Of The Ring, WWE Hall Of Famer & the man who took part in this past Saturday night's Connecticut Championship Wrestling "Elm City Showdown" event, Tito Santana, was the special guest on this past week's live edition (4/24/05) of Monday Night Mayhem, which can be heard in streaming audio every week (and live from 7-9PM ET every Monday night) exclusively on The Monday Night Mayhem Radio Network (www.MondayNightMayhem.com, www.WrestlingMediaNetwork.com, www.ObsessedWithWrestling.com, www.Dory-Funk.com, & celebrating its 10th Anniversary, www.AudioWrestling.com -- your official home of "The Spring Break Incident" Video-On-Demand, featuring WWE Diva & the hottest member of this past season's edition of ABC's "Dancing With The Stars," Stacy Keibler).
The interview with Tito is now available to hear for FREE in Real Audio!
Here are some of the highlights from the interview provided by the show's senior correspondent, Mr. DFL.
The 1980's WWF-esque Coliseum Video music strikes up, as The Big Mosh & Blade welcomed Tito Santana to The Mayhem for the first time in his Hall Of Fame career. Mosh started the interview by taking the listeners down memory lane, as it has been 16 years (almost to the day) that Santana wrestled the late "Mr. Perfect" Curt Henning in what was the finals of the WWE Intercontinental Championship tournament in Austin, TX. Mosh asked Tito what was his favorite memory was in what was one of the greatest matches in WWE history and also what it was like to compete in front of his hometown of Austin, TX. Tito expressed his deepest thoughts, by mentioning that it was "the thrill of the night" by going in and wrestling Curt. Even though he did not get to win the match, he loved the pacing of the bout, the fact that the crowd was really into it, and was glad that the match came out as well as it did -- catipulating "Mr. Perfect" being one of the greatest IC Champions in WWE history.
Mosh & Blade brought up the clear-cut fact of how there is an obvious difference between the professional wrestling of the '80's & the sports-entertainment we have today. Tito said that he does not want to put down any of today's current WWE superstars, but some of them are in the same league as the stars of yester-year (such as "The Legend Killer" Randy Orton) -- as they have great timing and serve several purposes for the company. However, a lot of today's wrestlers (both in the WWE & other companies), will never have the ring knowledge or ring psychology of the WWF superstars "Those guys learned from other wrestlers night in & night out."
The topic of nostalgia was next up for discussion, and Tito believes that is extremely important to how the business is today and goes from this point forward. Wherever he goes across the world, he knows that the fans will always be there. There will be, however, a special place in his hear for the "old school" style fans and those that were with him from the beginning of his journey into the business. He also feels that the high demand of the WWE Legend products just shows how much today's audience has an appreciation of what performers such as himself gave to the sport.
Blade then switched topics and asked Tito who he feels has the look & the total package of today's crop of talent? Based on the fact that the WWE always looks for the best workers out there, Santana feels that quite a few of them would have that moniker. However, he does not watch much of the current WWE or TNA television product. From what he has seen though, he knows that Randy Orton has what it takes. He remembers Randy's father, "Cowboy" Bob Orton, Jr. giving his all every night in the squared circle and that the Orton family takes pride in the wrestling business. "Bob was one of the best in-ring match-tellers."
Tito also feels that besides the Orton family, that many other families have given to the success of making wrestling great for many years -- such as "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes & his son Dustin (Goldust), the patriarch of the Canadian wrestling scene, Stu Hart & his son Bret, and Rocky Johnson & his son Dwayne (The Rock). Competition was in their blood, and it still pumps through that of Harry Smith, Teddy Hart, & several young up-and-comers.
Santana then brought up the interesting statement that "with you & less knowledge comes drug use." Unfortunately, we have lost many talented individuals & some of the greatest workers that this business will ever see (between "Ravishing" Rick Rude, the aforementioned "Mr. Perfect" Curt Henning, "The Big Boss Man" Ray Traylor, & many others). Tito does not want to see this continue, as his biggest fear for the younger talent is the partying -- "that can be a huge trap for you." Tito believes that those guys have the passion, but in the long run, it's all up to the fans, as "they know when you are really ready for the big time. If you try pulling one over on them, they will fart on you." Going forward, Tito hopes that those in power in both the WWE & TNA will put younger talent in front of the fans for a main event push, only if they are 100% committed & ready on all levels.
The lineage of the WWE Intercontinental Championship is impressive -- from Pat Patterson to Shelton Benjamin. Mosh & Blade asked Tito what his thoughts were on carrying the belt on two separate occasions and if the belt has lost some of its luster from then to now. Tito said that if you go the down the line to the first-ever champion (Pat Patterson), those contests did not have much television exposure, nor was the internet even invented yet. When him & Greg "The Hammer" Valentine feuded over the belt 20 years ago, the crowds got so into their matches that many of them believed it was real. The belt was something to not only the boys in the back, but the people they performed in front of. Santana believes that when he lost the title, and especially when The Ultimate Warrior became the champion (when he was actually bigger than Hulk Hogan), it started to go downhill. He also said that Vince McMahon never used that IC strap correctly in several instances, but when it comes to those fighting over the belt today, "if the right guy gets it & can get over with the fans, then that's what it's all about."
The WWE King Of The Ring Tournament is ongoing on Friday Night SmackDown, and with Tito being a former king himself, Blade & Mosh wanted to get Tito's takes on the origins of the KOTR in the mid/late '80's and how it has affected the WWE today. Tito mentioned that the WWF wrestling fans loved the idea from its origination, felt how each bout to move on in the tourney was "on the up-and-up," and that anyone had the opportunity to win. He is blessed to be in the same breath as Harley Race, "The Macho Man" Randy Savage, & Bret "Hitman" Hart -- just to name a few. Bringing back the KOTR is another important step in paying homage to the old-school days as well.
Being inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame was quite an honor for Tito in 2004, but at first, he did not know how he would feel at the night of the ceremonies. The fact that the backdrop was WrestleMania XX & Madison Square Garden (where he had some of his greatest matches & memories) was of great importance to him. On induction night, he listened to the other members of the Class of 2004 -- especially how everyone thanked Vince McMahon for "second & third chances." He was glad he did not have to apologize to Vince for anything. After 13 years in the WWE, he helped the company tremendously. Most of the best times in his career were celebrated there, in addition to making most of his money. "There would be guys who would be mad at Vince. He would then take you into his office, and after talking back & forth you would walk out of that meeting feeling so good." Tito said that his speech came entirely from the heart, with no prepared notes of any kind -- especially when he started to thank his family & more importantly his wife ("for being the mom & dad when he wasn't home"). He is proud of the fact that he did not party like a lot of the talent in the '80's & early '90's.
Mosh brought up the legendary nickname from Jesse "The Body" Ventura for Tito, "Chico." Was there ever any heat towards "The Body" for this comment? Tito laughed, and said that the creation was all Jesse's idea. There was never any heat at all, and in fact, some of his greatest memories of his career are working with Jesse. It did take him a long time to get used to the fans calling him "Chico," but he finally realized that by Jesse doing this, it made him way over with the television audience. He never thought it was an insult, nor ever took offense at it.
Tito wrestled against Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania VIII at The RCA Dome in Indianapolis, IN -- which was the "birth" of "The Heartbreak Kid" character/persona. Tito has fond memories of working & traveling with Shawn. When Shawn & Marty came in to the WWF, "they had bad attitudes, as they were always partying." Tito gave them advice from Day One, telling them to get their heads on straight. When Tito left the company in 1993, the WWE was going through a tremendous change -- pushing all of the younger guys first. He feels that World Wrestling Entertainment made some mistakes with some of the younger talent they pushed to the moon around that time, but Shawn was different. "With his fortitude, persistence, & impressive athletic ability, Shawn Michaels is truly one of the best ever."
Tito also feels that his "El Matador" gimmick was partially unnecessary. He never felt that he needed to become a "character," but Vince thought otherwise. He knew that it was not going to be marketed the right way, and the only thing the WWE did with "El Matador" was make one action figure. From that point on, he knew that he was not going to last long, and he gave Vince his notice. "It was better giving me his notice than the other way around."
Tito closed the interview by wishing to be remembered by the fans as a "company guy," as well as one who laid it out on the line in the ring, and who cared deeply about his friends, colleagues, & especially his family. They were there for him when he was out on the road all of the time, and he can never repay them for their love & support.
Plenty of other topics were covered in this fantastic 45-minute interview, including: if he ever considered a jump to the NWA/WCW, Tito's thoughts on today's crop of WWE Road Agents (and if he would ever think of becoming one himself), if he had any heat with the locker room during his WWF/WWE run, why the WWE Tag Team scene has diminished, in addition to his memories of working with Rick Martel in Strike Force (including the real reason why him & Rick broke up as a tag team) & also with Ivan Putski, and why he believes the art of story-telling is lost in World Wrestling Entertainment.
Wrestling fans, you can check out all of the results from this past Saturday night's Connecticut Championship Wrestling event, "Elm City Showdown," in addition to purchasing their latest DVD releases on their official website -- www.CTChampionshipWrestling.com.
*Check out the rest of the 4/24 MNM, as former WWE superstar, Tyson Tomko, gave his first public comments/radio interview since being released from the WWE. The buzz from this interview over the past few days has been tremendous, as "The Problem Solver" addressed why he left the WWE and what's in store for his future. If you missed this past Monday's show, the entire April 24th program is available for download on The Monday Night Mayhem Radio Network.
*Let the speculation begin! Wrestling fans throughout the world know what the month of May means to The May-hem -- Sweeps Month! It all starts LIVE this Monday night, as former Former six-time WCW World Tag Team Champion & WCW World Heavyweight Champion, "Big Poppa Pump" Scott Steiner will step into the squared circle with The Big Mosh & Blade!
Start posting your questions/comments for "The Big Bad Booty Daddy" on this thread of the Uberfun Message Board, e-mail them to MondayNightMayhem@hotmail.com, or post your musings on the MNM My Space (located at www.MySpace.com/MondayNightMayhem).
Now, we know what some of you fans are thinking. Steiner has no-showed several prior interviews since signing with TNA. We are fully aware of that, We are sure the good folk at Total Nonstop Action Wrestling are as well. The only man in this business who gives guarantees is Mr. McMahon, so we can't guaran-damn-tee anything. However, we have been told us to go ahead and promote this interview accordingly. And so we will...
Steiner will be aboard to promote his upcoming match at the Sacrifice Pay-Per-View with "The King Of The Mountain" Jeff Jarrett vs. Sting & the X-Division Champion, "The Samoan Submission Machine," Samoa Joe. We will also be breaking down the "Lethal Lockdown" Six Sides Of Steel Cage Match at Lockdown, and what Steiner's takes were on being back competing in the ring on PPV.
Scott has not been one to shy away from the controversial topics, so Blade & Mosh will be getting his uncensored takes on the WWE Talent Wellness Policy, Stacy Keibler's future in the wrestling business (and the feud he had with Test), what he thinks was the downfall of WCW (and if he could have changed anything, what it would have been), where he sees World Wrestling Entertainment going from here (including Triple H's latest main event push, Kurt Angle's recent injury, & Rey Mysterio's World Heavyweight Championship reign), his memories of working in ECW & what he sees for "the return of the extreme," and when he sees TNA making the next step to going head-to-head with the WWE. All this, and we are sure there will be much more!
This Monday night will also feature an interview that "Your Home Of Wrestling Radio" has been waiting over four years will come to fruition LIVE this Monday night. WWE Legend, Jake "The Snake" Roberts will be joining Blade & The Big Mosh this Monday night for what is sure to be one of the most controversial nights in Mayhem history!
Start posting your questions/comments for Jake on the MNM Uberfun Message Board (located at www.MondayNightMayhem.com), e-mail them to MondayNightMayhem@hotmail.com, or post your musings on the MNM My Space (located at www.MySpace.com/MondayNightMayhem).
Jake will be aboard the program to promote the upcoming Pro Wrestling Unplugged "Crazy 8" event in South Philly (on May 20th) & his training session at the former ECW Arena. For more details on the entire night's card & how you can be a part of the session w/Jake, log onto www.ProWrestlingUnplugged.com.
If you have had the chance to check out Jake's DVD, "Pick Your Poison" (available though www.Amazon.com, www.Highspots.com, & all major retail stores), you know that he has had plenty of amazing career highlights & unimaginable low lights -- from his Snake Pit Match against Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat at The Big Event in 1986 to taking on Jerry "The King" Lawler in 1996, there has been no shortage of amazing moments in Jake's career.
In addition to talking about some of Jake's greatest matches, Mosh & Blade will also get Roberts' thoughts & takes on Randy Orton's suspension & whether he thinks "The Legend Killer" is on a destructive path, the new WWE Talent Wellness Policy, his memories of his brief stints in World Championship Wrestling & Extreme Championship Wrestling & if he sees the "new" ECW being successful, & whether a return to the WWE (as a Hall Of Fame inductee or as a road agent) or TNA (as an on-camera personality) is out of the question.
A man who has main-evented arenas throughout the world, a man who has defined the word "survival," a man who strikes fear in the heart of his opponents, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, shoots LIVE with "Your Home Of Wrestling Radio" this Monday night!
"Your Home Of Wrestling Radio" hopes to kick off the sweeps month of "May-hem" with some controversy. Will this all go down? Tune in this Monday night, starting LIVE at 7PM ET/6PM CT. We'll see you then!
And we encourage all new & old listeners of "Your Home Of Wrestling Radio" to check out some of the archived interviews now available on www.MondayNightMayhem.com, www.ObsessedWithWrestling.com, & www.AudioWrestling.com -- including: the man who recently made his return to RAW, Charlie Haas, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, Lance Storm, WWE Hall Of Famer "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff, The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers (Jacques "The Mountie" Rougeau & Raymond Rougeau), WWE Hall Of Famer George "The Animal" Steele, NWA World Tag Team Champions America's Most Wanted, Jeff Jarrett, Paul Roma, "The Pitbull" Gary Wolfe, "The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels, Chaz, Dave Sahadi, The Warlord, the winner of last year's "Female Interview Of The Year" award, Jackie Gayda, Chris Kanyon, Axl Rotten, and many more!
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