Where is tito santana

In any case, Santana wrestled under the "El Matador" gimmick through , mostly as a jobber to the stars. This included a loss to Papa Shango at SummerSlam In his final appearance on WWF programming, Santana defeated friend and frequent tag team partner Virgil on a episode of Wrestling Challenge. As a sign of mutual respect between the two, both men embraced after the match.

Santana, along with only Hulk Hogan, holds the unique distinction of appearing in the first nine WrestleManias, accumulating a record during that time. Vince McMahon later told Santana that his reason for putting him in the opening match was to kick the show off with a quality match, something he knew Tito as a solid fan-favorite and former Intercontinental Champion would produce.

Santana played a role in the formative years of ECW. Santana finished his full-time career in the short-lived American Wrestling Federation. Tito Santana continues to make appearances on the independent circuit. He still wrestles a dozen or so matches per year. Pro Wrestling Explore. Explore Wikis Community Central. Register Don't have an account? Tito Santana. I didn't make it in the NFL. They tried to get me to come back the following year to tryout again, but I already had a signed letter in Canada and I was happy playing in the Canadian league.

So I never tried it again. I knew that not too many football players had an opportunity to even suit up with an NFL team and I had done it. So, from that aspect, I was satisfied. Q: Have you ever thought about what would have happened had you gone back to the Chiefs the next year, or not hurt your ankle and stuck with the NFL? Does wrestling happen? Santana: I don't know. I don't know how good I could have been.

I just know that football players' careers weren't very long. Now that I look back, I'm pretty much a Christian believer and believe that everything that happened to me happened for a purpose.

I would have never made the kind of money in football that I did in wrestling -- and my career wouldn't have been as long as it was in wrestling. I have no regrets. I was happy that I was there and it was just part of my life. I had been chasing him for the Intercontinental Championship, and finally I beat him in a cage match and there were maybe only 18, people at capacity, but it was sold out.

The "pop" that we got when I won the match was just unbelievable. Q: What are you doing now? I think people always wonder what happens after retirement. Santana: I'm a schoolteacher. I've been teaching school, this is my 21st year. Then, a couple of weekends a month, I go and I make appearances and once in a while, believe it or not, I still get in the ring. I don't do much in the ring, but I still like to lace up the boots and get out there.

It doesn't get old to hear the response from the wrestling fans because they appreciate the work that you did. That's what you know, with the applause and the cheers for you. It never gets old to hear the applause. In the small shows, you get to meet the wrestling fans and they always bring up moments that they remember. Santana: I had a degree. When I went to college, I graduated with a physical education major and Spanish minor, and I hadn't used it because I was involved in sports.

It doesn't get old when you step into the ring and you hear the fans let you know how much they appreciate you. Santana, who was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in , also talked to SI Now about his current job as a middle school Spanish teacher, his career, WrestleMania and the progress wrestling as a whole has made over his life.

You can watch the full clip above. Holloway is ready for a dominant UFC comeback this Saturday. With a 1—0 win over Colombia on Thursday, the South American giant continued its dominant qualifying run.