Arda Ocal & Jimmy Korderas spoke with WWE Hall of Famer and WrestleMania legend, Tito Santana. Here are some highlights:
His memories of being the very 1st match at the 1st WrestleMania (3:10)
What the atmosphere was like at the 1st WrestleMania (4:40)
"Vince told us that was the make-or-break. He put everything he had into it. The wrestlers at that moment, we wrestled a lot more than they do now. We wrestled 350 times a year so we had been doing it so much it was like riding a bicycle. It was something that we did. And we were very good at it. I don’t think they’ll ever see that era again, as far as the knowledge of the wrestlers had in the ring. So I don’t think too many wrestlers were nervous because everybody that was wrestling that night was a really polished veteran."
Being a member of Strike Force with Rick Martel, and filming Girls in Cars (6:10)
How Tito felt about facing the future "Mr. WrestleMania" Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 8 (8:40)
What it was like being an ECW champion in its primitive stages (12:10)
"When I went there and we had that tournament that I was involved in – I ended up wrestling 5 times to win the title match that night. I never really they would amount to anything. I didn’t like the way the dressing room was run that night. As a matter of fact, I won the title that night and I never went back. At that time, comparing it to the WW(E), it was nothing compared to it"
What led to his departure from the WWE while they began their early expansion into Mexico (13:30)
Why he never went to WCW following his departure from the WWE in 1993 (17:15)
On his kids possibly getting into professional wrestling like their father (18:40)
"I’m very proud of my boys. I think, at one point, when they were very young, one of them mentioned that they wanted to get in professional wrestling and I said ‘do you wanna be gone from your kids as much as I’m gone from you guys’? And I think it left an impression on them. And I think that’s a reason why they never brought it up again. They realized that education was always the plan"
Get the whole 20+ minute interview with Tito Santana at http://radio.thescore.com/
ALSO: Arda and Jimmy have begun a lookback series on all 26 WrestleManias! For each podcast (separated by WrestleMania), we talk about our favourite match, the WrestleMania moment, forgotten moments and Jimmy shares his stories being behind the curtain! Find them on iTunes or at http://radio.thescore.com/
Nick was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and lived there until the age of 18, when he decided to pack his flack jacket and move to New York City.
