History Wrestling / TitoSantana

* RealLifeRelative: Tito's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzkbmYBRHL match]] with "Ravishing" [[Wrestling/RickRude]] ended in a draw. When a woman came out from the crowd for Rude's traditional post-match kiss, Tito dropkicked Rude, threw him out of the ring and kissed the woman himself before stealing Rude's "swiveling hips" dance. The woman Tito kissed was his real-life wife.

* MemeticHandGesture: When Tito was about to do the figure-four leg lock, he would often point in the air and spin his hand around to signal it to the crowd.

* ItIsPronouncedTroPAY: His real last name is pronounced "So-LEASE," like [[Series/DesperateHousewives Carlos and Gabby]], not like "So-LISS."

[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tito_Santana The Other Wiki]] has a good writeup on his career.

* DoingItForTheArt: He actually travelled to Spain and learned bullfighting to pprtray the "El Matadore" gimmick.

* StartMyOwn: A slight aversion in that [[http://titosantana.net/HairSalon.html Santana's Hair Salon]] in Succasunna, New Jersey is operated by his wife. Tito himself is a high school Spanish teacher.

* StartMyOwn: [[http://titosantana.net/HairSalon.html Santana's Hair Salon]] in Succasunna, New Jersey

** At ''Wrestling/{{CHIKARA}} King of Trios 2012'' Night 1, September 14, 2012, the Spectral Envoy (Wrestling/{{UltraMantis Black}}[=/=]Wrestling/{{Frightmare}}[=/=]Wrestling/{{Hallowicked}}) were supposed to face the Submission Squad, but they were not there, so three names were drawn from a hat. The first was [[CharlieBrownFromOuttaTown the Mysterious and Handsome Stranger]], who was there. The second was Kazuaki Mihara of Osaka Pro. The third was Wrestling/StanHansen, who was not there. They tried [[Characters/WWENewGeneration Kwang (Savio Vega doing a lame masked ninja gimmick in WWE from 1994-1995)]], who was not there. They tried Tito Santana, and he was there. The Envoy won after [=UMB=] rolled Tito up from behind for the pin.

* ThrowTheDogABone: By the late 1980s, it was more common to see Santana on the losing end of matches, although he did have plenty of non-televised (at least on terrestrial television) victories that, until the Internet and Website/YouTube eras weren't commonly known. These include a major push toward the WWF Intercontinental Championship in 1990 (although losing to [[Wrestling/CurtHennig Mr. Perfect]]), a KingOfTheRing championship-round victory over Rick Martel, and a rare victory (in Spain) over Wrestling/TheUndertaker. The latter victory, which came in 1991, in the midst of Undertaker's push as an unbeatable MonsterHeel, and also came a time where the WWF was pondering which direction to find its new face of the 1990s -- Canada (and Wrestling/BretHart) or Mexico (and Santana). While they ultimately settled on Hart (and American Wrestling/ShawnMichaels), Santana's reliability and workmanship in the ring gave the WWF a solid option and a solid wrestler to build around had they decided on a lucha libre direction.

** In a dark (non-televised match), Tito d. [[Characters/WWENewGeneration Papa Shango]] at WMIX.

Mercedes Solis (born May 10, 1953) is a semi-retired {{professional wrestl|ing}}er from Mission, Texas best known for his work in Wrestling/{{WWE}} in the 1980s as Tito Santana. He started his career in Florida in 1977 and also worked in Georgia, [=WWE=], the Wrestling/AmericanWrestlingAssociation, Southwest Championship Wrestling in San Antonio, and the [[Wrestling/TerryFunk Funk family]]'s Western States Wrestling promotion in Amarillo, TX before making his home in [=WWE=]. Santana is a 2x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/ic.html WWE Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion]], a 2x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwe-world-t.html WWE World Tag Team Champion]], holding the belts the first time with Ivan Putski and the second time with Wrestling/RickMartel as Strike Force and a 1x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/ecw/ecw-h.html NWA ECW Heavyweight Champion]] (see below under TheCameo). He was inducted into the Wrestling/WWEHallOfFame in 2004.