During Tito Santana's 10+ years with the WWF (World Wrestling Federation, now the WWE), he was a two-time Intercontinental champion; a two-time World Tag-Team champion; and the 1989 King of the Ring. Along with Hulk Hogan, he competed at each of the first nine WrestleMania events. The most accomplished Mexican-American ever to wrestle in the WWF shares several inside stories from the Federation's heyday in the late 1980's and early 1990s. He offers behind-the-scenes stories of wrestling with and against some of the biggest names in the business, including Hogan, Bret Hart, Macho Man Randy Savage, Rick Martel, the Ultimate Warrior, Mr. Perfect, and others. Santana recalls his longtime rivalry with Savage, his time as El Matador in the early 1990s, and much, much more.
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Tito Santana (a.k.a. Merced Solis) was an All-American football player at West Texas State who was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs. After a short stint playing football in the Canadian Football League (CFL), he entered the world of professional wrestling. For more than a decade in the WWF Santana enjoyed a stellar career. His great success led to induction into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2004. He still wrestles part-time, but works full-time teaching middle-school Spanish in New Jersey. Santana resides in Ledgewood, New Jersey.
Dr. Tom Caiazzo is a Professor of Political Science at East Georgia College who has also served as a wrestling promoter, scriptwriter, and talent. He is published in his discipline and this is his third professional wrestling biography. Caiazzo resides in Statesboro, Georgia.
Dr. Tom Caiazzo is a Professor of Political Science at East Georgia College who has also served as a wrestling promoter, scriptwriter, and talent. He is published in his discipline and this is his third professional wrestling biography. Caiazzo resides in Statesboro, Georgia.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Short and poorly researched,
By Nick West (Arlington, VA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Tito Santana's Tales from the Ring (Tales) (Hardcover)
Tito Santana has a great story to tell. As one of the few hispanic stars of the WWF boom era in the early- to mid-80s, Tito had a unique position in the company and was a refreshing change of pace from the typical steroid-addled big men on WWF cards.Unfortunately, his story is told quite poorly here. In addition to its ridiculous brevity (the book is under 200 pages) and its odd choice of priority topics (the epic Intercontinental Title feud with Greg Valentine gets all of 4 pages, while the ridiculous Matador character gets an entire chapter,) the co-author did a pathetic job of researching dates. For example, Tito states that the Honky Tonk Man left the WWF after losing the Intercontinental Title to the Ultimate Warrior in 1987. First, that match took place in August 1988. Second, the Honky Tonk Man was still with the WWF for Wrestlemanias V and VI. There are numerous other basic factual errors like that throughout the book. Tito does have some interesting commentary, however, particularly on the racism he encountered from Ole Anderson and Dick Murdoch. There are also some good stories about Andre the Giant, which are always welcome given the big legend's early death. I recommend this book for a quick read, but it is certainly not one of the better wrestling autobiographies out there.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
A Legend With A Story That Never Gains Momentum,
This review is from: Tito Santana's Tales from the Ring (Tales) (Hardcover)
The World Wrestling Federation (Entertainment) years of Tito Santana go from the squared-circle of some of the biggest events ever in the industry to a much too rapid read; if this was a match, it has the feel of Gorilla Monsoon coming down to ringside and signaling for things to wrap-up fast.From 1979-1993, Santana had a remarkable run with the company, holding on two occasions each the Intercontinental and Tag Team (with Ivan Putski and Rick Martel) and capturing the 1989 King of the Ring, while maintaining a spot near the top due to his solid work and popularity with fans. But by the end, he was relegated to a dark match versus Papa Shango on the Wrestlemania X card and ended his tenure on Wrestling Challenge, facing Virgil. The pace of the book prohibits Santana and co-author Tom Calazzo from delving into any period with any depth. And though Santana will remain known for his work in WWF, he became a key performer for a small outfit called Eastern Championship Wrestling, which soon became the wild, hardcore Extreme Championship Wrestling. This wrestling legend deserves a chance to really tell his story. The book never gains solid momentum because things rapidly go by like the story line in the first match in a mid-week house show.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wrestler,
This review is from: Tito Santana's Tales from the Ring (Tales) (Hardcover)
Great book! He talks about life on the road! He also states what it is to be a minority in the business. The sacrifices that he made will make you think twice about how hard it is to be in the business! From football to wrestling he came along way.
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