Tito Santana
| Tito Santana | |
|---|---|
Santana in 2011 | |
| Birth name | Merced Solís |
| Born | May 10, 1953 Mission, Texas, U.S. |
| Spouse |
Leah Solis (m. 1976) |
| Children | 3 |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring names |
|
| Billed height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) |
| Billed weight | 234 lb (106 kg) |
| Billed from | "Tocula, Mexico" |
| Trained by | |
| Debut | 1977 |
| Retired | 2022 |
| Football career | |
| No. 72 | |
| Career information | |
| CFL status | American |
| Position(s) | TE |
| College | West Texas A&M |
| Career history | |
| As player | |
| 1975* | Kansas City Chiefs |
| 1976 | BC Lions |
| Career stats | |
| Receptions | 17 |
| Rec. Yards | 329 |
| Touchdowns | 1 |
Merced Solis (born May 10, 1953), better known by the ring name Tito Santana, is an American professional wrestler, trainer, and retired school teacher.
Solis has stayed a babyface character his entire career and is best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation between 1979 and 1993 (missing part of 1980 and returning in 1983) where he was a two-time WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion and a two-time WWF Tag Team Championship with Ivan Putski in his first individual reign, and most notably with Rick Martel in his second individual reign. He also won the 1989 King of the Ring tournament and wrestled and won the first WrestleMania match against The Executioner and competed in the first nine, as well as helping bridge the gap between the 1980s "Rock 'n Wrestling Connection" era to the 1990s "New Generation" era.
Solis was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2004 and the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame class of 2013. During his time in the WWF, Solis, despite being born and raised in Mission, Texas, was billed from "Tocula, Mexico", which may be a misspelled reference to the city of Toluca. To this day, he still appears on the independent circuit while working as a school teacher until June 2023, when he retired from teaching.