I’ve never quite fully understood the intricacies of the relationship between the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling and I’m sure none of you do either. So while Wikipedia might state that Mexican wrestling star Tito Santana was wrestling with the WWF from 1979-1993, there is no question that I saw him wrestling both on TV and in person with Georgia Championship Wrestling in 1982. And I have the photo to prove it.
The match in question was a tag team bout that took place at the Hara Arena in Dayton, Ohio, on October 22, 1982. I long relish those days of Dad and I obtaining optimal front row seats to check out a card that would typically include five matches. That night I got to see Tito Santana and his partner Stan Hansen wrestle the Samoans (managed by Sonny King). I’m not positive that Tito and Stan were the victors, but the photo that I took below indicates that they were.
My first encounter with Tito Santana of the day was brief as I was trying to talk him into letting me have a free photo with him if I purchased a signed picture at the Chiller Theatre Show in Parsippany, New Jersey, on April 28, 2012. He declined, so I walked. But I knew full well that I’d be back. Championship wrestling of the early 1980’s holds such dear place in my heart that I can’t resist the opportunity to meet the fellows who I once cheered for… or booed against. Yes, I knew it was fake even in my pre-teen years, but I didn’t care.
Once I bit the bullet and handed over my $30, we had a nice chat about the early days of his wrestling career. He fully and fondly recalled his days on Georgia Championship Wrestling, and when I mentioned the match with Paul Orndorff, his eyes lit up and said how great of a time he had with the likes of Orndorff and bleach-blonde poster boy Tommy Rich. I had all but forgotten his battle cry of “Arriba!” until he wrote it on my picture, along with indicating his Hall of Fame induction year of 2004.
It was a pleasurable encounter that I don’t regret, and I hope that I will continue to add more of these Georgia bad boys (and good boys) to my list of encounters.
Celebrity encounters of the Spring 2012 Chiller Theatre Show will continue…
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