Tito Santana returns to Mission

Growing up in a family of migrant workers, Merced Solis never dreamed of being a celebrity.

"I remember, when I was 7 years old, we went to Milford, Ill. Then we started going to Iowa for the sugar beets and Wisconsin for the cherries and strawberries and Indiana for tomatoes," Solis said by phone from Roxbury, N.J. "It's a tough way to make a living."

Nonetheless, before he was 30 Solis had become famous, known worldwide as wrestler Tito Santana.

Now 54, he returns to the Valley this weekend for matches tonight at Mission High School and Saturday at San Benito High School.

Joining him will be some of his fellow wrestlers from the Old World Wrestling Federation, such as Brutus "the Barber" Beefcake and the Demolition tag team of Ax and Smash.

In all, there will be seven matches, said promoter Bobby Chidester. A portion of the ticket sales will go to benefit the athletic programs at both schools. Concession sales will also go to the schools, he said.

Solis grew into a 6-foot-2-inch frame and made a name for himself playing high school football. After he won a scholarship to play football at West Texas State University, his outlook changed.

"I thought I was going to play football for five years and get out and have a normal life," Solis said.

But the fates had a different plan for Solis. After a tryout with the Kansas City Chiefs and a stint in the Candian Football League, he joined the world of professional wrestling and became Tito Santana.

It's not really surprising. Tully Blanchard, son of wrestler Joe Blanchard was playing quarterback at the same time Solis was playing tight end at WTSU.

In fact, West Texas State is a veritable school for wrestlers. Other wrestlers that came out of the university's football team include: Dusty Rhodes, Terry and Dory Funk, "Captain Redneck" Dick Murdoch, "Million Dollar Man," Ted DiBiase, Bruiser Brody, Stan Henson and Black Jack Mulligan.

Football would have probably been an easier career path.

"I started in 1977 ... and in my prime, I probably wrestled 340 days a year," he said. "We used to work like dogs, but the money was good. I was there when the big explosion took place."

Cosidered by many aficionados as professional wrestling's renaissance, the late 1970s and early 1980s saw a huge surge in popularity for wrestling.

"That's when movie stars were coming out to the WrestleManias," Solis said.

Wrestlers made appearances in music videos and some had their own videos playing on MTV.

"I was always told once you got into (wrestling) it was difficult to get out," he said. "It's a great living for a single guy."

The money was very good and the competition appealed to Solis.

"It just gets into your blood," he said. "You just get better and better and better at what you're doing. It's hard to walk away when you're at your peak. Especially from where I came from. I came from nothing to making a very good living."

Part of the competition was being able to work the crowd into a frenzy through talking on the microphone. "We used to sell our tickets with the promos we'd do," he said. "I think wrestlers were better speakers back then."

Wrestlers these days work from a written script, Solis said.

"We were able to create our little short stories and sell our tickets with our interviews," he said.

In 1983, Solis went to work for Vince McMahon Jr.'s World Wrestling Federation (now World Wrestling Entertainment) - the biggest of them all.

For the next 10 years he wrestled all over the world, using moves such as Latin Lightning, the Figure Four Leg Lock and his finisher, the Flying Forearm Smash.

"I did very well I was lucky," Solis said.

Along with Hulk Hogan, Solis holds the unique distinction of having competed in the first nine WrestleManias.

But in 1993, Solis decided to give it up.

"At the time, I had been with WWF longer than anybody," he said. "They had given me the gimmick ‘El Matador.' Well, it didn't take me long to figure out that Vince didn't have any plans for ‘El Matador.'"

Solis thought it was time to get off the road and spend more time with his wife Leah and their three sons. They opened up Santana's Styling Salon at a Roxbury shopping mall.

After seven years of retirement, Solis began teaching Spanish at a local junior high and does some coaching. In 2004, Tito Santana was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on the eve of WrestleMania XX.

He still makes wrestling appearances.

"I do about 15 to 20 shows a year," he said. "The old body can't take much more."

ABOUT THE APPEARANCE

WHO: Tito Santana, Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake and other wrestling legends

When: 6:30 p.m. today at Mission High School and 6:30 p.m. Saturday at San Benito High School

Cost: $15 for General Admission, $6 for students and $20 for ringside seats.

FYI: 956-200-6880