10 Forgotten WWE Upsets
Tito Santana defeats The Undertaker (October 5th, 1991)
Contrary to popular belief, The Undertaker’s first televised pinfall loss did not come at the hands of Hulk Hogan at This Tuesday in Texas, but Tito Santana.
One of the most consistently reliable workers from the Rock ‘N’ Wrestling Era to the New Generation Era, it was probably fair to say the former 2-time IC champion had little to do after breaking up from Strike Force tag partner Rick Martel. The babyface from Tocula, Mexico was now used as a veteran mid-carder used as a stepping stone for future stars, with his previous success making him a creditable competitor. It seemed as if this would be Tito’s role at a Barcelona taping.
Only aired in Barcelona, it seemed a foregone conclusion the undefeated zombie incarnation of The Undertaker would defeat Santana, but with some heavy resistance from the 1989 King of The Ring. After a long Undertaker advantage, a comeback led to Santana inadvertently striking the referee with his Flying Forearm finish. Following 3 piledrivers, Tito took manager Paul Bearer’s urn and struck Undertaker with it – and got the 3-count.
The Spanish onlookers were clearly significantly behind Tito Santana, popping huge to see him banish The Undertaker. Whilst the 2 were on very different career paths, it was a nice reward for Tito for all his hard work over the years. The Undertaker continued his push with this not acknowledged whilst Santana soon went on to be repackaged as ‘El Matador’, in which he was largely unsuccessful.
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