The winners of WrestleMania 1: Where are they now?
It was the spring of 1985 when Vince McMahon's World Wrestling Federation would ultimately give birth to what would become the greatest spectacle in all of sports and entertainment.
WrestleMania went live on March 31, 1985, before a sold-out crowd of 19,121 fans at the worlds most famous arena, Madison Square Garden in New York City. In addition to the nearly 20 thousand fans in attendance, over 1 million viewers tuned in via closed-circuit television, making it the largest showing of any event to ever be witnessed on CCTV at that time.
WrestleMania was Vince McMahon's attempt to compete with Jim Crockett Promotions annual event known as Starrcade. Needless to say, as we prepare to witness the 34th annual WrestleMania, I'd say Vince got this one right.
In the coming weeks, we will take a look back at some of the WrestleMania's of the past and while doing so, we will catch up with the former Superstars who competed in one or more of the previous WrestleMania pay-per-view events and see what they are up to these days. Starting with WrestleMania 1.
Let's take a look at the winners from the matches at WrestleMania 1 and find out where they are today.
Tito Santana
Tito Santana defeated The Executioner via submission
If you were a fan of professional wrestling during the big run of the 1980's, then you certainly recall this crowd favorite. Tito Santana was one of those guys who always succeeded, yet never really brought any sort of negative attention to himself.
The two-time Intercontinental Champion was adored by fans all over the world. On a personal note, my favorite memories of Tito involve his time with Rick Martel as the popular tag team known as Strike Force.
Where is he now?
Believe it or not, this 64-year-old WWE Hall of Famer is still performing at a fairly consistent rate, with independent promotions all over the world. Tito also assists as a trainer at the Jersey-based wrestling school Independent Wrestling Federation.
Tito had his autobiography, Tito Santana's Tales From the Ring released in 2008. Prior to that, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as a member of the 2004 class.