ComingSoon spoke with WWE Hall of Famer Tito Santana about finally joining the WWE 2K franchise of video games with the new Saturday Night’s Main Event Pack. He arrives alongside Jesse Ventura, Paul Orndorff, Jukyard Dog, and Sid Justice. Santana discussed appearing in the video game, his retirement, and his current dream match.
“The Saturday Night’s Main Event Pack is a must-have for any fan of wrestling’s golden era. Turn back the clock with five legendary Superstars who have competed in the fan-favorite show and recreate nostalgic moments in WWE 2K25,” says the official description.
Tyler Treese: Tito, you being in one of these WWE 2K video games is a long time coming. Fans have requested you for many years. The games look incredible now, so it really looks like you’re mixing it up there now. What does it mean for you that 2K and WWE wanted to feature you prominently with this Saturday Night’s Main Event pack here?
Tito Santana: Well, just like you say, it’s been a long time coming, and when I first heard of this, I just couldn’t believe it. Because this is gonna be a first for me, and just like yourself, the fans have been coming up to me, and they kept asking, “When are you gonna be in one of these video games?” I had no control, and I am so grateful that this new company has recognized my talents and has put me in this video game. Along with the fans, I want to thank everybody who was part of choosing me to be in this video game.
What’s so cool about these games is that you can do these real dream matches in them. Are there any current-day WWE stars that you wish you could have shared the ring with that fans can now make a reality in this video game?
Well, I like CM Punk. It keeps coming into my mind because I like his style, and I just feel that in my prime, I would’ve been able to have some fantastic matches with this guy. He’s doing so well. Maybe somebody will be able to get us in the ring in this game, and we can go after each other.
One of your great rivals from back in the day, Jesse Ventura, is also in this pack. Are you excited that fans are gonna get to beat up on Jesse for you, and get some revenge for him calling you Chico all those years?
Yea. I’m just excited that the fans will have a chance. Because a lot of the fans would get insulted themselves whenever they heard him call me Chico. In reality, Jesse’s a nice guy. He didn’t do it to insult me, but he was a great master of psychology, and him calling me Chico really helped me get over more. But I do wanna beat up on Jesse in this game and make him pay for every time that he called me Chico.
You won the very first WrestleMania match against the Executioner. That’s a really special milestone in retrospect. You also wrestled in the first nine events. What are you most proud of, just being on those early WrestleManias and being a real foundation block for them?
Well, I saw a lot of guys come and go. Vince McMahon told me, “Tito, you, you’ve been on top, and you’ve been in the middle. You never go below the middle. So I keep you from the middle to the top.” I had a real hot feud against Greg “The Hammer” Valentine for WrestleMania I. I was really disappointed when I found out I was gonna be the opener of the match. I thought to myself, I should be one of the main events. Here I am, the opener.
So right before I went through the curtains in Madison Square Garden, Vince McMahon came up and tapped me on the shoulder, and he says, “Tito, I just want you to know that the reason you are on first because you are gonna set the tempo for the night. We need you to get the people off their, and you are the guy that can do it.” Man, did I have a different outlook on what kind of performance I was gonna have in the first match in WrestleMania I. Turns out that it was the best thing that ever happened to me. WrestleMania I, first match. There’s only one guy that’s gonna be able to say, I was the first match in WrestleMania I, and it was Tito Santana.
This whole pack is celebrating Saturday Night’s Main Event, which recently made a comeback last year, and it’s still going on. Do you have a favorite moment from the old Saturday Night’s Main Event shows that you really cherish?
Tito Santana: I can’t say that I have one special moment because every moment that we had on Saturday Night’s, from the very first one, our audiences just keep getting bigger and bigger and bigger. We were on national television, and we just kept getting recognized more and more and more. The wrestlers, we were just becoming bigger than life, you know? I was just grateful to be every one of ’em. I mean, Hogan and I were the only ones that were on WrestleMania I through IX, so in the meantime, there was a lot of Saturday Night’s Main Events that I was part of.
I’m also excited because Junkyard Dog is in this DLC pack. At WrestleMania II, you two teamed up together. I loved watching JYD. There’s no one else quite like him. What stood out about working with him?
Well, JYD had the biggest heart. When I first met JYD, he was in Louisiana, and he was over like a million dollars in Louisiana. We’d fly in, he had a Mercedes, and he had a Lincoln, and he would let the boys borrow one of the cars. He just couldn’t do enough for us. I mean, he was a great man, and he tried to help everybody that he could until the day he passed. He had a big heart.
I saw you recently retired as a school teacher. I saw you had a match in 2022. Are you retired inside the ring as well, or could we see you wrestle again?
No, no more wrestling. I’m 72. I have a torn meniscus on my left knee, and the last time that I wrestled, I was in a six-man tag, and I just made two simple moves, and my knee just got worse and worse. I get a cortisone shot almost on a yearly basis on my knee. No more wrestling for Tito Santana.
Thanks to Tito Santana for taking the time to talk about the WWE 2K25 Saturday Night’s Main Event Pack DLC.
