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Brian Damage
The ‘If Factor’ are a series of articles that takes a look at real scenarios in pro wrestling that at one point or another were suggested, planned, considered…but did not get the green light to continue. What would the landscape of professional wrestling look like if these ideas came to fruition?
The If: Tito Santana as WWF Champion
WWE Hall of Famer Tito Santana revealed in an interview with Wrestlezone, that he was once seriously considered for a a run as WWF world champion back in late 1991. According to Santana, the WWF wanted to expand globally to Hispanic markets like Central and South America, as well as Spain and Mexico. While Tito was mostly a top mid carder for the company, he was Latino which checked the box for Vince McMahon.
At the same time, McMahon was considering a further expansion into Canada and Europe. To test the waters on what might work and what might not…McMahon used the European fanbase as indicators to what wrestler could generate legitimate excitement at the top of the card. That is why, according to Santana, he became the very first wrestler to pin and defeat The Undertaker. That match took place in Barcelona, Spain in October of 1991.
On the other end of the expansion idea was Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart. He received such loud ovations from the various european crowds, that Vince simply couldn’t ignore his popularity among the fans. Bret Hart was ultimately chosen over Tito Santana to become an eventual WWF world champion.
One of Vince McMahon’s right hand men, Bruce Prichard acknowledged that Tito was once considered for a WWF title run, but it never got passed any serious talks. Prichard admitted that the European fans really made the decision easy that Hart was a star in the making and was a future world champion.
Of course, Bret Hart did not win his first world title until a year later after a series of unfortunate incidents took place. Did the European tour in 1991 help make Vince McMahon’s choice easier? Could Tito Santana been able to be a formidable and credible WWF champ?