WWE Royal Rumble Debut Wrestlers: Where Are They Now?

19. Tito Santana

Royal Rumble debut
wwe.com

Widely regarded as one of the greatest Intercontinental Champions of all-time, Tito Santana was one of WWE's biggest stars in the 1980s. He and Rick Martel were WWE Tag Team Champions at the time of the first Rumble, and while Martel wasn't present in the match, Santana was the second man to enter, and the second to be eliminated. Tag rivals Jim Neidhart and Bret Hart teamed-up to eliminate Santana, and his 10-minute run ended without a single elimination.

Santana remained with WWE until 1993, then transitioned to the indie scene as age crept-in. He drifted back into prominence as a member of the Spanish announce team in 1997 and eventually reprised his old El Matador gimmick, before leaving again in 1998, with his last notable match coming through a one-off WCW contest with Jeff Jarrett in 2000.

Santana continues making the odd independent appearance today. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2004, and the Spanish Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame four years later. Santana's last WWE appearance came on the November 2010 "Old School" edition of Raw, when he served as Alberto Del Rio's guest ring announcer, and he fills his spare time by teaching classes at New Jersey's Independent Wrestling Federation.

Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.