Destined to Fight Forever: Santana & Valentine

In professional wrestling sometimes it appears as though two men are destined to fight each other forever, in this series of posts we will look at some of those battles.

Tito Santana vs. Greg "The Hammer" Valentine

When I was a kid I was a big fan of Tito Santana, that flying forearm that he delivered was just amazing to me.  I never saw him as the active Intercontinental Champion, but I watched the coliseum home video releases and his wars with Greg Valentine over that championship are so memorable.  Especially the steel cage matches. 

A few months ago I went down a rabbit hole watching all of their matches on peacock from that feud, that I could find.  I tend to view Valentine as a bit of a lazy worker, but man could he go when he wanted too.  I wrote a blog about these matches back in 2020, you can read it here.

Checking cagematch the first match I can find they competed in against each other was a battle royal at Madison Square Garden June 4, 1979.  Their first singles match was a time limit draw on March 31, 1984 at the Philadelphia Spectrum when then Intercontinental Champion: Tito Santana was defending the title against The Hammer.

They would wrestle a couple dozen times over the next few months until Valentine defeated Santana for the championship on September 24, 1984 in London, Ontario, Canada.  This would mark the first time the championship changed hands outside the United States.

Over the next 10 months the two would wrestle over 100 times across North America competing in standard and specialty matches like Taped First, Lumberjack, No Disqualification, and Steel Cage matches.  

It was in a Steel Cage on July 6, 1985 in Baltimore, Maryland that Santana would defeat Valentine to reclaim the intercontinental championship.  They would have a few return matches over the next couple months however later in 1985 Santana would drop the title to Randy Savage and Valentine with his Dream Team partner Brutus Beefcake would win the Tag Team Championships.

In Late 1985 / early 1986 Santana would team with Pedro Morales and unsuccessfully challenged Beefcake and Valentine for the titles.

In late 1988 they wrestled a series of matches on the house show loops that were either count-out or time limit draw finishes. 

In 1993 they battled each other in Austria and Poland for World Wrestling Superstars, including  a cage match on December 17, 1993.  

In 1994 & 1995 they fought again for the Savoldi's IWCCW: International World Class Championship Wrestling trading the IWCCW Heavyweight Championship.

In 1997 they fought twice in British Columbia, Canada for ECCW: Extreme Canadian Championship Wrestling.

Eight years later in 2005 at WrestleReunion 2 & 3 they traded the IWA Heavyweight Championship. They wrestled again in 2006, twice more in 2007, again in 2009, had a steel cage match for JCW: Juggalo Championship Wrestling Legends and Icons PPV on August 12, 2011.

They teamed together with the Honky Tonk Man on March 5, 2016 defeating the trios team of Hollywood's Finest for BCW Night of Legends in Williamsport, PA.

To date their last match was on February 25, 2017 in Totowa, New Jersey for Superstars of Wrestling Federation where they battled to a no-contest.  Valentine wrestled his last match to date in 2019 and Santana in 2022.

Their first singles match to their last singles match was fought 32 years, 5 months, and 1 day apart.  

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Until next time! 

Tito Santana vs. Greg Valentine

For reasons unknown I just had the urge to watch a classic feud from my childhood, one that is underrated and doesn't get talk about enough, Tito Santana and Greg "The Hammer" Valentine's battle over the Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship.

Tito first won the championship from Don Muraco on February 11, 1984 in Boston, MA at the Garden.  He held the title for 226 days losing it to Valentine in London, Ontario for Maple Leaf Wrestling on September 24, 1984.  Valentine would hold the title for 285 days when Santana regained it inside a Steel Cage on July 6, 1985 in Baltimore, Maryland.  Santana's second and final reign came to an end on February 8, 1986 in the city he first won it, Boston, when "Macho" Man Randy Savage captured the crown.

So I check the Old School section on the WWE Network and much to my surprise none of the Santana vs. Valentine matches are on it.  I check All Star Wrestling, Prime Time Wrestling, and even Tuesday Night Titans and only TNT has episodes from 1984 / 1985 and none of them featured the title change.

How could this be!?! Whenever a title change took place Gorilla Monsoon would say, history has been made, and yet the WWE doesn't have footage of these matches on their network.  The matches are on YouTube!

Digging deeper into the WWE Network if you go to section In Ring, then WWE Home Video Classics, look for Match Compilations and finally WWE Grudge Match Mar 27, 1986.  This is an old coliseum home video release.  This tape has three segments looking at the feud between Valentine & Santana starting with Valentine winning the championship from Tito and ending with their cage match from Baltimore where Santana recaptured the title.

Here are the links to the matches on YouTube:

September 24, 1984 London, Ontario, Canada
Intercontinental Champion: Tito Santana vs. Greg "The Hammer" Valentine

On Grudge Matches this match is clipped down to four minutes, YouTube has the complete match. 

July 6, 1985 in Baltimore, Maryland
Steel Cage Match: Intercontinental Champion: Greg "The Hammer" Valentine vs Tito Santana

This match is very significant as after Santana won the championship Valentine destroyed the championship belt on the cage.  WWE would then introduce the version of the Championship that most people are familiar with.

In an interview from a couple years ago Santana was asked what happened to the broken championship and he replied that he threw it in the trash that night at the arena in Baltimore.

On the WWE Network is you search Tito Santana vs. Greg Valentine there are 12 matches that come back featuring both men, some are tag matches but there are four in particular that I want to point out.

TNT: Tuesday Night Titans July 17, 1984
Santana is Champion and this features a non-title match between the two.  Valentine is interviewed by McMahon before and after the match and it's worth watching

WWE Old School October 22, 1984, at Madison Square Garden 
Valentine is champion, this match is short but they beat the hell out of each other! Also it sets up the return match that happened the next month.  This is also Santana's first match back after surgery on his knee, also his return match against Valentine after losing the championship to him in September.  Valentine injured Tito causing him to have the surgery.

WWE Old School November 26, 1984 at Madison Square Garden
Valentine is champion and this is the best match between the two on the card during this time frame.  It goes nearly thirty minutes and really shows that these guys can work their ass off.  This match was the main event of the card, Hogan was not on the show, and it was a sell out.  That's how big this feud was they main evented and sold out Madison Square Garden.

WWE Old School March 17, 1985 at Madison Square Garden
Valentine is champion and this is a Lumberjack match but it's really not the over the top Lumberjack style match that I am used to that WWE has put out the last 20 years.

My overall reaction to these series of matches is that these guys beat the hell out of each other everytime they were in the ring together.  A lot of people only know Tito for his time in the WWE in the 1990's and they are missing out on what he could do in the ring.

Santana and Valentine were first in the ring together Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling on December 3, 1978 in Charlotte, North Carolina.  Granted this was a 24 man battle royal, but I'd like to think that they mixed it up.  Six months later they were in another battle royal together, this time for the WWF at Madison Square Garden on June 4, 1979.

They wouldn't be in the ring together again until March 31, 1984 at the Spectrum in Philadelphia.  In this match Santana was defending his Intercontinental Championship against Valentine and the match ended in a time limit draw.  The most recent match against each other was an amazing 33 years later on February 25, 2017 for the Superstars of Wrestling Federation in Totowa, New Jersey where they battled to a no contest!

Currently Santana is 66 years old and Valentine is 68 years old and they both had matches in late 2019.  If they wrestled against each other again this year I'd watch it.

Thanks for reading, please leave a comment, read my other posts, and like my blogs Facebook page and while you're at it check out my weekly podcast The Wrestling Insomniac on the Nerdy Legion Podcast Network. 

Until next time!

The 1990 WWF Intercontinental Championship Tournament

April 14, 1990 Superstars of Wrestling in an Update segment WWF President Jack Tunney announced that after winning the WWF Championship at WrestleMania VI he is surrendering the Intercontinental Championship.  The new champion would be decided in a tournament.

April 4, 1990 Glen Falls, New York Wrestling Superstars Taping

Aired April 28th
Round 1: Tito Santana defeated Akeem The African Dream by count out when Santana's flying forearm knocked Akeen out of the ring

 Aired May 5th
Round 1: Mr. Perfect pinned Jimmy Snuka with his feet on the ropes

April 23, 1990 Austin, Texas Wrestling Superstars Taping

Aired May 12th
Round 1: Dino Bravo with Jimmy Hart wrestled Brutus Beefcake to a double count out

Aired May 19th
Finals: Mr. Perfect pinned Tito Santana with an inside cradle after being distracted by Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, after the match it was announced that Heenan was Mr. Perfect's new manager

April 24, 1990 San Antonio, Texas Wrestling Challenge Taping

Aired May 13th
Round 1: "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and Rick Martel to a double disqualification when Martel used his Arrogance atomizer and Piper used a steel chair.

You did not read that wrong.  Two of the opening round matches ended with both men being eliminated from the tournament.  Not only that but the finals and a new champion was declared before the final first round match even took place.

If you think this is odd then you should read my post about how the Freebirds were WCW World Tag Team Champions for negative six days.

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WCW Triple Threat Theater Series

The WCW Triple Threat Theater Series was three separate matches consisting of a Dungeon Match, Bunkhouse Match, and a Caged Heat steel cage match.  This series was originally designed to feature WCW United States Champion: Jeff Jarrett vs. Chris Benoit and take place at the pay-per-view event Souled Out January 16, 2000 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

On January 10, 2000 at WCW Monday Nitro in Buffalo, New York Jeff Jarrett was forced to compete in a Non-Title Triple Threat Theater Series with all his opponents to be mystery opponents chosen by commissioner Terry Funk.  Incidentally Chris Benoit served as special guest referee at each match.  So this was completely fair to heel Jeff Jarrett.

Bunkhouse Match: George "The Animal" Steele pinned Jeff Jarrett 

Steele brought the plunder with him and as Jarrett kept trying to get in the ring Steele would hit him in the head with an item or throw something at him.  Jarrett tried to walk out but he was prevented by Funk, Arn Anderson, Larry Zbyszko, & Paul Orndorff.

Steele was eating turnbuckle when Jarrett returned to the ring clobbering him with a guitar knocking the 63 year old man to the canvas.  Jarrett turned around and was scooped up by Anderson for a picture perfect spinebuster!  Benoit pulled Steele over Jarrett and administered a quick count.

This is George "The Animal" Steele's only appearance in WCW and from what I can find he never appeared in Jim Crockett Promotions either.  The crowd popped huge for Steele and everything he did.

Dungeon Match: Tito Santana pinned Jeff Jarrett

According to commentary a Dungeon Match is a no rope match that you can lose by pinfall, submission, or being thrown to the floor.  This match will be contested the same except the ropes will not be removed.

Jarrett came out and go into a verbal altercation with some Buffalo Bills football players at ringside, and even shoved Orndorff.  In the ring Jarrett jumped Santana who quickly made a comeback hitting his dropkick and flying forearm.  Then it got clustery.  Jarrett went for a pin, Benoit wouldn't count him down.  The Zbyszko and the Bill's football player got on the apron.  I think the only reason why Zbyszko jumped on the apron is because the the football player missed his cue.

The football player pushed Jarrett who turned into Orndorff who hit his patented piledriver on Jarrett, Santana covered him and a fast three count later Tito was declared the victor.   This is Santana's only match in WCW.  This crowd was insanely into match as well.

Caged Heat: Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka pinned Jeff Jarrett 

We see Snuka get out of a limo before the commercial break, when we come back we see Benoit has been laid out in the back and the cage is already down.  Mike Tenay mentions that this will not be the cage we see this Sunday at the PPV, that that cage will be bigger.  Jarrett gets in the ring and puts down the Buffalo Bills.  Snuka comes out to a decent ovation.

Jarrett jumps Snuka sending him into the cage three times.  Benoit comes out holding his head.  He tried to get in the cage and Jarrett knocks him down twice.  Benoit in the cage now and he chops Jarrett sends him into the steel and hits a snap suplex.  Jarrett brings the guitar into the ring and he is followed in by Zbyszko and Orndorf who tee off on Jarrett.

Snuka gets to his feet and sees a prone Jarrett in the center of the ring and then looks up.  The crowd explodes.  At 56 years old Snuka climbs to the stop of the cage, Benoit is on top of the cage in the other corner.  Snuka flys and it's all impact on Jarrett!  Benoit lands a diving headbutt then makes the three count.  Seriously go out of your way to see this!  This is Snuka's second appearance in WCW, the first was Slamboree 1993.

Again these three matches were to be precursor to the big PPV in just six days.  Well a lot happened in those six days.  Bret Hart was kicked in the head by Goldberg at Starrcade December 12, 1999 giving him a concussion.  He tried to battle through it and even competed in several more matches but post concussion syndrome would force him to retire and relinquish the WCW World Heavyweight Championship.

Hart was originally scheduled to defend against Sid Vicious, with Hart out WCW decided to put Benoit in his place and wrestle Sid for the vacant championship.  WCW claimed in a kayfabe injury that Jeff Jarrett has suffered a concussion from Benoit's diving headbutt off the top of the cage and was unable to compete, they even stripped him of the United States Championship.

Billy Kidman

WCW still decided to have the Triple Threat Theater so they took the angle of the six man tag between the Filthy Animals vs. The Revolution, who was supposed to have a mystery partner, and in the pre-show Revolution jumped Konan taking him out.  Rey Mysterio Jr was splashed through a table on Nitro so Billy Kidman was the only one left to take on The Revolution in the Triple Threat Theater series.

Catch as Catch Can: Billy Kidman defeated Dean Malenko

Instead of a no rope Dungeon Match Kidman took on Malenko in a Catch as Catch Can.  The rules were basically the same you can lose by pinfall, submission, and both feet touching the floor, just with the ring ropes.  After two and a half minutes of not much happening Malenko pulled the classic heel move of taking a powder to slow down the pace and lost the match.

It was awkward as Tony Schiavone said the match is over isn't it and the referee Charles Robinson was telling Malenko to get back in the ring.  Word must have gotten to Robinson in his ear piece as he quickly called for the bell.

Bunkhouse Match: Billy Kidman defeated Perry Saturn

So this is a an anything goes Bunkhouse match where historically weapons and plunder are used from the opening bell.  Or at the very least they have taped fists and are just laying into each other in rough fashion.  Well not in Bunkhouse match!  They came dressed to the ring in their regular gear and proceeded to have a wrestling match.

It went 10 minutes bell to bell, about six minutes in Saturn pulled out a table which Kidman then set up on the floor.  At about eight and a half minutes Saturn essentially back body dropped Kidman from in the ring through the table on the floor.  About 90 seconds later Kidman reversed a powerbomb into a facebuster and pinned Saturn.  The only other Bunkhouse-ish thing about this match was the two pinfall attempts that Saturn made on the floor.

Caged Heat: The Wall pinned Billy Kidman 

The Caged Heat steel cage is basically Hell in a Cell.  Kidman jumped the Wall before the got into the ring.  Kidman tossed him into the cage then beat him down with a few chair shots.  Wall recovered and took the action into the ring.  Pretty lackluster match with The Wall getting the pin in just over five minutes after a chokeslam.

That's what WCW decided, lets not put Kidman over lets beat him in match three in a cage we spent too much money on it's construction and setting up and have it barely used.  Nauseating.

Incidentally on Souled Out Kevin Nash defeated Terry Funk to win the commissionership of WCW and on Monday Nitro the next night he awarded Jeff Jarrett the United States Championship, talk about a fast recovery.

The Triple Threat Theater was good in concept when it was Jeff Jarrett vs. Chris Benoit, even the Nitro preview with Jarrett vs. Tito, Steele, & Snuka was entertaining for what it was.  However the bastardized version that we got on Souled Out with Kidman was ridiculous.

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