Shawn Michaels Looks Back at Facing Tito Santana In First WrestleMania Singles Match

Shawn Michaels’ first singles match at WrestleMania came against Tito Santana at WrestleMania VIII, and he recently reflected on the bout. The now-WWE Hall of Famer and NXT head faced Santana in the opening match of the 1992 iteration of the PPV, and he spoke about the match with Justin Barrasso for the latter’s Undisputed SubStack.

“That’s a moment that doesn’t get the focus that it deserves, but it was very important for me,” Michaels said. “Having the incredibly great fortune to wrestle a guy like Tito was fantastic. He knew who he was, knew exactly what he was doing, and he kept me from going out of my mind wrestling in that spot in front of that many people. It was my first WrestleMania singles match, and I was very fortunate to be in there with a guy who understood what it meant to be a big-time player.”

He continued, “Again, I was very fortunate to wrestle a guy like Tito. That helped me shine and make the most of the moment.”

Michaels, who was paired with Sensational Sherri at the time, defeated Santana in the first of many singles wins for him at WrestleMania.