View source for Ricky Santana

{{short description|Cuban professional wrestler}}
{{Infobox professional wrestler
|name=Ricky Santana
|birth_name = Ricardo Santana Ortiz
|image= 
|caption=
|names='''Ricky Santana'''<br />Aldo Marino<br />The Hood<br />The Iceman<br />Especialista I<br />Ricky Barrio<ref name=owowprof>{{cite web| title       = Ricky Santana| url = http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profiles/r/ricky-santana.html| publisher = Online World of Wrestling| access-date = 2009-04-09| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090401175248/http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profiles/r/ricky-santana.html| archive-date= 1 April 2009 | url-status= live}}</ref><br>Rey Fénix
<!-- Please don't change the height or weight. These are the measures as officially stated and they should not be changed. -->
|height= {{height|ft=5|in=10}}
|weight= {{convert|235|lb|kg st|abbr=on}}
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1958|11|21}}<ref name=bodyslamming>{{cite web|title=Ricky Santana |url=http://bodyslamming.com/other/rickysantana.html |access-date=2009-04-10 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071116104854/http://bodyslamming.com/other/rickysantana.html |archive-date=November 16, 2007 }}</ref>
|birth_place = [[New York City]], U.S.
|resides=
|billed=
|trainer=
|debut=1982<ref name=owowprof />
|retired=2003
|}}
'''Ricardo Santana Ortiz''' (born November 21, 1958),<ref name=bodyslamming /> better known as '''Ricky Santana''', is an American retired [[professional wrestling|professional wrestler]] of Cuban descent who has worked for [[World Championship Wrestling]], [[World Wrestling Entertainment|World Wrestling Federation]], [[World Wrestling Council]] and the [[National Wrestling Alliance]], [[All Japan Pro Wrestling|All Japan]], [[IWA Japan]], [[Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre]], [[Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide|AAA]].

==Professional wrestling career==
Santana debuted as a wrestler in 1980 after being trained at The Great Malenko wrestling school in south Florida.<ref name=owowprof /> In 1985, Santana worked for NWA Texas Allstar Wrestling in San Antonio in June 1985 won the Texas Allstar Tag Team Championship as the Hoods with Tony Torres defeating [[Shawn Michaels]] and [[Paul Diamond]], known as the American Force. In March 1986, he began wrestling in NWA [[Championship Wrestling from Florida]], where he first met [[Fidel Sierra]], who would later become his Tag Team partner for many years. A short time later, he went on to Portland for [[Pacific Northwest Wrestling]].  On October 4, 1986, he won the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team titles with [[Brady Boone]] from [[Mike Miller (wrestler)|Mike Miller]] and Abdudah Dein. He lost the titles back to them on November 10, 1986.<ref name=owowmiller /> He then won the titles with [[Cocoa Samoa]], on January 7, 1987<ref name=owowprof /> but lost them to Miller and Rip Oliver in May 1987.<ref name=owowmiller>{{cite web
| title       = Mike Miller
| url         = http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profiles/m/mike-miller.html
| publisher   = Online World of Wrestlers
| access-date = 2009-04-09
}}</ref> He won the NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight title from Oliver in March 1987.<ref name=owowprof />

After he moved to the [[World Wrestling Council]], he won the Puerto Rican Heavyweight title from Super Black Ninja in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on August 6, 1988.<ref name=owowprof /><ref name=wiawwcheavyweight>{{cite web
| title       = WWC Puerto Rican Heavyweight Title History
| url         = http://www.100megsfree4.com/wiawrestling/pages/old/wwcpr.htm
| access-date = 2009-04-10
}}</ref> He lost it to [[Bobby Jaggers]] in October,<ref name=wiawwcheavyweight /> but won it back on November 24, 1988.<ref name=owowprof /> Santana won the [[WWC World Junior Heavyweight Championship]] from Profe on January 14, 1989.<ref name=owowprof /> He lost it to Jonathon Holiday on April 2, 1989, in Caguas, Puerto Rico.<ref name=wiawwcjunior /> Returning to the NWA, he won the Pacific Northwest Television Championship from Al Madril in February 1990.<ref name=owowprof /> He also won the tag team titles four times with various partners between May 1990 and February 1991.<ref name=owowprof />

In August 1991, Santana went to Japan for [[W*ING]] under the masked persona, the Iceman. After W*ING folded in 1994, he would use the Iceman gimmick in various Japanese promotions, including [[IWA Japan]] and [[Big Japan Pro Wrestling]].

Back in the WWC, he won the World Junior Heavyweight title from [[Mr. Pogo]], on April 20, of either 1990<ref name=owowprof /> or 1991.<ref name=wiawwcjunior /> He claimed the championship again from Brad Anderson in May 1991, in Caguas, Puerto Rico.<ref name=wiawwcjunior /> Santana won the [[WWC Caribbean Tag Team Championship]]s twice, both times with [[Ray Gonzalez]] as the Latin Connection.<ref name=owowprof /><ref name=wiacaribbeantag /> He then won the World Tag Team titles twice with Rex King, on December 25, 1991 and February 29, 1992. He reunited with Gonzalez to win the world titles twice, in February and April 1993. Ortiz won the WWC Television title from [[Sean Morley]], in either 1994 or 1995.<ref name=owowprof /><ref name=wiawwctv>{{cite web
| title       = WWC Television Championship History
| url         = http://www.100megsfree4.com/wiawrestling/pages/old/wwctv.htm
| access-date = 2009-04-10
}}</ref> He won the World Tag Team titles with [[Fidel Sierra]] in 1995,<ref name=owowprof /> and the Television title from Sweet Brown Sugar in March 1996.<ref name=wiawwctv /> Santana and Gonzalez won the World Tag Team titles from Sean Morley and [[Shane Sewell]] in May 1996, and Santana won them again with La Ley, in March 1997.<ref name=owowprof /><ref name=wiawwcworldtag>{{cite web
 |title=WWC World Tag Team Title History 
 |url=http://www.100megsfree4.com/wiawrestling/pages/old/wwctag.htm 
 |access-date=2009-04-10 
 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090608080114/http://www.100megsfree4.com/wiawrestling/pages/old/wwctag.htm 
 |archive-date=June 8, 2009 
}}</ref> He won the WWC Puerto Rican Heavyweight Championship twice, in September and November 1997.<ref name=owowprof /><ref name=wiawwcheavyweight /> In March 1998, he won the World Tag Team titles again, this time with Shane Sewell.

In the [[Catch Wrestling Association]], he won the World Tag Team Championship with [[Leroy Howard|Black Navy Seal]] from Michael Kovac and Dirk Rotzek, on November 27, 1999.<ref name=owowprof /> Santana won the [[IWA World Tag Team Championship]] twice, in January and March 2000.<ref name=owowprof /> Between 2001 and 2003, Ortiz won the WWC World Tag Team titles three times, the Caribbean Heavyweight Championship twice, and the Television and Puerto Rican Heavyweight titles once each.<ref name=owowprof />

Santana has also worked with the creative side as Head of creative for WWC Puerto Rico and IWA Puerto Rico on different occasions throughout the 1990s. Santana joined [[World Championship Wrestling]] in October 1999 as a [[Glossary of professional wrestling terms#agent|road agent]], leaving in June 2000 to take the same position in the [[WWE|World Wrestling Federation]].<ref>{{citeweb|title=Ricky Santana - Director Of Training - Maus Family Automotive Group - LinkedIn|website=linkedin.com|url=https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricky-santana-25b28960|access-date=7 April 2025}}</ref> As a road agent, Santana made an on-screen appearance on the 13 September 2001 episode of ''[[WWE Smackdown|Smackdown!]]'', the first mass gathering in the [[United States of America]] following the [[September 11 attacks]]. In a prerecorded [[wikt:talking head|talking head]] segment, Santana spoke about how the attacks had affected him. He would leave the WWF in December 2001.<ref>{{citeweb|title=On This Day: September 13, 2001 – Smackdown: Two Days After – KB's Wrestling Reviews|date= 15 September 2015|website=kbwrestlingreviews.com|url=https://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2013/09/15/smackdown-september-13-2001-two-days-after/|access-date=7 April 2025}}</ref>

==Championships and accomplishments==
*'''[[Catch Wrestling Association]]'''
**[[CWA World Tag Team Championship (Germany)|CWA World Tag Team Championship]] ([[CWA World Tag Team Championship (Germany)#Title history|1 time]]) - with [[Leroy Howard|Black Navy Seal]]<ref name=owowprof />
*'''[[Cauliflower Alley Club]]'''
**Men's Wrestling Award (2020)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://twitter.com/CACReunion/status/1207006792498049024|title=We are excited to announce that Ricky Santana will be the 2020 CAC Men's Wrestling Award winner! A student of the Malenko camp, Ricky's career would take him all over the world, winning titles and hair matches over the decades. We look forward to honoring Ricky next April!pic.twitter.com/oskPBIsqD8|date=December 17, 2019}}</ref>
*'''[[International Wrestling Association (Puerto Rico)|International Wrestling Association]]'''
**[[IWA World Tag Team Championship]] ([[IWA World Tag Team Championship#Title history|2 times]]) - with [[Sean Morley]] (1) and Sean Hill (1)<ref name=owowprof />¨
**IWA North American Heavyweight Championship (1 time)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cagematch.net//?id=5&nr=270|title=IWA Puerto Rico North American Championship « Titles Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database|website=www.cagematch.net}}</ref>
*'''[[Worldwide Wrestling Associates|NWA Hollywood]]'''
**[[NWA Americas Tag Team Championship]] ([[NWA Americas Tag Team Championship#Title history|1 time]]) - with [[Don Jardine|The Spoiler]]
**[[NWA Los Angeles Tag Team Championship]] ([[NWA Los Angeles Tag Team Championship#Title history|1 time]]) - with Ron Starr
*'''[[Pacific Northwest Wrestling]]'''
**[[NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship]] ([[NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship#Title history|1 time]])<ref name=owowprof />
**[[NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship]] ([[NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship#Title history|6 times]]) - with Coco Samoa (1), Brady Boone (1), [[Alberto Madril|Al Madril]] (1), Brad Anderson (2) and Curtis Thompson (1)
**[[NWA Pacific Northwest Television Championship]] ([[NWA Pacific Northwest Television Championship#Title history|1 time]])<ref name=owowprof />
*'''''Ring Around The Northwest Newsletter'''''
**Tag Team of the Year (1990) <small>with Curtis Thompson</small><ref name=KM-RATN>{{cite web |url=http://www.kayfabememories.com/Regions/pnw/pnw16-2.htm |title=Regional Territories: PNW #16 Page #2 |author=Rodgers, Mike |date=2004 |website=KayfabeMemories.com }}</ref>
*'''[[World Wrestling Council]]'''
**[[WWC Caribbean Heavyweight Championship]] ([[WWC Caribbean Heavyweight Championship#Title history|2 times]])<ref name=wiacaribbeantag />
**[[WWC Caribbean Tag Team Championship]] ([[WWC Caribbean Tag Team Championship#Title history|2 times]]) - with [[Ray Gonzalez]]<ref name=wiacaribbeantag>{{cite web
| title       = WWC Caribbean Tag Team Title History
| url         = http://www.100megsfree4.com/wiawrestling/pages/old/wwccartg.htm
| access-date = 2009-04-10
}}</ref>
**[[WWC Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship]] ([[WWC Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship#Title history|5 times]])<ref name=wiawwcheavyweight />
**[[WWC Television Championship]] ([[WWC Television Championship#Title history|3 times]])<ref name=wiawwctv />
**[[WWC World Junior Heavyweight Championship]] ([[WWC World Junior Heavyweight Championship#Title history|3 times]])<ref name=wiawwcjunior>{{cite web
 |title       = WWC World Junior Heavyweight Title History
 |url         = http://www.100megsfree4.com/wiawrestling/pages/old/wwcjr.htm
 |access-date = 2009-04-10
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20010821055527/http://www.100megsfree4.com/wiawrestling/pages/old/wwcjr.htm
 |archive-date = 2001-08-21
}}</ref>
**[[WWC World Tag Team Championship]] ([[WWC World Tag Team Championship#Title history|10 times]]) - with [[Ray González]] (3), [[Timothy Well|Rex King]] (2), [[Fidel Sierra]] (2), Brent Dail (1), [[Glamour Boy Shane]] (1) and [[Julio Estrada (wrestler)|Rico Suave]] (1)<ref name=wiawwcworldtag />

==''Luchas de Apuestas'' record==
{{See also|Lucha libre#Luchas de apuestas|l1=Luchas de Apuestas}}
{|class="wikitable sortable" width=100%  style="text-align: center"
!width=20% scope="col"|Winner (wager)
!width=20% scope="col"|Loser (wager)
!width=20% scope="col"|Location
!width=20% scope="col"|Event
!width=15% scope="col"|Date
!class="unsortable" width=5% scope="col"|Notes
|-
|Ricky Santana (hair) || [[El Texano]] (hair) || Mexico, City || [[CMLL 61st Anniversary Show]] || {{dts|1994|09|30}} || <ref name=79Anniversaries>{{cite web|url=http://superluchas.com/2010/09/07/cmll-77-historias-77-aniversario-las-77-luchas-estelares/|title=CMLL: 79 historias, 79 Aniversario, las 79 luchas estelares | trans-title=CMLL: 79 stories, 79 Anniversaries, the 79 main events | first= Alex | last= Ruiz Glez|date=September 7, 2010|access-date=October 20, 2012|work=[[Súper Luchas]]|language=es}}</ref>
|-
|Ricky Santana (hair) || El Texano (hair) || Bayamon, Puerto Rico || WWC show || {{dts|1998|08|01}} || &nbsp;
|-
|Ricky Santana (hair) || [[Apolo Dantes]] (hair) || Mexico City || [[CMLL 65th Anniversary Show]] || {{dts|1998|09|18}} || <ref name=65th>{{cite web|url=http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/mexico/emll/anniversary75.html#65|title=65th Anniversary Show|date=September 21, 1998|access-date=June 6, 2010|publisher=Pro Wrestling History}}</ref>
|-
|[[Emilio Charles, Jr.]] and [[Mascara Año 2000]] (hair) || Ricky Santana and [[Fidel Sierra|El Boricua]] (hair) || Mexico City || CMLL show || {{dts|1998|09|25}} || &nbsp;
|-
|[[Carly Colón]] (hair) || Rey Fénix (mask) || Bayamon, Puerto Rico || WWC Crossfire 2013 || {{dts|2013|11|16}} || <ref name="TomoMysterio">{{cite web | url=https://www.pwinsider.com/ViewArticle.php?id=81687 | title=WWC Crossfire 2013: T.N.T. returns!, Carlito VS Rey Fenix, tag team title changes hands and more from Puerto Rico - PWInsider.com | website=www.pwinsider.com | access-date=April 15, 2020 | date=November 19, 2013 | first=Jose | last=Perez}}</ref>
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Professional wrestling profiles}}


{{Navboxes|
|list1=
{{CWA World Tag Team Championship}}
{{WWC Caribbean Heavyweight Championship}}
{{WWC Puerto Rico Championship}}
{{WWC World Junior Heavyweight Championship}}
{{WWC Television Championship}}
{{WWC World Tag Team Championship}}
}}
{{Portal bar|Biography|Puerto Rico|United States}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Santana, Ricky}}
[[Category:1958 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:20th-century male professional wrestlers]]
[[Category:21st-century male professional wrestlers]]
[[Category:Professional wrestling trainers]]
[[Category:WWC Puerto Rico Champions]]
[[Category:WWC Television Champions]]
[[Category:NWA Americas Tag Team Champions]]
[[Category:WWC World Junior Heavyweight Champions]]
[[Category:CWA World Tag Team Champions]]
[[Category:WWC World Tag Team Champions]]
[[Category:WWC Caribbean Heavyweight Champions]]