Michael Jackson impersonator/independent wrestler Santana Jackson is no stranger to viral-internet fame. Just last year, Santana demonstrated a perfect fusion of his life as an MJ impersonator and wrestler by prefacing a DDT by carrying his opponent across the ring with a Moonwalk. The Moonwalk DDT would be by over 10 million Twitter users. More recently, Santana would go viral again when a Las Vegas passerby would pick a fight with him, and 2 million and counting would watch Santana gracefully subdue his attacker.
Santana took the time to speak with Zak Ralph of Smark & Friends on Love Wrestling, breaking down the events of the fight.
ON WHAT PROVOKED THE FIGHT
“I don’t even know, honestly. I was just performing. I was just dancing, literally to Smooth Criminal in the white deck. I was just doing my thing and a guy walked up to me. I thought he tried to talk to me, but he hits me. I lean in, and he hits me, instead my hat goes flying. I’m like, ‘okay wait a second’, took the glasses off, ‘like did you just hit me? Why are you hitting me’ and he’s still hitting at me, I’m like ‘hey, wait a minute. What do I do to you?!’”
And I’m like, ‘come on, you’re not really serious. Are you?’ I’m smiling. I’m trying to calm him down. ‘Don’t do this. You don’t want to do this. I don’t want to do this to you. I’m not gonna hit you. You hit me several times my face.’ I’m like, alright, now I can’t let him hit me no more, but I’m not gonna hit him. I knew something was wrong, he wasn’t coherent. I know he might have been drunk or on something, or whatever it was. I just felt like I didn’t want to punch this guy, I didn’t want to hurt this guy.I’m gonna put him down and restrain him and hold him, I’ll hold them. If I have to put him to sleep, I’ll put him to sleep.
ON SUBDUING THE ATTACK
“I just kind of held him, and restrained him enough so that way he wasn’t yanking on my hair anymore. Like I squeezed for a bit so he would let go of my hair and he let go, and I was able to hold his arm and I just held him down. Like I said I was trying not to hurt the guy. I was working different moves. As I was on top of him. I was gonna go for an armbar, but I decided not to, because I figured the way he was acting, if I went for an armbar, I’m gonna have to break his arm. That wasn’t something I wanted to do.
And then I was like, I’ll go for the triangle, but I wasn’t sure if he’s gonna start biting me or something stupid like that. So I just figured okay, let’s just go straight for it a headlock here. I twisted his head the other way, so I went to get him to lay flat. That’s what my hand went underneath this way, turning his head, and I was able to get underneath him. And basically, I was just defending myself. I wasn’t trying to hurt the guy I wanted him to maybe seek some help, maybe. But I definitely wasn’t trying to hurt him. Like if I was trying to hurt him it would have been a whole different story. I mean, yeah, I’ve learned a lot of different things in different places. I know how to put them all together.”
Our full conversation with Santana Jackson airs Friday on YouTube
Smark & Friends #80 | Watching CHANGE THE GAME with Technical Tina
Please credit Zak Ralph of Smark & Friends or Zak Ralph of Love Wrestling with all transcriptions and please link back when possible.
