Santino announces that his in-ring career is over.

[nbieclkl91]

So on the front page there is an article stating that during a live event in Toronto, Ontario, Santino got on the mic and told the crowd that his career as an in-ring performer is over due to too many neck injuries.

Personally, I'd hope that he sticks around as a backstage agent and maybe a trainer at the Developmental Centre. He also has his MMA school 'Battle Arts Academy' to keep him busy.

What do you guys take from this? Would you like to see Santino stay with the WWE as a backstage agent/trainer? Maybe he could become a General Manager?

 

[Creepy Old Man]

Delighted, personally. I don't wish injury on Anthony Carelli, but Santino Marella was truly dreadful. I get that the kids and gays loved it, but I found him to be far from amusing. A great day!

 

[Slash-LN]

I wonder how long ago he knew he was going to wrestle his last match?
In an interview a few days ago he said that his career was winding down but he wanted to stay in the WWE as a GM or something on screen so he could continue to entertain people.
This makes me wonder if he planned it out to where he would get to wrestle his last match in his native Canada?

I would think on Raw tomorrow they'll address this. Whether he gets to announce it or they write him off somehow.

He did commentary on that Saturday morning show they had for a short time. I think I only saw one or two episodes of it so I can't really judge how good he is at it.

I'm not sure he could be taken seriously as a GM.

It doesn't bother me that he could be leaving. I don't dislike him or anything. I really liked his YouTube show he used to do.

Hopefully he finds something to do that makes him happy whether it's working with WWE or spending more time working at his gym.

 

[ocekit]

That's a bummer, as he was one of my favorites. He was actually one of their better wrestlers, and managed to make a goofy gimmick work to his advantage. I wish him the best in whatever he chooses to do from here.

 

[KitsuneDreamer]

I think it's always a bummer to hear that a performer is retiring, especially when you feel that they could have reached a higher level. I hope that he stays around doing something, but if he leaves the WWE, he has plenty to fall back on.

 

[HatchetMan84]

I myself wonder how/when the neck injury occured, because as others pointed out, just days ago he said he thought his career was winding down but also said he was versatile and could be here 20 more years if he wanted.

I wonder if it has anything to do with the WWE Wellness / Physical Thing. Perhaps he was due for a physical soon, knew his neck was shot, and realized that he would not pass the physical, and would get released because of the failed physical.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

While I personally think that Santino's schtick had gotten old, and had been for a while, I can't deny that I thought he was pretty damn funny sometimes. I also agree with the poster above me in that I think Santino could have been a bigger level star than he was. He genuinely had personality and forged a connection with the audience. He's also a genuinely, highly skilled grappler and martial artist who could've gone farther with a more serious persona.

I'd like to see him come out to say goodbye on Raw tomorrow night. If he's willing and wants to do that, he should be allowed to do so. While I wasn't crazy about his character all in all, I liked the guy. In this day & age, where you tend to hear anything & everything negative someone has to say about someone else, Santino is someone I've never heard a bad word mentioned about in any report. He's been supremely loyal to WWE and has done each & every thing that's been asked of him. He's also behaved like a real pro in that he's always done the absolute best he could with what he was given instead of bitching about it, so I always respect anyone who does that. I think WWE owes him the opportunity to say goodbye live on Raw for his loyalty ad work ethic if nothing else.

As to his future, if he's gonna remain associated with WWE, he said his "in-ring career" was over after all, I could see him as a trainer in NXT or as a producer. I don't really see Santino as being a GM because he's just too damn goofy. As a babyface GM, he could be likeable but I'd have a hard time taking him seriously in that role and I definitely couldn't see him as a heel.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

I was never a huge fan of Santino, and I've taken my fair share of shots at him on here, but as much as I tried to hate him sometimes, Santino's antics would force me to crack a smile every and now and then.

I know a lot of us hate comedy characters in pro wrestling (not trying to stand up on a soapbox, because I'm guilty of this myself most of the time) now a days, but you can't deny Santino's popularity. I'll never forget the one time I went to a house show back in 2010. Santino's music hit, and the entire arena exploded. Love him or hate him, the guy had a consistent fan following.

Heel or face, I could never buy into Santino as an authority figure. Someone, who's in a position of power over others? Someone, who demands respect? Santino? No matter how you try and spin it, I can't see Santino as an authority figure working out at all. My guess is Santino will stick around to appear in random comedy skits, and there's a always the chance of WWE giving Santino a regular role as a host somewhere.

 

[sonamagun]

I really enjoyed his heel run. His few weeks doing the Steve Austin movie stuff was great, the Honk-A-meter was pretty funny and then they decided to make him more comedic turning him into a women, then turned him face.... then they gave him a sock and it all really went downhill there.


I met him before WM25 he was a genuinely nice person.

 

[Slash-LN]

While I personally think that Santino's schtick had gotten old, and had been for a while, I can't deny that I thought he was pretty damn funny sometimes. I also agree with the poster above me in that I think Santino could have been a bigger level star than he was. He genuinely had personality and forged a connection with the audience. He's also a genuinely, highly skilled grappler and martial artist who could've gone farther with a more serious persona.

I'd like to see him come out to say goodbye on Raw tomorrow night. If he's willing and wants to do that, he should be allowed to do so. While I wasn't crazy about his character all in all, I liked the guy. In this day & age, where you tend to hear anything & everything negative someone has to say about someone else, Santino is someone I've never heard a bad word mentioned about in any report. He's been supremely loyal to WWE and has done each & every thing that's been asked of him. He's also behaved like a real pro in that he's always done the absolute best he could with what he was given instead of bitching about it, so I always respect anyone who does that. I think WWE owes him the opportunity to say goodbye live on Raw for his loyalty ad work ethic if nothing else.

As to his future, if he's gonna remain associated with WWE, he said his "in-ring career" was over after all, I could see him as a trainer in NXT or as a producer. I don't really see Santino as being a GM because he's just too damn goofy. As a babyface GM, he could be likeable but I'd have a hard time taking him seriously in that role and I definitely couldn't see him as a heel.

I think the only thing I've ever seen about him in terms of people in the business talking about him is an interview Maria did when they were working together.

She talked about how funny he was and how at times she had to try as hard as she could not to laugh on camera when she was supposed to be keeping a straight face.

Considering like you said no one has had anything to say negatively about him I'd like to think he's a stand up guy.

 

[bioshock]

I liked him, from time to time yeah they made him far too corny. But your a total liar if you wasn't rooting for him to win that Elimination Chamber match he was in. Its sad WWE never built off that, he was as hot that night with that crowd as Austin and DB ever were or will be. Was a failure by WWE not to build off that.

Hopefully he sticks with WWE, and I think he does, kind of like how Foley has been used over the years, and now with the Network I bet he does many preshows.

 

[Dagger Dias]

That's a shame. Santino was hilarious. I never would have expected him to get any further than he has though and it's great that he saw the success that he did given his comedy jobber status. Hopefully he will still be used in a speaking role in the future. He could make an interesting GM or even an announcer if Lawler leaves or they decide to create a new announcing team for Smackdown so that JBL and Cole don't have to do every single show. My favorite moments of Santino's include his initial Intercontinental Championship win over Umaga 7 years ago, the promos with Stone Cold about The Condemned, when he set a new record for being the fastest elimination ever in the Royal Rumble, his tag team run with Kozlov, The Honk-a-meter, and the recent stuff with Emma. I have very few complaints with how his career went, he'll be missed as a comedy jobber. The door should be wide open for Slater to enter the spot Santino was in now.

 

[Navi]

I just got home from that show and was thrilled to see him there and saddened at the same time by the announcement. He came out to the ring in jeans and a shirt and proceeded to tell us all that he was in effect retiring from the ring.

He said he wanted to do it in front of his hometown fans, and for once he wanted to be introduced properly, as being from Toronto, Canada. His dad was in the audience and it was a very moving moment, he even dropped the accent for us.

I'm sorry to see him go, I loved him in the ring, he always had a smile on his face. He says he wants to stay with the WWE and for that I'm happy.

 

[Reflection]

I hope that he returns at some point next year or the year after that... He had a natural sense of humor, was one of the best on the mic, and always entertained no matter what his role was. He will be missed. Hopefully the time off will ease some pressure on his neck and give him the urge to return again. And considering that the only folks that hate Santino (and Rey Mysterio, Rob Van Dam etc.) are a select bunch of the IWC, I'd say its a bad day for wrestling overall.

 

[hatehabsforever]

So apparently, at a live event here in Toronto, Santino Marella announced to the crowd that he was retiring from WWE as an active in ring competitor, after sustaining a third significant neck injury. His intention is to remain with the company in a non wrestling capacity, presumably as an on air character, but that his days of competing as an active wrestler are done. This is not exactly shocking as he has been teasing the fact that this was coming in recent weeks, although I personally didn't expect it to come quite so soon. And apparently, he somewhat broke character in the process, admitting to actually being a Canadian (which I was unaware of) while his character is Italian.

Just wondering what everyone's thoughts are on the end of the in ring career of the possessor of the Cobra. In what capacity do you see him being utilized. A manager? An authority figure (please God no)? Occasional comedy skits? A boyfriend to the fired and rehired Emma? Or could this all be storyline (which I personally doubt)?

In retrospect, how does everyone view his career? Underutilized performer, or a guy who parlayed his unique persona into a successful and safe WWE career? Should he have accomplished more, or was his character exactly what it should have been?

Personally, I hope he doesn't become any sort of GM or anything like that. I hope he becomes a backstage guy, as an agent or a trainer or something like that as I think he was actually a pretty skilled guy, despite the fact that his character really did not get ample opportunity to show it in the ring due to being a predominantly comedy character. I would like to see him used sparingly in the ring, doing occasional duties such as ring announcing or interviews. I'd like to see him stay along side Emma, if she ever makes it out of "jail" and can resume her career. And I would like to see him do some backstage interview segments, as long as he doesn't encroach upon the air time of another successful Canadian, Renee Young, who I love.

Thoughts?

 

[theblasterkid]

He had an intelligent sense of humor. I had chuckled sometimes, especially, when they doing the him dating Emma thing. The gimmick was corny but he made it work. It's kind of similar what they are doing with Sandow now. Every time Sandow comes out I can't stop laughing.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

While I'm not going to miss Santino as an on-screen character at all, it's always a shame that injuries have to end the career of someone who was living their dream. It's sad that Santino has to call it a day at such a young age, but neck injuries can be very severe and cause major mobility and heath issues if the Doctor's advise is ignored, so it's definitely for the benefit of Santino's future quality of life for him to bow out now.

He's had a good run in WWE, and without injury would have been guaranteed a comedy spot on the roster for as long as he wanted it. I do think he could be useful as an on-screen personality, whether a manager of an Italian character in the future, or take on a more serious side to be a GM or Commissioner of a show. Also, Santino has a very large wrestling school/MMA school that he opened a couple of years ago, so he could dedicate more time to running that, while making small appearances on events like Raw1000 whenever he is needed.

 

[supernatural1981]

I liked Santino, he was what he was and that was a good comedy mid carder who you knew the fans would cheer. I think if he would of had a more serious gimmick in the last 2 years in WWE he could of held the US or IC titles a couple of times.

We know the guy could go in the ring and as evidenced by his Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber moments. I don't think i have heard pops like that very often since.

Maybe he could stay as a trainer or announcer in some capacity. The guy has been loyal and has done whatever they have thrown at him.

 

[Mudlup50]

I definitely agree when people say he could have done better than he did :/ I never felt bad about liking Santino as a performer, he's good. Dare I say he's charismatic and he's made these gimmicks work. It's a huge shame to see him retire but with any luck he'll find a way to stay in the company and being as he fakes the accent, maybe he can drop it and get on the announce table!

 

[THTRobtaylor]

A lot of people have been saying "he needs to go" and now they are eulogising him. Santino is a great comedy character and Anthony Carelli was a better wrestler than allowed to be. But let's get this in perspective. It's just another guy getting out of the in ring side of this before he gets permanently damaged. He's weighed his options and decided it isn't worth the risk when he can still be valuable as that comedy character.

He has plenty else to keep him busy and will get a nice sendoff/regular spot or trainer role. But let's not all flock to say how he will be missed when the majority have wanted him gone for ages...

 

[Mustang Sally]

.... and Anthony Carelli was a better wrestler than allowed to be.

Over the years, I alternated between wanting to see this superior wrestling ability we kept hearing of.....and not giving a damn whether Santino ever set foot in the ring again. I have nothing against him.....and I believe there's room for a few comedy characters in pro wrestling..... but due to rigid planning done by the company, it was obvious we were never going to see the man in a serious technical match.

Honestly, I believe Santino was given enough ring time. (Did he have one or two minor championship reigns?) Other than that, I could take him.....or leave him....with equal indifference.

Good luck, Santino. Just glad you were smart enough to get out before serious injury forced you to.

 

[tomthebodz]

Wouldn't call myself a fan, however he had some brilliant moments, the tea party with Sheamus sticks out in my mind. I really liked his entrance music though.

I think that he was a very talented wrestler stuck with a stupid gimmick, and the worst finisher ever. I hope WWE lets him have his moment in the spot light on Raw, say his farewells and walk away. I'd love it if he dropped the Italian accent and addressed the crowd as himself.

As for the future, I don't think he'll stay around, he'll take some time off to run his MMA school and then return in some sort of backstage role in a few years time. From what I've read on the internet he's well liked and respected backstage so I can see him being an agent when/if he returns.

 

[Softcore Holly]

TBH I've never really liked the character/gimmick, sure there was a few laughs here and there but for the majority of his run I found him annoying and time that should've been used on better talent. Like many of you I've heard of him having great skills that he couldn't use, and that peaked my interest for a bit before quickly realizing that there's no point even thinking about something I'll never see. He's also become bit of a unhealthy clutch for the WWE, least imo. Like hey we could do some actual work to give X guy some air time to help him get over, or we can do a Santino sketch for cheap laughs. It doesn't get anyone over, if anything it usually ends up with making some heel look stupid/like crap but it's easy!

All that being said he is only 35, which to me feels really young compared to the 40+ guys that are still wrestle full time around the world. I certainly don't want him risking his health, especially over neck issues but still feels like a career was cut short. And he'll always be remembered as a guy beind stuck with a really dumb gimmick yet making it work better than anyone else. Future wise he has his own school, so if that doesn't keep him busy enough I'm sure WWE can use a already experienced teacher as a trainer. And of they want him to he could be a mouthpiece for guys that aren't good on the mic. So I doubt we've seen the last of the man. If anything I expect to see him in the 2015 RR just for another quick entrance/exit.

 

[JoeyJoeJoe]

I'm a fan of Santino. I was impressed with his early matches where he was essentially a jobber, despite his shock win over Umaga. Those were the matches where you really saw much of his skillset. However, I've always been impressed with his matches since then because you can see how well the guy moves in the ring. I've liked the way he's been able to go from comedy heel to comedy face, while still have the ability to seem like a convincing underdog to actually pull off big upsets (The US Title, near wins at Elimination Chamber and the Royal Rumble, etc.) That's a TOUGH balancing act to do -- I don't think there's many guys who could've done that.

I agree with the poster above who said Heath Slater might be able to fill that same role, and I think it's a good opportunity for him. That said, I'd love to see Santino stick around in some non-wrestling capacity, perhaps even try his hand at commentating.

 

[Jericho91]

Cheers. Let's celebrate this mans absence from this point forward. Nobody really cared about his role in the WWE. He hasn't done anything big that your going to look back at from now from a historical perspective. I'm glad he's done.