Santino Marella - Comedy Jobber for Life?

[The 1-2-3 Killam]

Santino may just be the best actor wrestling has ever seen. Most people don't realize this, but he's actually a Canadian wrestler (I know! They're ALL awesome!), disguised as an Italian wrestler, who played a Russian in OVW under Paul Heyman. He was brought into the WWE soon after, involved in the "Milan Miracle" in which he defeated Umaga to win the Intercontinental Championship.

Obviously the WWE saw something good in him, as they turned him heel and allowed him to work off of Steve Austin to develop a new character. The guy drew great amounts of heat, even though he was absolutely hilarious. He then got to work with Beth Phoenix, giving her much more of a personality. The "Honk-a-meter" bit was pretty great, and I even remember a lot of people getting behind him, even hoping that he would beat the Honkey Tonk Man's record title run.

He's also proved that he can draw a great face pop, and even managed to make Vladamir Koslov remotely interesting for a few months... It seems to me like Santino is gold, and everything he gets involved in works out much better than expected. All of his success, however, can be attributed to his hilarious character and not actually a dynamic as main event talent. He really is a comedy-jobber at best...

Here's my question: Could Santino ever be more than a comedy-jobber within the WWE? Would anybody enjoy, or take seriously another run at a title or move towards the upper-mid card? Is Santino doomed to be funny, but ultimately unsuccessful? Could he survive or even prosper outside of the WWE as a pro wrestler?

I have thought for quite awhile that Santino and Colt Cabana would make one of the greatest tag teams ever. Yes, they would very much be a comedy gimmick...but a comedy gimmick with great in-ring skill that the audience can actually get behind. Remember this is "sports entertainment" we're talking about, and Santino Marella is one of the greatest entertainers the industry has ever seen.

So...your thoughts?

 

[WJDwjdWJDwjd]

I think Santino could be a Mick Foley type of character where he has several characters. He has his Italian character, he could be the Russian character he played in OVW and perhaps he could simply play himself but with a slightly over exaggerated Canadian accent. Who knows? Maybe he could pull out a different nationality. Australian, German, British... etc etc. I think the possibilities are endless for this man. As Santino though, I don't think he'll go any higher than a mid card champ. His character has just been so buried with comedy skits that no one would believe it.

 

[Mr. Artistic guy]

I'm going to keep this brief because I'm going to bed soon, but absolutely he could. I'm sure if you'll indulge me for just a moment you may remember a certain Royal Rumble event earlier in the year. The final two contenders in that match were Alberto Del Rio and Santino Marella. During the match, Santino made his way back into the ring after being outside for quite sometime, and almost eliminated Del Rio. I can tell you something; you watch that crowd and you can tell they feel that Santino has more than just a small chance of winning and there isn't a single groan from the audience, if he had won the match it wouldn't have looked or felt out of place.

Wrestling promotions really don't know how much they can learn from characters like Santino. What being a face is all about, is connecting with the crowd and giving them a reason to be on your side. Comedy, if you are good at it, is a great way to do that. In fact, crowds would be more ready to accept a comedy character like Santino than a running high-flying grinning zombie like Justin Gabriel for example, who, I'm sure is a very nice guy and a good wrestler in the ring, but right now has shown as much personality as a cheese-grater (albeit because he hasn't really been given the chance to). People can use people who crack jokes as a basis upon which they can relate with someone. It's much more difficult to relate to someone who's character is comprised of simply smiling all of the time.

It isn't just Santino though, if you want to know who is in the top three most over guys with the audience in TNA, I'd be wanting to mention Eric Young's name too. See, it helps if you can be good at it also, as those two men are, but the lesson remains; people need an infusion of comedy into there work to help get themselves over with the audience to help them relate to the wrestler better.

As for whether Santino could go onto bigger and better things, I'm confident in that. I haven't forgotten the period around 12 months ago where he was getting a bigger pop than 95% of the roster. But I feel it's important to understand why. He is a good idea being pulled off exceptionally by a talented man. I leave you with this snippet:

[YOUTUBE]v_sSsx1K2tE&feature=channel_video_title[/YOUTUBE]

 

[Foshinzo]

I think calling Santino the greatest actor wrestling has ever seen is a pretty strong insult to, well, pretty much every wrestler, ever.

You seriously thought Santino was Italian? Like, you thought his accent was authentic? His accent is as realistic as someone going around saying, "Peperoni!" and pretending that they're Italian because they have a tan and a mustache.

Santino has been around for awhile. If he was good enough to work his way up to a fan favorite contender, then he would have. The cobra, first of all, is just a rip off of Mr. Socko. So his #1 gimmick is an even more stupid rip off of a pretty stupid idea, to begin with. The only difference is that you can't help but love Mick Foley. I can, however, help but love Santino.

When Santino is on TV, I change the channel. It's not just comedy characters, either; I like Zack Ryder and I think your idea applies better to him because he's actually funny at times and his gimmick isn't entirely stupid. He doesn't go around with a bad foreign accent, hitting people in the face with a snake puppet socked around his arm, and Santino is just a play on the tired idea that foreign people are funny because they're different. He just runs around and screams like a moron, hits people with arguably the worst finisher in the business, and it's just not smart booking to put him over, in my eyes.

Santino just needs to stay where he is. At least as a comedy jobber he gets paid. :/

I honestly don't like hating on the wrestlers, but suggesting that Santino could be that lovable loser that could character just makes me turn away. If they put him anywhere near the belt, that's close to being up there with David Arquette winning the WCW Championship, at least with Santino's current gimmick. It ruins the suspension of disbelief and that's all wrestling is based on. Sorry, but I wouldn't waste my time on Santino. He's already over with the people who like him, clearly, but if you look for more than that out of him, you'll turn people against him.

 

[HollywoodLuthias]

If they put him anywhere near the belt, that's close to being up there with David Arquette winning the WCW Championship, at least with Santino's current gimmick. It ruins the suspension of disbelief and that's all wrestling is based on. Sorry, but I wouldn't waste my time on Santino. [/B].

I agree with what you are saying Because I feel the same way about Zack Ryder..Both are comic characters and should say far away from all championship belts

 

[Ellye]

His accent is as realistic as someone going around saying, "Peperoni!" and pretending that they're Italian because they have a tan and a mustache./QUOTE]Uh, that's the point. It' s a comedy character. Acting a comedy is still acting.

OP might be exaggerating, but Santino is indeed a very talented actor and his matches are pretty much always entertaining. I like him a lot, and am pretty much always happy to see him, so he's above most of the roster, for me.

Still, I wouldn't put him seriously near any belt. It's better this way.

 

[Rckstrtmmy]

Personally, I think Santino needs a heel turn for people to take him seriously again. He really is a talented wrestler and speaker and he should have a bigger role than he has now. If he turns heel now I think people won't necessarily stop liking him, but he could be a pretty awesome tweener. He'd be over with the crowd regardless. Just imagine, he's sick of being the joke of the WWE and he starts doing whatever it takes to win matches. Cheating, cheap attacks, dirty tactics etc...IMO people would still like him and since he'd be winning he would become relevant again.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Over the course of the past 6 months, I've been taught a lesson because of what's happened with Mark Henry. That lesson is to NEVER just write someone off as a hopeless case. If Mark Henry can become wrestling's most unexpected and, arguably, most pleasant surprise in 2011, then I can't say that Santino couldn't.

In order for Santino to be taken seriously, he'd have to have a COMPLETE overhaul of his look and character. Otherwise, it's pretty much impossible to really take the guy all that seriously. He does have good ability inside the ring and I don't think he'd have any trouble connecting with the fans. Santino is only 32 years old and could very well have a brilliant career ahead of him at some point.

However, look at the landscape of the WWE right now and Santino isn't a huge priority. The current priorities, and guys that look like they're very much becoming priorities, are the likes of John Cena, Randy Orton, CM Punk. Sheamus, Alberto Del Rio, Dolph Ziggler, Christian, Daniel Bryan, Mark Henry, Big Show, Triple H, Kevin Nash, Kane when he returns among others. Compared to those guys, fact is, Santino is small potatoes.

Santino is someone that's shown to be incredibly loyal to the WWE and he does bring some useful assets to the table, so it's possible that WWE might wind up doing something significant with him at some point in time.

 

[The 1-2-3 Killam]

I'm not sure that overhauling him in order for people to take him "seriously" is necessarily the best way to put him on top. I remember being in Chicago earlier this year for Raw and having Santino come out. For the life of me, I can't remember why or if he was wrestling...but I do remember the reaction he got. And it wasn't just the kids, all the fully grown men around me were chanting "Santino! Santino!" like CM Punk had hit the ring...

The guy is incredibly over, and I think the only people that need to take him seriously are members of WWE management. Just because a comedy character hasn't gotten over to a huge extent doesn't mean it COULDNT happen. Think about it, John Cena is completely kid-friendly, and made up up of jokes for the kids... He's a different kind of character, but you can't deny in some way there are similarities in which they interact with the audience. I think all Santino needs are some legitimate matches and some time... That's really all anybody needs, and a little bit of charisma, to do great things. He's certainly got the charisma, he just needs to matches and a legitimate feud.

There is something to be learned from separating the joke of his character, and the joke of the wrestling product he presents. He can be a comedy character and still wrestle a damn good match and bring in some interesting and entertaining angles.

 

[The_Sharpshooter]

Whats up OP? Big fan, keep up the good work.

The original question was "Can he be more than a comedy jobber?" One word: ABSO-FRICKIN-LUTELY!

Santino is the funniest guy in the wrestling business, and thats nothing to be ashamed of. Aloso, he seems to be someone who's dedicated to look the part just as much as he plays it.
During the debut against Umaga, he was a chiseled stranger with a crazy back tattoo standing strong against the Samoan Warrior. Look at him now, his built is far from chiseled and his body language always looks like a dog with his tail between its legs. He does his little 5 moves, which is all they want, and he never botches.

When Santino comes on tv, I smile because I know I will be entertained. I'm not expecting to see him in the last segment of the show, but he can be one of the focus points on Raw and I will be fine

 

[GameOver]

Nothing wrong with being the comedy jobber, we don't know how much he's getting paid and atleast he's getting a regular gig and no hope of being future endeavored.

Santino does his job, he's entertaining, if that's what they want him for in an "entertainment" machine and he's fine with it then good for him. Don't think he was ever gonna amount to anything outside of comedy and can't picture it anyway.

 

[cm ben]

I'm not sure that overhauling him in order for people to take him "seriously" is necessarily the best way to put him on top. I remember being in Chicago earlier this year for Raw and having Santino come out. For the life of me, I can't remember why or if he was wrestling...but I do remember the reaction he got. And it wasn't just the kids, all the fully grown men around me were chanting "Santino! Santino!" like CM Punk had hit the ring...

Exactly. His character is hilarious, he plays his role extremely well, and as you said, people react to it extremely positively--why change that? IMHO, all he would need in order to become a more "successful" superstar is different booking. Have him win hard-fought battles, but still intersperse humorous spots in them. He's got the in-ring skills, and if he can pull of longer, more epic matches that also keep the crowd interested and entertained at times, I don't see why he couldn't move up the ranks and win a title or two. To reiterate what you said once again, if Mark Henry can do it, then an ex-tag team champion and runner-up in the Royal Rumble certainly can, too.

 

[theTRUEawsomeONE]

how can anyone take santino serious when he comes out to the ring with that frickin cobra sleave????? until he gets more serious and actually gets a real "finishing" move, he will be nothing but a 2 minute time filler. it's sad, he was an intercontinental champ and when people 20-30 years from now see he was an IC champ, then look him up, they will see how much of a joke the IC championship was for about 7 years

 

[Trill Co$by]

how can anyone take santino serious when he comes out to the ring with that frickin cobra sleave????? until he gets more serious and actually gets a real "finishing" move, he will be nothing but a 2 minute time filler. it's sad, he was an intercontinental champ and when people 20-30 years from now see he was an IC champ, then look him up, they will see how much of a joke the IC championship was for about 7 years

What's the difference between Santino coming out with a Sleave and Mankind coming out with a Sock Puppet? It's more depth to the character, and I seriously doubt that an entrance accessory is going to be any reason to demote a push... especially when it was WWE who decided to market that accessory.

Furthermore, what's the difference between the Cobra and the Samoan Spike? Both moves deliver great force to the throat of the opponent... his finisher and entrance accessory are both fine, and have nothing to do against him being pushed... nor does him being a comedy star.

And I highly doubt he could be classified as a jobber. I mean before he was injured, he was a tag team champion for a lengthy time frame and involved in a high profile feud against The Corre, which got him a match at Mania. There's nothing wrong with him being a comedy face... Hurricane was a comedy face for a long time, a successful one at that, and when he went heel he continued to be successful until he got injured... What makes anyone truly believe that the same can't be done for Santino? Or have you all not been watching wrestling that long to get how things work?

 

[WolfNyte]

ok my two pennies.

Santino is great he is one of my favorites.

Winning against Seamus by accident two times I think and his work with Seamus was awsome both in promos and in the ring.

There is no argument the guy is hillarious on the mic.

He can make ANYONE look good in the ring.

He makes matches fun and unpredictable. Look at his wins they all seem to be flukes but a belivable fluke.

He can make someone who would normally be chanted with BOOOORRRIIIINNNNNGGG fun and exciting. Vladamir and Seamus are just two of them in a long list.

Also the people PAYING MONEY for the live shows pop for him and for the COBRA!!!!!

Its certain elements in the IWC (Jericho " IWC = Idiots Who Chatter")

I am a Santino Fan I love his work and you can tell he enjoys it.

As for Zack Ryder ... I am sorry I dont see anything but ANNOYING in him I head to get a bottle of water when he is on. He reminds me so much of a bad rip off of the Jersey ****e show that I cant watch either. That Woo Woo Woo thing when I hear it I want to punch him or womever says it in the face on instinct.

Also your not supposed to take Wrestling seriously even the wrestlers who you love think people who take it too seriously need to seek mental help as Psycho Sid Vicious once said. I always thought that line funny cause his character is insane...LOL

PEACE!!!!

 

[Davi323]

They would have to do something major with Santino for anyone to take him seriously as a wrestler...but, does it even matter?

I love Santino Marella for doing exactly what he is doing. If he stays a comedy jobber for the rest of his career, I am perfectly okay with that. Santino fills a niche in the WWE. If he doesn't care that he will never be champion, then I don't care either. Pro Wrestling is not about winning championships. Championships are nothing but props used to get someone over. This isn't sports, where Championships indicate your quality, Pro Wrestling is about ENTERTAINMENT. Putting on a show, making sure fans get their money's worth. Santino is entertaining. When he was being heavily featured on Raw, those Santino segments were always something I looked forward to each week. I knew he was going to get squashed by whoever, didn't care. Santino makes me laugh. As long as he occasionally gets in a surprise victory and they don't completely bury him, I am satisfied.

With that said, I would like to see him win the Intercontinental title again, bring back the Honkameter, and get all the way up to the day before tying the Honky Tonk Man, and lose it. I don't care if he holds on to the title because he steps up his game, or they write it so that he is constantly lucking out or something, but the Honkameter stuff was great!

 

[Big Nick Dudley]

Someone brought this up earlier, I think, but here's the bottom line - if Mark Henry can be taken seriously, to the degree he is right now, just about anyone can.

Obviously Mark and Santino are two very different wrestlers. Mark is a big, strong, massive man. However, he was absolute shit for almost fifteen years. I'm not sure anyone mattered less over that period of time than Mark Henry. All of that can change, literally, in a matter of minutes.

The most important thing to remember when talking about Santino - he's over. He's really, really, really fucking over. The fans love this guy. He doesn't need to be a dangerous, intimidating heel. This guy is talented enough, both in the ring and character wise, where a push could work. I feel they could give him any kind of character they felt like, and he'd make it work. So, no, he isn't dead in the water. It's pro wrestling - given the proper material to work with, just about anyone can make it big, if talented enough to make it work.

 

[Daniel]

The thing about Santino is that he's only comedy, and never serious. And to be successful, a wrestler must have a serious side to their personality - that's what people want. They're willing to pay to see a Stone Cold Steve Austin or a John Cena. They're not willing to pay to see a comic who also sometimes wrestles. You can only get so far on comedy alone.

You mention Colt Cabana in the OP. While Colt is a funny guy, he can also be serious. The very nature of Santino's gimmick - with the whole accent and confusing words - would be compromised. If you take away the accent and the goofy personality, you no longer have Santino Marella. You have Anthony Carelli.

Santino Marella will never be more than a comedy jobber. But why is that a bad thing? Let's not forget why wrestlers wrestle in the place - to entertain people and to make money. Santino has done both of those things, and he continues to do those things. Sure he won't be a WWE Champion, but maybe he doesn't care about that. Some wrestlers don't. On that note I'll leave with some words from the always fantastic Colt Cabana, "all I ever wanted to be was the white Junkyard Dog".

 

[Ex-Degenerate]

Santino could be a decent upper-mid card guy, but he would need to drop the comedy gig to be taken seriously. I think he could pull it off as a mid-card heel.

This is lot like the debate of Carlito a few years back, and many said the same thing with him, that he was all comedy, and he ended up just being a jobber. But Santino seems to be much more over with the crowd that "comedy guys" like Carlito or Eugene were.

 

[Davi323]

Santino could be a decent upper-mid card guy, but he would need to drop the comedy gig to be taken seriously. I think he could pull it off as a mid-card heel.

This is lot like the debate of Carlito a few years back, and many said the same thing with him, that he was all comedy, and he ended up just being a jobber. But Santino seems to be much more over with the crowd that "comedy guys" like Carlito or Eugene were.

Major difference between Santino and Carlito though...Carlito became a malcontent, bitching about not getting pushes, etc, and then intentionally sucked so they would release him. I have yet to read anything that suggests that Santino Marella is unhappy with his role, that he thinks he is being held down, or anything like that.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

Wouldn't it have been wonderful had Matt Hardy taken a page out of Santino Marella? Matt Hardy was the very definition of an average wrestling talent. The bigger problem, however, was that Matt Hardy had a huge superiority complex. He thought he was better than who he actually was. The end result has been that even rehab is unwilling to work with him these days.

So what does all this have to do with Santino? Being genuinely funny is definately the reason why Santino has been so successful but that is only part of the reason. The other part is contentment. Santino is happy with what he is doing. In this business, only a select few become legends but almost everyone has the opportunity of holding on to a job by bringing something different to the table. Santino realises that. In any case, he has little to complain about. Some of his segments, like the tea party with Sheamus, his Royal Rumble performances( both, being the quickest elimination and the last man out in the 2011 Royal Rumble) are a part of WWE lore. Had he tried to be a pro wrestler in the conventional manne, he would most certainly have failed to get even this far. Santino is not only a comedy jobber, but a cult figure of this era of wrestling.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Santino in his current persona will be a comedy jobber forever. He could have been huge. Santino is top tier on the mic always making hilarious promos and we have seen lately with his Cobra that he is over in the ring too. Add another more serious layer to his character and let him win some matches under a gimmick that, while still hilarious in promos, can be believable as a winner. WWE missed out on a big star when they turned Santino into a comedy act because they kept having him lose constantly as a joke. An overhaul to his gimmick and character would help a lot, but they need to keep the funny promos and the Cobra since he is VERY over with those.

 

[JWGunslinger]

Well Wrestlezone does refer to him as comedy jobber for life, so it must be....In all seriousness I do believe he was meant to be in this position and he does a great job at it, I have no problem with him staying in that role for the remainder of his career and if I were him I wouldn't mind at all. He's got tremendous talent and had he been started out with a more serious gimmick he may have found more success in a different area, but honestly I think that his humor and talent are best suited for where he is right now, he's a mid card mainstay and he never really goes up or down, that sounds pretty good to me. I would say that santino is one of the best comedy jobbers we've ever seen, now if he does this for the rest of his career and is remembered for being the best at that, that aint bad at all.

 

[Suibon]

how can anyone take santino serious when he comes out to the ring with that frickin cobra sleave????? until he gets more serious and actually gets a real "finishing" move, he will be nothing but a 2 minute time filler. it's sad, he was an intercontinental champ and when people 20-30 years from now see he was an IC champ, then look him up, they will see how much of a joke the IC championship was for about 7 years

You assume that being a comedy jobber for life (as Santino is increasingly becoming) is a bad thing. It isn't, unless knowing your role within the WWE stricture and fulfilling it to the nth degree as Santino has done for the last few years is a bad thing, and that bona fide wrestling takes precedence over entertainment.


​

 

[WolfNyte]

In truth I would myself be a commedy Jobber for life if I could. I could travel the world making people laugh and have a good time doing it and get cheers everywhere I go. I could. Know that I made someone's day a bit brighter with laughter even if the IWC called me a joke that whole 10% of fans. Meanwhile I will think of this as I pull in 500k+ a year in pay while the IWC lives in basements and drive my Mazarati to Dunkin Donuts for a Late.