The Evolution of Santino Marella

[PlayTheGame]

Santino Marella debuted a few years back by being randomly picked out of a hot Italian crowd by Vince McMahon himself during an overseas show in order to take on Umaga, the undefeated Samoan Bulldozer, for the Intercontinental Championship. And... he won. He defeated Umaga (with a little help from Batista). He became the new IC Champ! It was a true shocker, and it looked like only bright things would come from this brand new Italian superstar. However, Santino would later go on to drop the title and fall out of the title pictures. Just when his wrestling career looked like it was dying, a new spark of life was injected into it when he took on the extremely funny gimmick that we all know and love today. After he was paired with Beth Phoenix he reached even more comedic success, and even gained another IC Championship. Now, some say Santino is now unimportant, but others argue that his comedic relief makes Raw funny and enjoyable. It is certainly clear that he has fallen from serious title contention, but can he ever get his spot back? Or will he remain a comedic relief wrestler? Or, do you think he could even be released? What do you think the future has in store for Santino? Where do you see him in the next couple of years?

 

[klunderbunker]

I think he'll just become a jobber. Lately the comedy scenes he's in have dropped off as the jokes are getting to be the same things over and over again. A move to smackdown will help him out a lot should it happen in the draft. He's just gotten stale on Raw as he's gotten beaten up by everyone around there. Barring a massive gimmick overhaul likely due to injury, he'll be gone within two years. His comedy can work fairly well, but at the same time it can get very old very quickly. Granted I've never been a fan of his, so that might have a lot to do with this, but I can't see him as a long term asset.

 

[PlayTheGame]

Wow, I never even thought of a move over to SmackDown. That would be a great move for him, it would really allow him to freshen his comedy gimmick up a bit, as thats what I see him doing for a long time to come (being a comedic wrestler). Unforutunately, I think he will be released eventually, but I hope if things get really bad for him the WWE will at least him give him one last chance over on ECW. But, in all honesty, I really dont see him ever holding another title ever again, so, in closing, I dont think it looks too for Santino Marella.

 

[Mr. TM]

Santino Marella debuted a few years back by being randomly picked out of a hot Italian crowd by Vince McMahon himself during an overseas show in order to take on Umaga, the undefeated Samoan Bulldozer, for the Intercontinental Championship. And... he won. He defeated Umaga (with a little help from Batista). He became the new IC Champ!

1.) less than two
2.) It was Lashley, not Batista

It was a true shocker, and it looked like only bright things would come from this brand new Italian superstar. However, Santino would later go on to drop the title and fall out of the title pictures. Just when his wrestling career looked like it was dying, a new spark of life was injected into it when he took on the extremely funny gimmick that we all know and love today. After he was paired with Beth Phoenix he reached even more comedic success, and even gained another IC Championship. Now, some say Santino is now unimportant, but others argue that his comedic relief makes Raw funny and enjoyable. It is certainly clear that he has fallen from serious title contention, but can he ever get his spot back? Or will he remain a comedic relief wrestler? Or, do you think he could even be released? What do you think the future has in store for Santino? Where do you see him in the next couple of years?[/QUOTE]

Although a very similar thread was made about this a couple weeks ago, I can see what you are getting at.

Santino is no longer fighting for the IC belt right, now, because Punk has it, and Punk, who himself was just World Champion is making the IC belt too high of a level for the average Midcarder. There are countless Midcarders who at this time have very little chance of beating a former champion like Punk.

Now Santino has multiple options. Right now it seems he is going to go into a feud possibly with his current on screen girlfriend Beth Phoenix. This seems like a great storyline and will help Santino, as it seems he is in Beth's shadow right now.

I again would like to see a Santino European title run, maybe bringing the belt to ECW as their second belt. Santino would do well on ECW, where there is less higher midcarders.

Santino could also do well on Smackdown. Here is a possibly great story line, have Santino get drafted, and not Beth. Then they could have a breakdown whilest there is a bit more jealousy between Beth and Santino's secret admirer (I bet you can guess who it is). Then have a match where she also gets drafted to Smackdown, and rubs it in Beth's face.

 

[Dirty Spamchez]

Santino probably wouldn't make it to be IC Champ again but if he were to be moved to SmackDown, that might be different.

Over the past couple of weeks Santino has been mentioning that he is working on making himself more muscular and there are some visual results. This could change the way his gimmick is right now and can eventually regain the IC title if he is still on SD!.

BTW: His secret admirer is Goldust, lol.

 

[hArdyPUNKmArk]

Santino could do both, comedy and wrestling seriously. I think the reason his jokes and his gimmick is getting kinda stale is because they arent using him as a wrestler at all any more. If he was still wrestling and winning a few matches here and there he could build himself back up. Sadly i dont think the future is too bright for him, unless as said above, he is moved to Smackdown!

Oh and him and Goldust would make a lovely couple lol.

 

[Joup7]

because of his jobber status and comedic routine, i don't think Santino has much of a future as a wrestler. However, i think he can remain a strong manager for a female wrestler. speaking from experience as being the college roomate of an Italian kid, no girl can resist an Italian's charm. I think he can remain a good manager with girlfriends, going from girl to girl.

 

[klunderbunker]

I called Goldust being the admirer about a week ago. Now as for what else I called on that one:

This supports my theory on his comedy getting old. We've had the Santino and Goldust interactions before. They were ok, but they've been done. Why do we need to see this again? It was mildly funny but ultimately it went nowhere. This makes me think that they're slowly running out of plans. Why not the Rosa Mendes way? It would allow Santino to be the man in a relationship which would be a new direction to an extent. Not sure I agree with what's being done with him.

 

[IamRage]

I gotta say I act like a kid everytime this guy gets to speak. Anyway dont doubt for a second think they couldnt make Santino a worthy competitor if they want. Just have Beth, or even better Rosa as his tv gf tell him hes gota shape up n win yada yada...

 

[SuperSteve16]

Rosa will become santino's new girlfriend and start a fued with beth. I hope the storyline doesn't go down the noble/regal/layla alley. As for title, I don't see him getting one anytime soon.

 

[Scott Free]

I've read the thread and would like to add a few points to further
define Santino's evolution.
At the time of Santino's "Miracle in Milan" when he won the IC title from
Umaga, the WWE had just expanded into Italy by having huge response to
their national broadcast of Smackdown on Italy's Mediaset TV network, owned by Silvio Berlusconi, a contrast to the RAI, which is a state owned network.
The WWE started running successful live events in Italy and it became apparent they were a big hit there, so they catered to the Italian public
by having "one of their own", Santino, win a WWE title.
Then the Benoit story hit the news, with HUGE negative inpact on the Italian
market, first off, Mediaset stopped running Smackdown, leaving only the Sky
Sport Raw as a market tool for Italy, Sky is a subscription only network and this put a large cut into the audience the WWE could reach there now.
La Gazzetta Dello Sport, a prominent Italian sport newpaper, which in the past even included WWE DVD's with it's publication, turned on the WWE and blasted them over the Benoit tragedy, overall, the negative effect was
devastating as every Italian news show painted the WWE in a negative light.
The growing Italian market was pretty much dead.
So there was no point in having Santino as a champ anymore, and further,
I suspect McMahon turned him into a clown out of spite.
To his credit, Santino managed to get over anyway.

 

[Frank White]

I have always been a Santino Fan, dude can actually wrestle hes skilled in judo i believe and Vince has a huge canadian market ( where Anthony Carelli thats his real name is from ) the canadians love him do yall remember when Santio got a bigger pop than Cena in the main event on Raw when Trish came back????? Fact is hes only 29 good on the mic and a good in ring peformer whether its getting the shit kicked out of him or vice versa. so it would be stupid to release him. Hes fucked up once since being emploted and that was getting a dui last year, which even though it happened before hand i think lead to the honk o meter dying quicker than it should have. so if he keeps his nose clean he should be good

In all honesty i think in some way hes going to win the Womens title dont ask me how but aftert that i think his comedy act will end. Hes a former MMA fighter and with wrestlers crossing over i think that could play in a make over for marella. maybe even a deuce to sim snuka type heart felt moment. then him challenging guys to fights or some shit like that .... whos knows i just think his futures brighter than yall can see

 

[mindlesspuppet]

Santino's place in the WWE could very easily turn around. If he's capable enough in the ring, which to be honest I have no clue if he is or not (can't remember if I've ever seen a serious match from him).

But, and maybe I'm completely off here, but he kind of reminds me of Eddie Guerrero in his goof ball phase. Does everyone remember the people's mullet? Before that, it seemed like the WWE wasn't sure what to do with him either. It goes without saying Eddie being an amazing wrestler didn't hurt, though ultimately I think it was his comedic and entertainment value that allowed him to be so over with the crowd so the WWE couldn't ignore him as they've done with so many other talents they don't know what to do with. Again, no clue what Marella can do in the ring.

 

[Ghostboy259]

i think that Santino's Character has become one of the funniest Heels in the WWE. i was recently at a Live RAW/ECW show on Feb.6, and everyone was chanting his name.

 

[Christian Battlez]

Santino doesn't need to wrestle to get over.It's really the beauty of his character. He's more over when he gets squashed. He's funny with Beth but thats kinda running its course. Goldust as his admirer would be great.Santino is a very valuable asset to the company.He may not wrestle but he doesn't need to.He's valuable in a different way.He's more over than R-Truth and Ricky Ortiz combined and they both wrestle more.

 

[Scott Free]

Santino doesn't need to wrestle to get over.It's really the beauty of his character. He's more over when he gets squashed. He's funny with Beth but thats kinda running its course. Goldust as his admirer would be great.Santino is a very valuable asset to the company.He may not wrestle but he doesn't need to.He's valuable in a different way.He's more over than R-Truth and Ricky Ortiz combined and they both wrestle more.

In case you missed last Raw, it seems they are evolving him into a Metrosexual
or something, he's lost the unibrow and he's wearing make-up.
I don't know where they are going with this, but it doesn't look good.

 

[mcflyboy]

He can't follow beth forever. I also agree and predict he will end up being seduced by Rosa, and then soon after he'll be kicked to the curb and on his own.

Look at charlie haas--jobber for a long time, found a comedic gimmick that worked for a while, has become stale and has gone back to jobbing, if he's on TV at all. This is likely santino's future.

If he's lucky, he'll get completely repackaged and get a new persona, he could go somewhere. But that will likely only happen if there is room or a need for him on the program.

 

[BigLeagueG26]

I think Santino is great on the entertainment side of things,but I don't care about seeing him in the ring,now for a good laugh he's your guy like the time when he was using the Honky Tonk Meter..Quote(Santino)the honky tonky man was intercontinental champion for 64 weeks and Santino Marella has been intercontinental champion for 8 weeks this stuff was classic,but now he is just Beth's Lackey!

 

[HBK-aholic]

Santino is hilarious - I became a big fan of him at a Sheffield house show a while ago, when I was quite bored and he suddenly came on and made the fans go wild. He was used to get the fans into it. The first match was so boring, with it being a house show WWE hardly pushed the boat out, and we were left with something pointless to open. But as soon as Santino was there everyone was fired up for the bigger stars.

Santino in the ring isn't something I'm a huge fan of, but his gimmick is great, he's really what Raw needs, especially this last year he's been great at drawing fans in and making Raw even more interesting. I can't see him ever going back to a championship position, where the title means something. But I can see him still being over with the fans and keeping his gimmick for a while.

 

[secret titan]

In case you missed last Raw, it seems they are evolving him into a Metrosexual
or something, he's lost the unibrow and he's wearing make-up.
I don't know where they are going with this, but it doesn't look good.

Your reply made me think...


Santino comes out to he ring dressed as a woman.... He is his own secret admirer!

It would be hilarious and he wouldn't have to change his gimmick. Or is it just funny in my sick and twisted head?

 

[cityofevil82]

If Beth Gets Drafted to Smackdown or Vice Versa, I would love to See Santino, Just emerge so strong, Like see him just go into a match a snap, and kill the competition. I think its about time to see him working his way up to main event status, he does have the in ring skills, and he def has the personality.

but having him pretty much be beths lacky is a waste of the talent he has

 

[Scott Free]

If Beth Gets Drafted to Smackdown or Vice Versa, I would love to See Santino, Just emerge so strong, Like see him just go into a match a snap, and kill the competition. I think its about time to see him working his way up to main event status, he does have the in ring skills, and he def has the personality.

but having him pretty much be beths lacky is a waste of the talent he has

I don't see Santino emerging strong anytime soon, he's actually headed into a lower level it seems, they are having him slowly turn gay it appears. That and they seem to want him to be an instant jobber. Seriously, what he's doing is dangerously close to career suicide, funny for the moment, but lethal in the long run, ask Terry Taylor about his "Red Rooster" gimmick.

 

[IrishCanadian25]

Funny story.

This morning I was drinking a 5-hour energy. Now for those of you who have never tried this magic elixer, it's a sugar free energy shot with loads of Vitamin B in it. The stuff works.

I thought to myself - "if WWE gets an advertising deal with them, why not make Santino a stronger wrestler by having him drink one in the locker room before he comes to the ring, and then have him be a wildman who actually wins matches. Then, before wrestling a tag team match aganst Cryme Tyme, Shad and JTG steal his supply, and Santino falls asleep in the ring.

Then it occurs to me - 5-hour energy is a competitor of Mamajuana, JBL's product. So why not pair Santino - the funny, goofy heel - with Jibbles? It's similar to putting al Snow with Steve Blackman, or Eugene with William Regal. The funny guy with the serious guy. JBL is getting a touch stale, and he's on the losing end of most of his feuds right now - so why not a) have him work an entertaining team with Santino, and b) let him promote Mamajuana at the same time, as the answer for Santino's turn around?

Fan Mail may be send to my Rep box.

 

[truk24]

I have said this before, and I guess I will say it again. Santino belongs on SD, and he should be paired with Kozlov. The skits that these two would have would be hillarious. Vladimir would be the muscle while Santino would do all the talking, getting the Russian in to all kinds of mess. These two would be funny together, and would make a solid tag team. I could see Santino constantly putting down Kozlov with some comical remarks. Vladimir would carry the luggage. Maybe even have Kozlov carry him on his shoulders to the ring. Possibly even have Kozlov deathly afraid of Santino, but afraid of no one else. That would also add to the comedy behind them. They should be called "The Great Italian Russians". I think the name is as funny as these two could be together.

 

[ronbot09]

I think if Santino actually got to wrestle instead of just laying down in his matches like last week on Raw against Cryme Tyme, he could be a pretty big star maybe if he was put in a fued with some one as equally entertaining (mic wise) like Mr. Kennedy I think that would be a pretty good bump for him at least get him back into the IC or US title hunt