What does the future hold for Santino Marella?

[CM Steel]

Santino Marella: The comic relief of the WWE. He made his WWE debut in 2007 on RAW by defeating the late Umaga for the IC title (with help from Bobby Lashley) in his home country. But soon after that Santino slowly became a heel with former WWE diva Maria at his side. Who can forget Wrestlemania 24 when Santino got clotheslined by Snoop Dogg/Lion in the middle of the ring? Let's take a good look at Santino Marella from over the years shall we?...

-Former IC champion
-Former U.S. champion
-Former Tag Team champion
-Was in storyline relationships with Maria and Beth Phoenix
-Was in the final four of the 2011 Royal Rumble
-Was in the 2012 Elimination Chamber match
-"Santina Marella" won "the 25 greatest divas" battle royal at Wrestlemania 25

I mean what else can a man with a sock-like cobra in his pants do in the WWE? It would be hard to picture Santino Marella as any world champion in the WWE. If the WWECW was still around active, Santino most likely wouldn't have won that title either. I mean he's just another comedy figure in the WWE of this era right? The WWE has had Doink the Clown, Eugene, and even Al Snow (with head) as comic relief in the past. But Santino is in a league of his own in this stint in this era. Now as a happy face. What does the future hold for Santino Marella?

 

[Eyebrows]

I don't see him really moving on from where he is at the moment, at least for a while. Perhaps another tag reign or an intercontinental/US reign. I know a lot of people want WWE to utilize what I hear are excellent technical skills rather than simply sidle him with a comedy gimmick.

But a comedy gimmick he is and a comedy gimmick he's likely to stay. I don't find much of the PG type humor funny but Santino always made me chuckle because the guy is so fantastic with his delivery and facial expressions. He really embraces the role and he's always over when he comes out and I doubt too many other people would have been able to get the mileage out of the role that he has.

 

[ASKane]

I think there is too many comedy characters in the WWE. 3MB, Los Matadores, Tons of Funk, Zack Ryder, Santino, Fandango, Hornswoggle and surprisingly Khali. I would repackage Tons of Funk as dominant heels, unpackage Los Matadores back to Primo and Epico, I would give Ryder a tag partner, get McIntyre of out 3MB and into a IC/US title guy and keep them as a 2 man team, fire Hornswoggle and Khali, turn Fandango face and keep Santino on the undercard. But Santino goes nowhere near any title anytime soon, in fact I would keep all of them away from a title. Comic relief is necessary but no more than 1 match not the 2 or 3 they have on raw

 

[Jstrike]

Santino is the funny class clown guy, santino is a sucky wrestler, i hope santino leave's wwe soon, i don't have any thing against santino until santino buries wrestler's with the cobra, heath slater is a funny guy i expect him to turn face and become the likeable guy, and heath will replace santino as far as the funny guy, who win's and get's the crowd on their feet, heath was a complete joke last summer, which reminds me of the infamous time where santino did melina's split, and santino turn face and it's been good for him, so why not turn heath face? i mean after all heath is more likeable then santino marella.

 

[Big Monty]

he'll continue what he's doing, no need to re-package him at this point, as he is incredibly over with the younger crowd. The whole point of wrestling is to provide entertainment, and that's what he does to a niche section of the crowd, so why change it. Like others said, he doesn't add value to any kind of title (except maybe US or tag), so have him come in at certain times to lighten up the mood.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

In the grand scheme of things, I see Santino Marella staying where he is. Santino is a comedic character that a lot of people find genuinely loveable and he's one of the most consistently over mid-carders the WWE roster has seen in a very long time. Because of that, Vince is probably reluctant to with the formula. Santino is somebody that's always done whatever has been asked of him and has really done his absolute best no matter how ridiculous it's been. Because of that, Santino's job is, quite probably, one of the most secure out of anyone in WWE.

Personally, I think that Santino could go much further if he was repackaged. He's has a ton of personality and is obviously comfortable speaking on the mic; he's also someone whose overall in-ring ability is pretty underrated because of the comedic aspects of his character. He's a genuinely skilled mat technician & martial artist who knows how to incorporate his personality into the match. I see no reason why any of those positives would change if he was repackaged as a serious guy.

While I think Santino could be a much bigger star, I could also be wrong. There's also the possibility that Santino could be perfectly happy with his career in WWE and where it's at. I know it's supposed to be the goal of every wrestler to be a top guy, but the reality is that the vast majority simply won't be for whatever reason. Maybe management doesn't see them as having what it takes to be a top level guy, maybe some do but not enough to convince the top level officials, etc. In Santino's case, maybe he's realistic and has long since accepted the possibility and probability that he's not gonna be elevated to the top spot. As a result, maybe he's happy doing what he's doing, where he's doing it from and cashing a nice fat paycheck to do it. As I said, I know it's "supposed" to be the goal of every guy to try to make it as a main eventer but it's not realistic, nor does it mean that Santino or any other wrestler can't find contentment with the spot he has and money he makes.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

There's always a place for a comedy jobber in pro wrestling. Santino is actually a good wrestler so that has really given him staying power. I think he's been a comedy jobber for so long that no one would take him seriously at this point if they tried to repackage him and if anything, it would hurt his legacy. I've always found Santino enjoyable. He is who he is.

Unlike Hornswoggle and Khali, he's a naturally funny guy and not annoying.

 

[thebowtiekiller]

its true there are a bit to many comedy comedy characters in wwe right now and i also dont like the majority of the pg comedy either abowt 80 per cent of the time its more cringeworthy then funny but santino is one of the few that usually manages to make me laugh and i dont think much will change for him in the future i wouldnt say hes a total jobber but people like him for his comedy segments and antics rather then his actual matchs and i doubt thats gonna change.

 

[SuperKick36]

Santino is the funny class clown guy, santino is a sucky wrestler, i hope santino leave's wwe soon, i don't have any thing against santino until santino buries wrestler's with the cobra, heath slater is a funny guy i expect him to turn face and become the likeable guy, and heath will replace santino as far as the funny guy, who win's and get's the crowd on their feet, heath was a complete joke last summer, which reminds me of the infamous time where santino did melina's split, and santino turn face and it's been good for him, so why not turn heath face? i mean after all heath is more likeable then santino marella.

You're kidding, right? Santino is one of the better wrestlers on the roster. To be the "comedy jobber" and succeed like Santino has, with the popularity among adults and kids, is absolutely awesome.

To do what he does, while he wrestles, and be able to actually go in the ring (see his stuff before he was the comedy gag), you HAVE to be good. Most comedy jobbers do not last nearly as long as Santino.

 

[Spidey Revivey]

Where does this notion that WWE has "too many comedy characters" in the PG Era come from? That has to be one of the most ridiculous IWC rants I have seen in ages. Every generation has had it's slew of laughable gimmicks that weren't suppose to be taken seriously. I don't know a time when comedy characters weren't prevalent; even in "serious" phases like the Attitude and Ruthless Aggression Eras had their list of notable comedy jobbers (and champions). A damn army of them.

As for Santino Marella, he is perfect where he is at and I wouldn't want him to change a damn thing. He is more over than most serious faces are now and that's saying a lot since he has had this shtick for a long time now. I wouldn't mind seeing him in a managerial role like Booker T in the very distant future. He even has the ability to carry himself in a match if need be. As long as he doesn't do something stupid behind the scenes, I'm sure WWE will have a job for him.

 

[Redrum]

I remember him when he was a heel and he wasn't too bad. But at this point he is there to give you a laugh and get the kiddys fired up. He has stayed in that role so long i dont think there is any coming back. You would have to take him off air for six months to a year and do a total overhaul of his gimick and give him a new finisher for sure. Even then idk and that's a big risk to take as right now he has a place in the company. He gets a nice paycheck and really doesn't have to worry about backstage ass kissing or anything. If he tried to repackage and it failed he would be without a job.

 

[Mustang Sally]

I think he's right where he belongs. Like it or not, there's a place for clowns in a traveling show, and Santino is it. Thing is, he started as a serious wrestler and I wonder exactly when it was management decided to cast him as a fool. Did he like the direction? Hell, did he suggest it?

Some folks on this forum have written of his superior wrestling abilities. Personally, I don't think a few hip tosses and thrusts to the throat bespeak great technical wrestling, although it could be he's instructed not to use it, with those in charge preferring sock puppets to suplexes.

If, for some reason, they ever want to do more with Santino, I would think a change to heel would be the vehicle that gets him there. Come to think of it, we wouldn't see that fantastic technical expertise in that case, either.

 

[BaconBits]

Santino could easily be the number two face in the company... if they gave him the chance with a full on run at it.

He's been down to the end in both the Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber and the fans seriously got behind him.

If they kept the same gimmick he does now, only started getting the upper hand against upper midcard/main event level heels, people would get behind him wholeheartedly in the same menner.

And who cares if he's a comedic character? I mean, it's professional wrestling. The whole entitiy is comedic at it's base. It's fake fighting. There is literally no such thing as serious fake fighting. It's inherently cheesy, and the best times in company history have been the cheesiest.