Santino Marella Specifies Which Position He Wants Most In WWE
Santino Marella, better known as Anthony Carelli, joined the Canadian Comedy Hall of Fame Podcast this week to discuss his comedic character in wrestling and what the future holds for him.
The two-time WWE Intercontinental Champion reflected on a special moment he had with Mick Foley in the 2012 Royal Rumble match. During the over-the-top-rope bout, Foley pulled out Mr. Socko and Santino, his Cobra, and they both squared off.
"You know what, that moment, it was awesome," Santino said. "We really enjoyed it, but it was supposed to go a little longer. Once they locked up, Cody Rhodes broke it up too soon. We were supposed to go like all the way across the ring, and the other guys come in on it. It was supposed to be more of an epic battle.
"The showdown part was good. You know, the way we turned around, timed putting on our respective socks, that was all good. But when we locked up – although it's a funny, historic kind of moment, there's a part of me that's like, 'ahh, it was supposed to be better.' I actually remember getting mad at Cody after he'd broken it up, 'that was supposed to go longer!'
"When you see magicians and their spells going back and forth, that's kind of what we were envisioning. Putting it all together was so fun with him [Mick Foley]. That was – it was my idea, and the more I just kept explaining it to him, he was literally just kind of smiling. He loved it. It was actually one of his most favorite things. He talks about that, like, you know, as his top five favorite moments, was doing that. And you watch it, the entire time he has this hilarious grin on his face. He's having the best time in the world. He's a big kid at heart, and this is, you know, right up his alley."
Santino Marella noted that at present, he picks and chooses his in-ring wrestling appearances, but he is striving toward returning to WWE to work as a commentator. His daughter, Bianca Carelli, has just recently signed for the company and now reports to the WWE Performance Center.
"I pick and choose. Maybe one every couple of months if it's a destination I like," Santino Marella said. "For example, yesterday there was a show in Puerto Rico but, you know, Primo & Epico, so I'm like, yeah, for those guys, I'll go down whenever. I'll wrestle ten, fifteen minutes, but it's the whole weekend down there with the guys, getting to see the kids and families. You know, catching up and shooting the breeze and all that stuff.
"I coach wrestling. For years, I was on a show called Aftermath on Sports Network. You know, we talked about the week that was in WWE. So I'm still around very much. Now, I'm doing commentary mostly. I do commentary for Destiny Wrestling, PTW in Poland, a company in Montreal, MEW. Basically, I'm just trying to get more reps. I did some for IMPACT, and eventually, I want to go to WWE in some capacity as a commentator."
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit Canadian Comedy Hall of Fame Podcast with an h/t to Wrestling Inc for the transcription.