Santino Marella, for all intents and purposes, was just a comedy wrestler in WWE, with him set up with some of the worst content imaginable, though he managed to turn it into gold on more than one occasion. After countless memorable moments, he became perhaps the best comedic wrestler in WWE history.

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With him gaining many fans over the years, there are certain things that people should know about, especially if they have only just been introduced to his strange and wacky career. Whether it be title reigns, unbeatable records, or other facts about his him and his career, there are things that are important to know.

10 Santino Marella Is Not Italian

From his bombastic opera-style entrance song to his Italian color scheme on both his titantron and his ring gear, to his real-life Italian-sounding surname (which is Carelli), all the way to his Italian accent onscreen, Marella is not actually Italian.

Marella was born in Ontario, Canada, on a completely different continent to Italy. It isn’t the first or the last time that WWE would bill a wrestler from a place where they weren’t actually born, with this happening many times over the years.

9 In The 2011 Royal Rumble, Santino Marella Came Runner Up

Santino Marella has had a lot of embarrassing moments during his WWE tenure. From the Great Khali trying to kiss him, to being clotheslined by Snoop Dog at WrestleMania, he has been the brunt of many jokes. It may then shock some people to know he came runner-up in the 2011 Royal Rumble.

In 2011, Marella was kicked by Sheamus, leading him to roll under the bottom rope and out the ring. After the ring had cleared, with Alberto Del Rio thinking he won, the comedy jobber re-entered the match and nearly won the whole thing, in what would have been the biggest upset in Rumble history. However, Marella would get thrown out in quick fashion.

8 Santino Marella Won The “Miss WrestleMania” Battle Royal

At WrestleMania 25, the women’s division was represented in a battle royal to determine the very first “Miss WrestleMania”. It looked to be built up as quite a big achievement, but something was off – there was un unfamiliar looking Diva in the ring.

This turned out to be Santino Marella under the guise of ‘Santina Marella’, winning the match and pretending to be his own twin sister over the next few months, becoming the focal part of the Divas division in one of the darkest few months for women’s wrestling in WWE.

7 Wrestling Observer Newsletter Awarded Santino Marella With The Best Gimmick Award

Despite much of Marella’s time in WWE being full of silly nonsense and comedy, he was actually a tremendous heel throughout 2007 and 2008, especially during his second reign as the Intercontinental Champion.

He was cocky, arrogant, all the while being hilarious too. His relationship with Beth Phoenix, and the “Honk-A-Meter” gimmick led to him getting the privilege of being awarded ‘Best Gimmick’ but WON, proving that it is well worth a look back on.

6 Santino Marella Was Introduced As A Fan

After spending some time in FCW, Marella was introduced to the WWE Universe in one of the more unique ways in history. During an episode of Raw which took place in Milan, Vince McMahon handpicked him from the audience to battle with the Intercontinental Champion, Umaga.

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Following interference from Bobby Lashley, Marella shockingly won the match and became Intercontinental Champion, despite being billed as a fan. He would claim to be Italian but wanted to come to the US to follow his dream of becoming a WWE superstar.

5 Santino Marella Is A Multi-Time Champion In WWE

Although Marella was often at the bottom of the card and resigned to comedy segments during his career, he finished up as a very accomplished individual, winning more than most do when it comes to the thousands who have competed under the WWE banner.

Marella is a two-time Intercontinental Champion, a one-time United States Champion, and a one-time Tag Team Champion, alongside Vladimir Koslov, which is a very impressive résumé for someone who wasn’t always taken seriously.

4 Santino Marella Is Now A Judo & Professional Wrestling Trainer

Finding a career after professional wrestling isn’t always the easiest thing to do but going into training newer wrestlers is usually a good way to continue working. It isn’t just professional wrestling that Marella teaches, but Judo as well, given that he has a background in that field.

He is the founder of the Battle Arts Academy, based in Canada, with him also being the ambassador for Judo Canada.

3 NXT’s Arianna Grace Is Santino Marella’s Daughter

Arianna Grace is a competitor on NXT 2.0 – WWE’s revamped developmental brand. Although she has been wrestling since 2020, Grace has competed in under 20 matches, making her still a rookie.

She hasn’t yet done too much of note in NXT, but the second-generation star has a good example of what makes a great sports entertainer from her father.

2 Santino Marella Is The Only Man To Compete In The Women’s Royal Rumble

Marella has more than one record when it comes to the Royal Rumble match, and one of those is that he is the only male competitor to participate in the Women’s Royal Rumble Match, which began in 2018.

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Under the controversial ‘Santina Marella’ gimmick, he came out at the number 29 position during the 2020 Women’s Rumble match, before facing off with former rival Beth Phoenix, and then proceeding to eliminate himself from the match, perhaps as an official goodbye to that poor era of wrestling for WWE’s female stars.

1 Santino Marella Holds The Record For Shortest Time Spent In A Royal Rumble

For two decades, The Warlord held a record which looked like it could never be broken, spending just 2 seconds in the 1989 Royal Rumble match before being eliminated.

In 2009, Marella marched out and entered the match, before being thrown out immediately by Kane, spending 1.9 seconds in the Rumble match and breaking a record which has remained in place ever since, which is mightily impressive.