Even though it’s a made-up honor for non-competitive athletes, the WWE Hall of Fame is still viewed as an important feather in a sports entertainer’s cap — which is why so many still get upset at the WWEHOF’s exclusion of Owen Hart and Chyna, for example.
But of all the wrestlers who have yet to get the nod, one dark horse people have yet to consider is Santino Marella, who performed in WWE for seven years, winning the Intercontinental Championship twice and the Tag Team and U.S. Championships once each (and let’s not forget he is the inaugural—and currently only—Miss WrestleMania in WWE history).
Neck injuries forced Marella to retire from in-ring competition in 2014, and he was released earlier this year. While his run was never main-event level, he excelled at being comedic relief, which is an integral part of any good wrestling card. On the newest episode of the Journey of a Frontman podcast, Marella commented on the chances of ever getting the Hall of Fame call:
“Some of the guys backstage, they always joke about that, calling me a Hall of Famer. Just because of all the comedy I’ve done over the years. That would be amazing. That would just be a wonderful exclamation point on a dream career. But if it doesn’t happen, that would be okay too.”
Good to see he has a level head about the whole thing. But it doesn’t mean he hasn’t put some thought into who he’d like to induct him if it were to ever happen.
“I wouldn’t mind having Randy Orton say a few words, we rode together for three years. [Vladimir] Kozlov, maybe. And maybe [Damien] Sandow.”
Marella also gave a little insight as to how the WWE Draft worked the first time around:
“We’re not made aware of the draft. We’re watching the show and it’s a surprise. What they’ll do is get three or four guys to go to gorilla position, and one of them is getting drafted but you don’t know who it is until you’re actually called out. They keep us in the dark which makes it actually more fun, to be honest.”
My big takeaway is this: There is officially nothing I want more in life than to be a fly on the wall inside a rental car with Randy Orton and Santino in it. Is it too late for a new episode of Ride Along? You have to assume that this was done on a dare:
