Marella would go on to have a successful seven-year WWE run that saw him partner with both Maria Kanellis and Beth Phoenix. He quickly became known for his comedic prowess and provided a decade’s worth of slapstick moments for wrestling fans all over the world. This included his run as Santina Marella, his masculine “twin sister,” who often unsuccessfully competed in women’s matches. Wrestling fans will likely also remember his unforgettable “I wasn’t ready” elimination at the 2009 Royal Rumble, as well as his zany finisher: The Cobra.

In a testament to his ability as a performer, most know Marella exclusively as his eccentric WWE character, but there is much more to The Milan Miracle than his over the top mispronunciation of classic phrases like “Can of ass whip.”

Marella was recently interviewed by Lilian Garcia on her Chasing Glory podcast and opened up like never before. Get ready to laugh and learn all about Santino Marella in this latest edition of 5 Things You Didn’t Know.

#5. Marella did not have an ego & that helped him stand out

Santino Marella was different from many of the wrestlers around him. He kept things in perspective and was always appreciative of what he had been able to accomplish.

Marella also refused to believe in any of his own hype and never got caught up in his own ego.

He told Chasing Glory host Lilian Garcia,

While many wrestlers were reluctant to delve into self-deprecating comedy, Marella’s uncanny ability to make light of himself helped him stand out as a character and as a human being.

When other wrestlers sulked and complained about not being able to get over, Marella kept things in perspective,

#4. His neck injury is worse than you thought it was

Sadly, Santino Marella was forced to retire from a full time in-ring professional wrestling career due to a severe neck injury. The injury kept Marella sidelined for the latter part of his WWE run and inevitably led to his 2016 release.

Marella admitted that the neck injury wasn’t anything new and he had struggled with it for most of his adult life. His nagging injury concerns were a near-constant problem for Marella during his professional wrestling career, but the situation grew dire as his flare-ups became more frequent and closer in succession.

Marella recalls being unable to compete at a WWE live event,

The very next day, Marella found himself in a collar and booked for surgery. The expectation was for a full recovery and a return to the wrestling ring, but things didn’t work out according to plan,

#3. Marella is a Judo expert

Josh Barnett recently announced that Santino Marella would compete at Bloodsport II, an event billed as a smorgasbord of mixed martial arts and professional wrestling. Barnett tweeted the following about the former WWE Superstar, “From Judo to Battlearts and MMA, this man has all the credentials for Bloodsport.”

The news came as a shock to most fans, who were unaware of Marella’s extensive judo experience. Motivated by Bruce Lee movies, Marella began training in judo at the young age of nine. Marella signed up for classes and quickly fell in love with the sport, “That was it. It gets in your blood.”

Marella competed in Judo Ontario, Judo Canada, and various other tournaments. He event competed in judo at the collegiate level in Montreal, as part of Canada’s National Team. Marella inevitably chose a carer in sports entertainment, but credits judo with helping him fast track the physical parts of professional wrestling.

#2. He isn’t exclusively Italian

While Santino’s over the top WWE character would have you believe that he is a true underdog from Milan, Italy, who rose from rags to riches with a thick accent and a flair for the comedic, that isn’t exactly true.

Born Anthony Carelli, Marella is indeed Italian. His father emigrated to Canada from Italy, but the former WWE Superstar grew up speaking English and doesn’t have an Italian accent. The accent was all for television, something Marella picked up from living in a cultural melting pot just outside Toronto.

The first generation Canadian considers himself a representation of the city he grew up in,

Marella was so convincing with his WWE Milan Miracle character that most Canadians didn’t even know he was from the Great White North. After his WWE career ended, Marella found himself reacclimating himself to his native country,

#1. Marella didn’t really know how to speak Italian

Legendary WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes told Santino Marella that if WWE asks you to do something and you don’t necessarily know how to do it, just fake it until you make it. That’s exactly what Marella did when asked if he knew how to speak Italian.

Santino was interested in learning the language before WWE ever came calling and would listen to audiotapes on long car journeys,

Marella did his best and responded with, “Voglio comprare mezzo chilo di formaggio.” The phrase literally means, “I want to buy a half kilo of cheese.”

Marella told Lilian Garcia,

The phrase sold the powers that be in WWE, who flew Santino Marella to Milan, Italy. Two days later he would defeat Umaga for the Intercontinental Championship and the rest is history.

Readers may listen to Lilian Garcia’s full interview with Santino Marella below:

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