Santino Marella Looks Back On Short-Lived WWE Gimmick Santina

Former WWE star Santino Marella has discussed why the Santina character was created and how it was supposed to be for just a month.

Marella was one of the most unique and entertaining characters during his time in WWE, with one of his most memorable personas being Santina, where he portrayed a woman. During his recent appearance on "Insight," the veteran star discussed how being paired with WWE Hall of Famer Beth Phoenix helped in creating that character.

"Well, the storyline with Beth Phoenix was that I was an insecure boyfriend. She was the alpha in the relationship, and I was desperately trying to show that men are better athletes. So by dressing up as a woman and winning the battle royal and then revealing, 'Ha, I'm a man, I just won the women's battle royal, therefore men are better athletes.' That was the idea. And then it was just executed so well that it stuck around for a while," added Marella.

The Santina character didn't last long after its inception in 2009, as Donald Trump, who was briefly the "WWE Raw" General Manager, fired her. Marella revealed that the character was originally meant to be for just one show, but it seems that then-WWE Chairman Vince McMahon was thoroughly impressed by the character that he kept it on WWE television for three months.

"Santina was funny because it was only like three months, but there was so many memorable moments crammed into three months," he said. "It was supposed to be one night, but again, it tickled the funny bone of the right person, and it ended up lasting for three months."

While playing the character, the TNA star came to understand the effort and time women put into doing their makeup and appreciated their patience. The Santina character was resurrected and brought back to WWE television at the 2020 Royal Rumble, where she wrestled in the women's Royal Rumble match, lasting just over a minute.