Former WWE Star Reveals ‘Hypnosis’ Storyline Pitch To End Comedy Character

WWE

Former WWE and current IMPACT star Santino Marella has revealed that he once pitched a storyline that would see him transition away from the comedic character he was synonymous with.

Santino revealed via an interview with Metro that he drew up an elaborate plot involving hypnotism that resulted in him being transformed from his goofy persona into a ‘killer’.

Santino revealed:

“I pitched one story where I wanted to have a hypnotist hypnotise Santino.

“When he was under the hypnosis, he was this killer and then the hypnosis was removed and he started losing again.

“And then he had that moment where someone talked to him, that speech in the movie like, ‘Even though you were under hypnosis that was you, you did that stuff,’ and then we can transition to a little more legitimate fighter.”

While his creative attempt to force a change was rejected, Santino revealed that it was perhaps too elaborate for WWE’s tastes, saying:

“But you know, you can make the best steak in the world but if it’s a bologna sandwich market, well, you better make bologna sandwich, right?”

Upon debuting in WWE in mid-2007 Santino was not immediately turned into a comedy act, rather a plucky underdog, however, he revealed that it wasn’t until his heel turn shortly thereafter that he was allowed to show his talents, saying:

“The audience didn’t really like the fact that they were being force-fed this character, so then we turned heel and it became funny. Once it became funny, I was comfortable with that.”

Despite the desire to switch things up and try a more serious take on his character, one that could also adopt his real-life judo skills, Santino is comfortable with his character and its legacy.

He explained:

“It’s all very serious! It’s a nearly impossible task that you’re going after, in terms of the percentage of success to make it to the highest level, very few people make it.

“But at the same time, it’s entertainment, right?

“We have to remember that we’re pretending we’re fighting, it’s a soap opera. 

“‘Broadway with bodyslams,’ that’s how JR put it.

“Yeah, I would’ve liked to have been a tougher, (more) in your face wrestler, but at the end of the day, the Santino character, he’s made a lot of people laugh and shared that family times in people’s living rooms.”

After a lengthy time out of the pro-wrestling spotlight following his 2014 WWE departure, Santino has landed in IMPACT Wrestling in an authority figure role, also competing in the ring on occasion.

Despite his current role in IMPACT, Santino did reveal his desire for one last appearance in a particular WWE match, to find out more follow this link here.

If you want to stay fully updated on all the latest wrestling news, click the red bell in the bottom right of your screen to receive notifications from WrestleTalk.com straight to your device!

• Gimmick Change
• santino marella
• comedy
• wwe

Share this article with friends