Creative Control With Joe Feeney

Episode 62's guest is someone who is and will be fondly remembered in WWE lore for decades to come, and that is Santino Marella. This episode is a real treat, as we get a look at more of the man than the character, getting into Santino's legit past in MMA, and find out how he made his way down to OVW where he was trained, and signed from by WWE. He mentions the trainer who he learned the most from, as well as what he thought about working under Paul Heyman with a very different gimmick than what he eventually debuted as. Santino Marella is, of course, that gimmick, and we discuss his big debut in Italy, beating Umaga for the Intercontinental Championship. Shortly thereafter, he lost the title back to Umaga, and eventually turned heel. He talks about how and why he believes the original way the character was portrayed didn't get over with the audience, and briefly covers working with Maria Kanellis. From there, Santino always seemed to be in the mix with big name returning stars, and celebrity guests, showing