Former WWE star Santino Marella recently spoke to Main Event Radio about his release from the company this summer, and if he’ll return to either RAW or SmackDown. Santino explained that WWE had an option to extend his contract while he was out with his injury, but decided not to and let his original deal expire.
“It was a weird day,” Santino said of his release from WWE. “I was about to leave on a trip to Florida with my wife and I saw the office calling. That was it, the run came to an end. It was liberating though, life after WWE here we go,”
He said that the company treated him and his family well, and that there were talks of him taking on a regular non-wrestling role. Santino says that fans approach him in public all the time to say WWE “isn’t the same without” him. Santino says fans related to him from his debut storyline where he came from the crowd as an underdog.
“I was the real people’s champion,” he said. “I came from the audience, 5’10, not overly muscular. I see a lot of kids looking up to me. Every dog can have it’s day, miracles can happen.”
Santino noted that he’s had laser back surgery and “feels great” now, but that his neck still isn’t 100%. You can listen to his entire interview on Main Event Radio.
