Santino Marella discusses his decision to sign with IMPACT Wrestling.
Marella, who previously had a prominent run in WWE until he was released in 2016, appeared at IMPACT Hard To Kill 2023, where he was announced as the Director of Authority. He ordered the Digital Media Championship match between Moose and Joe Hendry to be restarted after Moose cheated to win the bout. IMPACT subsequently announced that Marella signed with the company.
Speaking with Lee Tarrier of PWMania.com, Marella described how he and IMPACT Executive Vice President Scott D’Amore had been talking about working together for a while, and it was just a matter of finding the right time. He stated that he loves the people, the locker room, and IMPACT’s identity. Marella described how IMPACT knows they’re the underdogs, but they embrace it and focus on creating something special.
“Well, I’m friends with Scott D’Amore, and we’ve been chatting for a while about potentially working together, Marella said. “I’d been running my own company, Battle Arts Academy, and then COVID came, my children came along, so it was about finding the right time, which is now. I love the people there, the locker room there and we’re proud of who we are. We know we’re the underdogs, but we know we’re really good and creating something special because our shows are amazing. Because of that, we have a rightful chip on our shoulders, and with a nice schedule that is the right balance for me, this is the perfect place.”
During his time with WWE, Marella held the WWE Intercontinental Championship, the United States Championship, and the Tag Team Championship, among other accolades.
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