10 of wrestling's most shocking new champions

#6 Santino Marella wins the Intercontinental title

Though he is now regarded as a comedy act, the WWE originally wanted fans to take Santino Marella very seriously.

So much so, in fact, that they let him beat undefeated Samoan champion Umaga in his debut match! Marella came out of the crowd to challenge Umaga when Raw was being broadcast live from Milan, Italy. The crowd was tremendously behind their countryman, and with a little assist from Bobby Lashley, won the IC strap.

Look who just shut down all of Tony Khan's critics! More HERE.

No one expected Santino to even show up, let alone compete for a title and win the thing! Santino's "Milan Miracle" remains a highlight of the ruthless aggression era.

About the author

Christopher Scott Wagoner is a writer from Austin, Texas in the United States. He is also a proud descendent of the Choctaw and Lakota people.
Chris has an English and Creative Writing degree, and is a published author with Simon and Schuster. He's ghost-written over eight million words in more than 500 books.
A long time wrestling fan, Chris is also a professional journalist who covers sports-entertainment. He's been writing for Sportskeeda since 2018.

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Edited by Nishant Jayaram