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Bully Ray, Mark Henry, Dave LaGreca, and Tommy Dreamer were on Busted Open Radio to discuss breakout moments of specific wrestling careers, including some of their own. Ray pointed out one particular breakout moment on RAW from 2007 that still stands out to him.
It was an interesting episode of Busted Open Radio as the highlight was focused on big breakout moments in wrestling. Because of the nature of professional wrestling, breakout moments can happen at any given time in somebody's career. There have been instances of superstars having breakout moments years after their debut.
On Busted Open Radio, Bully Ray went back to April 2007 when WWE held a special episode of RAW in Milan. In what was dubbed the Milan Miracle, Santino Marella made his WWE debut posing as a fan in the stands.
He took on the late great Umaga in an unexpected open challenge, handpicked by Vince McMahon himself. Thanks to an assist from Bobby Lashley, Marella would win the Intercontinental title on his debut. Ray revealed why it was such a great moment:
"I've never forgotten it. And it involved Santino Marella and the Milan Miracle. This is when I was still immersed in the wrestling business full-time as a wrestler, and I kept up on all the other products while I was still at TNA at the time. And I was at my kitchen table on my computer and I always had Monday Night RAW in the background. One thing really caught my attention. I don't remember the particulars of the segment but I remember Santino being in the front row and coming over the guard rail and getting the upset win, and that always stood with me," Bully Ray. (6:45-7:33)
Bully Ray went on to praise Santino Marella and said that while he didn't become a WWE legend, he could have been a "legit" or serious competitor if he wanted to or it was asked of him:
"If you can create the right scenario at the right moment and right time with the right people, anything can get over. And at that moment of time, it really got over. Did Santino Marella become a Kofi Kingston or Mark Henry or a legendary superstar who can carry the ball? No. But that moment propelled him into a career in WWE where he spent years. He was incredibly entertaining, if not the most entertaining guy who can step in the ring. One of the guys who could pop the boys, get a reaction in any type of scenario. If you wanted Santino to be a legit wrestler, he could be, and if you needed him to be an entertaining guy, he could do it. It was a defining moment for Santino Marella, but also a defining moment for sports entertainment," added Ray. (7:34-8:36)
Ray isn't wrong in saying that it was a special moment. Everything worked out perfectly and was executed as such. It will forever remain an iconic moment in the history of Monday Night RAW.
Is Bully Ray right about Santino Marella being a legit wrestler?
The perception of Santino Marella has always been that of a comedy character. He was so good at it that nobody could imagine him being in a more serious role.
Even with a comedy superstar like R-Truth, there was an attempt made a decade ago to turn him into a serious world title challenger. However, it was a relatively short-lived stint.
It would have been interesting to see how Marella would have done with a character change, but ultimately, it's important to note that everybody in WWE has their role - and Marella filled in perfectly to his.
Bully Ray could be right, but we will never know as Santino Marella is retired. His daughter Bianca Carelli is signed to a developmental contract with WWE, and we could see her surpass her father in terms of accomplishments if all goes well.
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