"He's an awesome guy" - Former Champion opens up on his backstage interactions with Vince McMahon

Former Intercontinental Champion Santino Marella recently opened up on his interactions with former WWE C.E.O. Vince McMahon, heaping praise on him. He stated that he always felt welcomed by McMahon whenever he paid a visit to his office.

For most of his WWE career, Marrella was a comedic act. He was a reliable source used by Vince to be slotted into mid-card programs. Nonetheless, the former United States Champion always remained an unsung threat for the main eventers and even got close to big-time glory a couple of times in early 2012.

In a recent edition of Monday Mailbag with Mike Chioda on AdFreeShows, Santino Marella shared his backstage experience with Vince McMahon:

"There were times where I didn’t want to approach him because he was busy or working, but every time I ever approached Vince with an idea, I was very welcomed at all times. He’s an awesome guy. I never had a bad experience with Vince, ever. He was always like, ‘Knock on the door any time,’ put’s his phone down, glasses off, turns, [and gives] undivided intention. I’m like ‘Wow, this guy is a class act, man.’ The whole family is, actually.” [h/t WrestlingInc.]

While some accounts paint Vince McMahon as a tyrannical, ruthless boss who often doesn't regard anyone else's interests, others depict him as quite the contrary.

Santino Marella on Vince McMahon's contribution to the business

McMahon certainly revitalized professional wrestling when he took control. As such, Santino Marella can't wrap his head around why people hate him, despite having been entertained by his product. On the same podcast, Marella continued:

"I understand why he got hot sometimes. You need those key people just beneath you that you can trust, you know, this guy has your best intentions in mind and it’s good to have a couple of key people. Vince had his fingerprints on every single aspect of the business, everything from a creative design of a pay-per-view poster to programming. There’s a lot of people out there that it’s popular or cool to hate on Vince, but how can you hate on Vince when you enjoyed this product for so long?” [h/t Wrestling Inc.]

Vince McMahon has to be one of, if not the most polarizing figure in all of sports entertainment and continues to divide people with their opinions of him.