Santino Marella

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Santino Marella
The Italian Stallion
Height	5"10
Weight	227 lbs
From	Calabria, Italy
Resides	Paterson, New Jersey
Brand	RAW
Finisher	Inverted Swinging Neckbreaker

The charismatic Italian debuted in May of 2007 in what was subsequently christened the "Milan Miracle," being planted in the crowd to accept an open challenge issued by Vince McMahon on behalf of the Intercontinental Champion, Umaga. With the aid of McMahon's then-arch-rival Bobby Lashley, Marella overcome the Samoan Bulldozer and captured the prestigous gold on his debut to a huge ovation. However, as WWE returned to the states and Marella survived a low-key feud with Chris Masters, crowd reactions waned and before long the fans had turned on him, opening the door for him to unveil a more narcissistic, self-centred character who treated his kayfabe girlfriend Maria (who had previously been placed by his side in a vain attempt to earn him support) with extreme disrespect during a series of game show segments where, alongside the likes of William Regal and Ron Simmons, Marella delivered some of the year's most memorable performances.

His heel turn would be complete by the turn of the year, as his complete objection to Maria's desire to appear in Playboy naturally infuriated the viewing audience, whose needs would eventually be satisfied as under the tutelage of previous cover-girl Ashley Massaro, she ditched Marella and posed for all the world to see. Since that day, he has found a new love interest in the form of Beth Phoenix, the help of whom saw him capture Intercontinental gold for the second time at Summerslam of 2008 in a mixed tag-team bout with Kofi Kingston and Mickie James. Now a consistent presence on Monday nights, despite frequently getting his ass kicked and not yet having a real finishing move, his comedic persona remains one of the most popular on the brand.

WWE SmackDown! vs RAW 2009

Strength: 72

Submission: 70

Durability: 73

Technique: 77

Speed: 84

Charisma: 86

Hardcore: 70

Stamina: 80

Overall: 83

Abilities - Dirty Pin; Move Theft; Possum Pin; Referee Shield; Steal Taunt

Marella making his debut in SmackDown! vs RAW 2009

Making his series debut, Santino's stat set combined with his abilities indicate that he'll be a favourite of players who have enjoyed fighting dirty ever since the concept was introduced. Move and taunt theft also add an element of showmanship to his game which is aided no end by his impressive charisma, and whilst his low hardcore and durability stats mean he may struggle in DQ-free environments, in a regular match he could well pose a threat.

Whether or not he will provide a voice-over and feature prominently in season mode is currently unknown, though given that he already employs other mediums to boost his character such as his Santino's Casa show on the internet, such presence is extremely likely and could make for some hilarious storylines.