If they pushed Santino...

Bounty Hunter

Santino Marella seemingly gets the biggest reaction from the crowd each and every week with the argueable exception of only Vicky, Cena & maybe Punk/Orton. Becuase of this people are often seen to quip in threads that Santino could be pushed and suggest ways in which it could be done. However due to the character Santino has portrayed to this point on WWE television and the way in which creative has chosen to use that character the online fans atleast usually seem against the times Santino gets put over. His victory of Sheamus or his being the last man eliminated from the Rumble are examples of this.

So I guess what im saying could be boiled down to do you think you would accept if santino got a proper push?

imo his team with Kozlov should atleast be pushed better than it is with regular competition against other tag teams making them look strong while they continue to get the reaction they already get. Keep Santino comical but maybe make him less of an idiot or at the least suggest his idiocy could all be an act as it always leads him into situations he can use to his advantage, i.e people underestimating him. Then after their run with the titles i think the idea of a Santino singles push would work better. However imo they are going away from that kind of thing as a possibility already by making the focal point of any Santino match atm his new finisher which just furthers his image as a comical side attraction as apposed to a quality wrestler you can get behind in part due to his ability to make you laugh.

sliotor

no i think at this stage that he has been just comedy for too long, granted the tag titles have helped him and his in ring has improved with Kozlov.
It would just be too much of a struggle to take him seriously, they did try before when they put the intercontinental belt on him.
I do enjoy santino, he serves as a good comic relief on the show.

savemejebus

Santino's in ring work hasn't improved with Kozlov, he's still held back from what he can do. Look at this promo from OVW, he has plenty of skills. The only reason he's good as comic relief is because he is simply booked to be a joke in WWE.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZMrOV22rRc

sliotor

savemejebus wrote: »

Santino's in ring work hasn't improved with Kozlov, he's still held back from what he can do. Look at this promo from OVW, he has plenty of skills. The only reason he's good as comic relief is because he is simply booked to be a joke in WWE.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZMrOV22rRc

Yeah I get that the reason he is a comic relief is because he has been booked as one, but he has been booked as a comedy act for so long now it would be difficult see him as anything else.

savemejebus

I understand that, i was just making the point that nothing he does "in ring" has improved since he was called up to the main roster. Quite the opposite.

flahavaj

I could never take him seriously. Even in that OV video I keep expecting him to come out dressed as a woman or something. I love him the way he is tbh.

Lord TSC

See, I'm of the opinion that if WWe got behind any wrestler for a sustained period, they could be pushed.

Santino has been pushed as a comedy character and obviously it would be unbelievable to have him suddenly be portrayed as a top guy. However with the right and slow build up, they could have him as a legit main eventer within 8-12 months. Start off slow, and since he already has the tag titles, use that. Him and Koslov defend against people and win matches. Then they lose the title. Santino moves into a feud with someone like Daniel Bryan. They have a few matches with Bryan winning but each time, Santino gets closer and closer to the win, ultimatly leading up to a PPV title match and the pay off where he gets the win. Give him a run with the US title for a while, fending off a few challangers and getting to fight (even if he loses) against the top tier guys, so people are used to seeing him in the ring with them.

Then when he drops the US title, he moves into a non-title feud in the main event. Hell, use the fact people think he's a joke. He knows that people see him that way and wants to defy their expectations. Again have him facing off against a big name, getting nearer and nearer to beating them, and when that feud is over, if done right, he'd look like a million bucks and ready for a headline act.

The problem though is WWE does not do sustained long term pushes effectivly. Either they rush someone into the main event (eg Swagger) without a proper build up and then are amazed the fans don't like him. Or they give up after three weeks cause they are bored (eg Bourne). WWE has a short term mindset for some reason. That's the problem; the booking, not the wrestlers.

JP Liz V1

I'd say have him and Kozlov drop the tag titles to a team from Nexus or Corre and put him into a feud with Ted Jnr for maybe the money belt (if it is still around) or for the US title or have him drafted to SD to feud for the IC title. The fact he was the last Raw superstar in this year's RR he might have been better than Truth to have in the EC match.

I like Santino I must admit I do find some of his segments funny

Santina V Kong at WM for the Diva's Title

Degag

I think so, but i'm one of his biggest fans! Someone said that he's good at comic relief because that's how he's booked, that's not really true. He's good at comic relief because he's a great entertainer. It's not even what he says on the mic, its the facial expressions and the things he says in the ring that the mic picks up.

He has all the attributes to make it. Good Wrestling skills, Great Mic skills, Fantastically over with the crowd. i think it'd be pretty easy tro push him hard actually.

Diabhal Beag

I don't think he'd keep his appeal if he got a push. He's had the Intercontinental Title before and except for the Honk-a-meter it wasn't great.

He's the only wrestler that gets 100% of the crowd reacting the right way. He could be an amazing jobber though.

partyndbs

that russian gimmick is terrible...if he came 2 wwe with that he would have been fired after 5 months

parker kent

partyndbs wrote: »

that russian gimmick is terrible...if he came 2 wwe with that he would have been fired after 5 months

Eh Kozlov?

partyndbs

lest hes rly russian

geeky

Teamshadowclan wrote: »

See, I'm of the opinion that if WWe got behind any wrestler for a sustained period, they could be pushed.

Santino has been pushed as a comedy character and obviously it would be unbelievable to have him suddenly be portrayed as a top guy. However with the right and slow build up, they could have him as a legit main eventer within 8-12 months. Start off slow, and since he already has the tag titles, use that. Him and Koslov defend against people and win matches. Then they lose the title. Santino moves into a feud with someone like Daniel Bryan. They have a few matches with Bryan winning but each time, Santino gets closer and closer to the win, ultimatly leading up to a PPV title match and the pay off where he gets the win. Give him a run with the US title for a while, fending off a few challangers and getting to fight (even if he loses) against the top tier guys, so people are used to seeing him in the ring with them.

Then when he drops the US title, he moves into a non-title feud in the main event. Hell, use the fact people think he's a joke. He knows that people see him that way and wants to defy their expectations. Again have him facing off against a big name, getting nearer and nearer to beating them, and when that feud is over, if done right, he'd look like a million bucks and ready for a headline act.

The problem though is WWE does not do sustained long term pushes effectivly. Either they rush someone into the main event (eg Swagger) without a proper build up and then are amazed the fans don't like him. Or they give up after three weeks cause they are bored (eg Bourne). WWE has a short term mindset for some reason. That's the problem; the booking, not the wrestlers.

^

this.

The real debate that should be raging is 'why is WWE's booking so short-term?' It's gotten better in recent months, but too many pushes still seem to start and stop with barely any notice whatsoever.

paddyismaddy

if they can push eejits like swagger and miz and give them title reigns then why not santino

Ridley

Depends what you mean by proper push.

If you mean world title then no thanks. Although I would have had Santino win over Del Rio who destroys him on the opening of Raw forcing a tournament or something.

No thanks to his dropping the comedy gimmick either, I prefer it as it is. The tag division would just need to be properly contested for me to consider that a proper push.

Certainly don't want the return of the early Santino days when he first won the IC title but I think his profile could be bettered with a surprise strong showing against someone like CM Punk if the momentum was maintained afterwards. Pretty much agree with Teamshadowclan's assessment in that regard.

Degag

partyndbs wrote: »

lest hes rly russian

No he's not, he's Ukrainian.

thebostoncrab

Santio has all the tools and I honsetly think the fanbase is there to get behind him. The guy gets big pops at any live show I have seen him at. The comedy shouldn't hinder him. A perfect example is Colt Cabanas feud with Homicide. Colt showed a different side of himself during that period. The more Homicide made his life hell the less comedy came from Colt. He becamse serious about the task at hand. Santino could use the same programme to show that he can use the comedy but still be a threat.

geeky

thebostoncrab wrote: »

Santio has all the tools and I honsetly think the fanbase is there to get behind him. The guy gets big pops at any live show I have seen him at. The comedy shouldn't hinder him. A perfect example is Colt Cabanas feud with Homicide. Colt showed a different side of himself during that period. The more Homicide made his life hell the less comedy came from Colt. He becamse serious about the task at hand. Santino could use the same programme to show that he can use the comedy but still be a threat.

Good shout - but who would you pair him with? Alex Riley is my shout - would be a way to elevate both men.

thebostoncrab

I'd go with Del Rio. He is a name that, by 'Mania, should be in the main event scene on Smackdown and could fit the role perfect.

Have Rel Dio come out on Santino and Kozlovs tea-time show, have Del Rio get frustrated with all of Santinos clowning around and make him snap. It would really get Del Rio over as a dangerous man (which is something he is lacking despite being a genuie bad-ass outside of the ring) and fans would love for Santino to get one over him. Plus it fits the the Rumble. In fact, do it after 'Mania. Get Alberto to loose at 'Mania, and the next week Santino can bring up the Rumble and say he wouldn't have messed up if he had of won the Rumble.