Life after WWE: Catching up with 10 Superstars released in 2016

#8 Santino Marella

Santino staying in shape at his Battle Arts Academy.

Santino shocked the world when he came from the crowd to make his WWE debut and defeat Umaga in 2007 to win the Intercontinental Championship. However, his run after that would not be quite as substantial. Santino has been used more for comedic purposes over the years, rather than the more serious role he portrayed when he debuted.

Nevertheless, Santino was always a fan favourite and could be extremely entertaining.

In 2014, Santino announced he was retiring from in-ring action, but was not officially released until May, along with the other group of cuts. Since leaving the company, Santino has put most of his focus into his business, Battle Arts Academy in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.

The academy trains prospective clients in the arts of Judo, Muay Thai and professional wrestling, just to name a few.

About the author

Jonathan Carpenter is a pro wrestling journalist at Sportskeeda. After obtaining a degree in political science from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, he started writing WWE articles in 2016. Jonathan believes integrity is vital in journalism and ensures his work is high on accuracy. He conducts in-depth research and verifies information from various sources before curating a feature.

Jonathan has engaged in many meaningful conversations with prominent pro wrestling personalities like Drew McIntyre and DDP. He grew up in Memphis, admiring Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan during WWE’s Golden Era in the ‘80s. He has attended many pro wrestling events and credits The Hulkster for making his childhood memorable.

Jonathan, a big fan of Bray Wyatt, would like to see the latter's brother, Bo Dallas, continue his legacy as Uncle Howdy. If he were to work on the storyline, Jonathan would book the return of Erick Rowan as Howdy’s muscle. He thinks it would be a great way to honor the former Universal Champion.

When not writing pro wrestling features, Jonathan likes to collect sports memorabilia and has amassed a large collection of event-used and autographed relics over the years.

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Edited by Staff Editor