"Not a pretty woman though" - Santino Marella's daughter reacts to the 'Santina' gimmick

Modified Jun 25, 2021 17:15 GMT

Santino Marella has built a legacy around being a top-tier comedic act in the world of wrestling entertainment. One of his most controversial stints included donning the character of Santino Marella's self-alleged twin sister, named Santina.

Based on the desire to be crowned the inaugural 'Miss WrestleMania' in 2009, Santina entered the 25-woman battle royal at The Show of Shows to win the sash and crown. Marella continued to portray the role of his on-screen twin sister following the event, though the gimmick was put to rest a few months later.

Although Santino Marella is no longer an active WWE Superstar, his daughter, Bianca Carelli, is pursuing her own pro wrestling career. During a recent interview with Chris Van Vliet, she shared a hilarious childhood story related to the Santina gimmick.

Bianca Carelli felt that this particular character allowed Santino Marella "to show his diversity" as an entertainer.

“Honestly all I remember is I was having a sleepover when I was 9 or 10. I went into my dad’s room. I looked at the floor and there was pink Converse, fishnets, a giant pink skirt and a corset. My friend goes ‘What is that?’ I go ‘Oh it’s my dad.’ My friend was very confused as to why my dad would have giant women’s clothing," Bianca Carelli recalled. "It was cool to see his acting, I must say I think he played a great woman. Not a pretty woman though. I definitely was surprised at first, I was like what is he doing? But it was a great opportunity for him to show his diversity. My father really is a great entertainer.”

Santina was briefly brought back to life during the 2020 Women's Royal Rumble match. Interestingly, Bianca Carelli has won actual beauty pageants, so it's quite amusing that her father held the Miss WrestleMania title at one point in time.

Check out her full interview with Chris Van Vliet in the video posted below:

Santino Marella's reaction to his daughter wanting to become a pro wrestler

During the same interview, Bianca Carelli spoke about her pro wrestling pursuits and how her father reacted to this news.

According to Carelli, Santino Marella has been quite supportive of her pro wrestling dream thus far. She believes that both of them have similar personalities as well.

“He was actually really supportive. I think it’s because we have these similar personalities," noted Carelli. "Basically, he figured that this was something that worked well for him and he loved. He felt like I would love this as well, because he really enjoyed it and wanted me to have the chance to experience it too. He knows how I can feed off a crowd and make people laugh. Also, he knew it would make me happy.”