WWE Elimination Chamber: Why Santino in the Chamber Might Not Be so Bad

Last night on SmackDown, the world witnessed something shocking that has split fans opinions down the middle. Santino Marella, the drag-wearing, accent-exaggerating goofball who has been making us laugh as well as groan ever since the Miracle in Milan, won a battle royal and the chance to fill Randy Orton's vacant spot in the SmackDown main event at Sunday's Elimination Chamber.

In the comment thread to my SmackDown recap, I saw people who were happy about the decision and those who thought it brought an already lackluster lineup for the match down a notch.

With this, Santino has taken his spot in his first ever main event World title match on a PPV. This is big for someone who is used as a comedy character and jobber for the most part.

One thing you have to give Santino credit for, no matter what your opinion of him is as a wrestler, is that he takes what he is given and makes the best of it.

A lot of wrestlers would turn their noses at the idea of being the weaker one in a relationship with a Diva, even if it is Beth Phoenix, who is probably stronger than a few guys on the roster. Most male wrestlers would find the idea of playing his own sister and becoming Ms. WrestleMania insulting to their years of hard work. Santino took all of this and much more and not only went out there and performed with pride, but he did it with a smile on his face and enthusiasm in his actions.

When he was a heel, he became so popular with fans for his comedy shtick that WWE had no choice but to turn him face and make him a fan favorite.

I must admit that I marked out for a split second when The Cobra met Mr. Socko during the Royal Rumble. Then I realized it was ridiculous and was glad when it was over.

After a few years of being the whipping boy, the kid who was snatched out of the crowd to face Umaga and won the IC title in the Milan Miracle is finally going to main-event a PPV. This does not mean he will be the winner of the match or even the star performer, but it is nice to see him get some payoff after all the embarrassing things he has been asked to do.

He is actually pretty talented in the ring, and I think he might surprise some people on Sunday when he gets the chance to jump in the match.

If he is one of the first two people in the match with either Daniel Bryan or Cody Rhodes and WWE lets him go full blast, then he could put on a surprising show until he is eliminated by a punch from Show or a chop from Khali. Although, he could end up just getting eliminated immediately, it could go either way.

Whatever happens, I am just glad he is finally able to share in some of the spotlight of the main event of a PPV.

I have never said that Santino deserved to be WWE champion, but I have always supported his on-screen character because I feel that WWE needs gimmicks like him to make it the WWE I grew up with. I just hope we saw the last of him in drag the last time we saw Santina.

I fully expect this to be a one-time thing and for Santino to find his way back to the comedy routines after Sunday. But until then, I am betting he is enjoying being a featured name on the card.

Good luck on Sunday, Santino. You're going to need it.