WWE: Does Santino Marella's Elimination Chamber Appearance Mean Big Things?

I was pulling for him.

It’s true, and I can’t deny it.  I was actually pulling for Santino Marella to win the World Title in the Elimination Chamber on Sunday night.  

Go ahead, have a laugh.  I’ll wait.

Despite being a fan for 30-plus years, having been in the business off and on for 12 years and knowing all that I know as a Featured Columnist on Bleacher Report, the fact is, WWE got me.

They reeled me in with the possibility of the most unlikely World Heavyweight Champion since David Arquette back in WCW, Santino Marella, getting the nod in the match of his life.

Stop for a moment and think about it.  

“Here is your winner, and NEW World Heavyweight Champion, Santino Marella!”

Try and wrap your head around that one.

I don’t believe any of us knew what to expect when word got out that Randy Orton would not be competing in the Chamber, and was eventually replaced by Santino.  The first response from many fans, admittedly myself included, was an enthusiastic “um, what?”

A lot of fans threw their hands up at the decision, in obvious disgust, proclaiming the often-repeated “leave it to Vince McMahon” mantra, that we have all undoubtedly heard a thousand times before.  

Honestly, how can you blame anyone for that reaction?  WWE began with Santino as a clown, a guy who could not buy a win, the prototypical pro wrestling jobber, who was nothing but comic relief for the masses.  He was good for a few laughs, that’s all, and fans responded in kind.

But, a funny thing happened on his way to immortal mediocrity.  Santino Marella got over.

It began innocently enough, with only laughter, and that evolved into fans beginning to chant his name during his matches.  Suddenly, you didn’t really mind seeing the guy.  He went from being an annoying nuisance, to being an entertaining part of the show.  So, why the change?

I believe it’s due to the fact that most of the crowd understand what they’re seeing, and they accept it.

This is World Wrestling Entertainment, not the Red Cross.  They’re not helping the sick, and feeding the hungry.  WWE is not about saving the world, they’re about helping you escape from it.

Anyone who is familiar with Vince McMahon’s product recognizes this, and as a result, often do not get wrapped up in what does or does not “makes sense,” or who should get a push, over who should not.

The WWE crowd is there to be entertained.  And, that’s what Santino Marella does.

If only it were that simple, right?  It sounds easy enough, you have a worker who is relatively young, in shape, who is completely immersed in his character, and gets a reaction from any audience he’s in front of.  He’s basically doing everything right.  He’s doing his job.

He is what every worker wants to be, and what every fan expects.  He has a character, he makes it work, and he gets a pop in the process.  He is, as I have written several months ago, the perfect WWE Superstar.

But, not everyone thinks so.

Santino has his critics.  Most of them come from us, the segment of fans who are online, who discuss, and debate, the business, every chance we get.  We are commonly referred to as the “Internet wrestling community.”

Hate that term.  We’re obsessed with labels, aren’t we?

The point is, the problem as I see it with many of us is that we’re just so smart.  We’re so educated on the business, we’re so smug in our knowledge that nothing ever gets by us.  We have it all figured out, don’t we?

Santino is a clown, a joke, he’s Doink without the face paint, only not as effective.  He has a lame finishing move, a silly character, and he’s only there for the kids.  He’s a waste of space who should not be going over on anyone because he doesn’t deserve to.

That assessment sound about right?  Well, I have something that sounds much more impressive for you.  

How about the sound of 15 thousand strong blowing the roof off the Bradley Center in Milwaukee every time Santino came within an eyelash of winning the World Title?  The fans came to a massive crescendo with every near fall, and despite what accepted “logic” exists among some of us, the fact is, they wanted to see the unthinkable.

They wanted to see Santino’s arm raised as the new World Champion.  And, yes, so did I.

Call it getting caught up in the moment.  Call it suspending my disbelief, and allowing myself to just let go and have fun.

Call it being a fan.

So, what happens now for Santino Marella?  Does he go back to his usual place as the funnyman on Monday Night Raw?  Or, does WWE creative watch the playback of the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, listen to the ovation that Santino received, and decide to do something about it?

Judging from his match against World Champion Daniel Bryan on Raw, the answer could be a big fat no.

Not only did Bryan win the match, he won in virtually no time.  He won so quickly, it was as if it never happened.  Now, I get the fact that nine times out of 10, everyone bows to the champ.  He has to look good, and the truth is, he just weathered the storm of the Elimination Chamber, so it’s important that he remind everyone that no, that was not a fluke.

But, this match alone makes the case for everyone who was against Santino appearing in the Chamber to begin with.  After all, if he could lose that fast against the champ one-on-one, then what chance did he have locked up with the same champ, and four other guys that he ordinarily could never have beaten?

Was this WWE’s way of saying “our bad about the Chamber.  We really didn’t really count on the reaction Santino got, we just threw him in because we couldn’t really think of anyone else?”

But, then he eliminates Wade Barrett and R-Truth from the battle royal to crown a No. 1 contender to CM Punk’s WWE Championship, later on during Raw.  So, does that mean that Santino is still on the radar when it comes to possibly moving up in the company?

WWE booking strikes again. 

So, which is it, Vince?  Is Santino Marella a joke, or a contender?  Should we laugh, or cheer?

Or, should we do both?  Is that the point in the first place?  Either way, I know who I’m pulling for to have a breakout year in 2012.

Unleash the Cobra.