WWE: Santino Marella and His Struggle to Become Viable Beyond the Midcard

Jokers don't make for viable champions, but Santino Marella has captured the WWE's United States Championship, and his struggle to prove that he can hang with the big boys has begun.

Comedy gimmicks have always been a staple of professional wrestling, and Santino Marella is the most recognizable of them all right now.  From the funny accent, to the Cobra, Santino is the comic relief of the WWE.

The fans weren't laughing at Elimination Chamber earlier this year, and Santino wasn't cracking jokes. Santino eliminated both Cody Rhodes and Wade Barrett from the World Heavyweight Championship Elimination Chamber match, two feats that no one saw coming.

Not only did Santino eliminate two of SmackDown's top heels, he was the last man standing against the champion, Daniel Bryan.  

Santino put up a valiant fight, and the fans live in attendance erupted with excitement and support for him. He received the loudest reaction of the entire pay-per-view, but eventually tapped out to the LeBell Lock.

Unexpectedly, Santino was over with the fans. Yes, there are those out there who will hate him because of the gimmick, but this hasn't stopped the WWE from rewarding Santino with a push.

Santino defeated Jack Swagger to become the United States Champion thanks to a match made by Teddy Long while in the role of Raw GM. Then, Santino defended the title in a rematch on SmackDown, where he met Swagger in a steel cage.

Ever since Elimination Chamber, Santino has been on a tear. His performances have been solid, managing to get two above average matches out of Jack Swagger.  

Santino's push has led to him now being the captain of Teddy Long's team, set to compete against John Laurinaitis' team at WrestleMania.  

Getting pushed much further will prove to be an uphill battle for Santino. Making it to midcard gold is a surprise in and of itself, as the general line of thought in regards to comedy gimmicks is that they're not believable champions.  

The only option for Santino at this point is to continue to perform to the very best of his abilities, and tweak his character enough to maximize the amount of time fans will stay behind him. With a little luck, the WWE may see fit to alter his character and get him out of the comedy role.

Then, and only then, will Santino become viable beyond the midcard. Otherwise, Santino's hard work will be in vain, and he'll once again be reduced to jobbing to heels to get them some heat.