10 Wrestling Facts We Didn't Know Last Week (Oct 28)

4. Santino Marella & Cody Rhodes Had A Bodybuilding Contest Backstage At WrestleMania XXV

Talking to Main Event Radio, Santino Marella said that it was always flattering when he'd hear fellow wrestlers tell him that he had 'sold out' the monitor backstage for his matches. Marella's peers simply loved watching his matches, especially when they knew that Santino was going to use copious amounts of comedy to flesh out the bout.

Along the way, Marella also had a desire to be taken more seriously inside the ring and move away from seeking laughs. Partly due to this, he was always eager to prove himself whenever there was the chance. That's probably why he accepted a bodybuilding contest with Cody Rhodes in 2009.

In the lead up to WrestleMania XXV, Marella says that Rhodes continually teased him for 'being fat'. All light-hearted fun, the jibes led to a showdown between the pair before WWE's biggest pay-per-view of the entire year.

Cutting weight and getting into seriously good shape, Santino was determined to show that he was capable of looking like Cody. There's something humourous about picturing Marella and Rhodes having a pose down before 'Mania got underway.