10 Awful WWE Gimmicks Which Somehow Became Awesome
2. Santino Marella - Cobra-Wielding Butt Of The Jokes
On the surface, the character of Santino Marella represents everything wrong with WWE's constant attempts to infuse 'comedy' into their product. The character was known for his consistently over-the-top fish out of water schtick and tendency to pull a cobra sock puppet out of his singlet before jabbing his opponents in the face with it.
As you'd expect, there were times when Marella's character or certain versions of it fell completely flat (looking at you Santina). But, for the most part, the 'Milan Miracle' actually managed to turn chicken sh*t into unlikely chicken salad.
Throwing himself into absolutely everything that was asked of him, Marella proved that even the most ridiculous and painfully cartoonish WWE gimmicks could eventually get over with those who once turned their nose up at the sight of them.
This was never more evident than in the 2012 Elimination Chamber when the entire live audience was roaring Marella on to win his first ever World Heavyweight Championship. He may not have had his hand raised on the night, but this moment hammered home just how popular his once unbearable gimmick had become.
Even when Santina Marella wandered down to the ring during this year's Women's Royal Rumble match, the performer nailed his appearance by eliminating him/herself via Cobra to the face.