10 "Foreign" Wrestlers Who Weren't Really Foreign At All
3. Santino Marella
Santino Marella's comic relief was a highlight of WWE, especially the thick Italian-accented humour with Ukranian teammate Vladimir Kozlov. There's no doubt he was an instant favourite the moment he debuted on Raw.
Selected from the crowd to face Umaga scoring an unbelievable upset victory to win the Intercontinental Championship, Marella's debut was some of the most original and fresh programming in a long time. Handing a WWE title to a kayfabe fan was captivating.
Marella's amazing feat was dubbed the Milan Miracle, and a profile on the upstart was added to the WWE website the next day. It would all make for the perfect story if it were genuine.
While Marella may have been a young Italian from Milan dreaming of breaking into the big time, Anthony Carelli was actually born in Mississauga, Ontario, coming up through WWE's developmental system. Although he is of Italian descent, Carelli's lack of the hilarious Italian accent in person will disappoint you.