Santino Marella Talks About His WWE Departure, His Relationship With Vince McMahon, Comedy Gimmick

Santino Marella recently shed some light on his release from WWE back in May. In an interview with the Jordan Garber NOW Podcast, Marella revealed the circumstances of his departure from the company.

“I wasn’t released the contract just ran out and they just opted not to renew it,” he said. Santino says the split wasn’t negative at all, and his experience was “amazing.”

The former Intercontinental Champion also sang the praises of WWE Chairman Vince McMahon. Marella says he “loves” Vince, and that the second-generation promoter was a mentor to him.

“Vince is the man, he doesn’t even know how much of a mentor he is to me,” he said. “When I watch him work and the hustles he has it’s unparalleled it’s amazing. He’s just the man”

Santino also talked about getting his comedy gimmick as a result of the WWE creative team losing faith in his original gimmick. He says when they turned him heel, more personality came out of him and Vince “loved it.”

You can listen to the entire podcast with Santino below.