TNA Wrestling Director of Authority Santino Marella has added another accomplishment to his résumé, capturing a gold medal at Jiu-Jitsu Con in Las Vegas.
The former WWE Intercontinental Champion competed in the Master 5 purple belt super heavyweight division while representing Zenith BJJ, finishing first in a field of five competitors.
Following the competition, Marella took to social media to celebrate the achievement while revealing the physical toll the weekend had taken on him.
“Just landed back in Toronto,” Marella wrote. “It was a hard-fought weekend to say the least. My jaw is not perfectly aligned. My back is a bit f**ked up [and] my feet are bleeding, I’m afraid to take off my shoes.”
Despite coming away from the competition battered and bruised, Marella made it clear that winning gold made the experience worthwhile.
“We got gold though so that’s a sweet feeling,” Marella continued. “Thank you to everybody is all I can say at this time.”
Marella has an extensive background in combat sports in addition to his professional wrestling career and currently represents Zenith BJJ in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competition.
On TNA programming, Marella currently serves as the promotion’s on-screen Director of Authority, a position he has held since returning to the company in 2023.
Just landed back in Toronto. It was a hard-fought weekend to say the least. My jaw is not perfectly aligned. My back is a bit fucked up, & my feet are bleeding, I'm afraid to take off my shoes. We got gold though so that's a sweet feeling. Thank you to everybody is all I can say… pic.twitter.com/gXpUAl92Ak
— Santino Marella (@milanmiracle) September 6, 2026
