Former WWE star Santino Marella (Anthony Carelli) made his Impact Wrestling debut Friday night at the Hard To Kill pay-per-view.
Carelli can use the name “Santino Marella” because WWE abandoned the trademark some time ago, and it was registered last month by attorney Mike Dockins.
Marella walked out after Moose defeated Joe Hendry with a low blow. Marella, who is now the Director of Authority, restarted the match, which Hendry eventually won. He was in full Santino mode, as evidenced by the faux Italian accent in the clip below.
The Director of Authority position was common in the early TNA years. This is Marella’s first television appearance in years. He left WWE due to neck problems and now runs the BattleArts school/promotion in Toronto.
Click here for Hard to Kill results. You can watch a clip from Marella’s debut below:
.@milanmiracle is HERE and is the BRAND NEW Director of Authority! @TheMooseNation and @joehendry CONTINUES! #HardToKill pic.twitter.com/CY68Ndy8hF
— IMPACT (@IMPACTWRESTLING) January 14, 2023
