Former WWE Star Santino Marella Explains Decision To Join TNA

TNA's Director of Authority Santino Marella has discussed what led him to return to TNA. 

Marella revealed in an appearance on Cody Rhodes' "What Do You Wanna Talk About?" podcast how former TNA president Scott D'Amore had tried to bring him back to the promotion a few times. But Marella was busy running his wrestling school and also following his daughter, WWE star Arianna Grace's wrestling career. He eventually agreed to join TNA after Grace's injury.

"Scott D'Amore, a friend of mine, he asked me to come to TNA a couple of times. And I'm like, 'Man, I'm really busy.' I was running the facility by myself with my wife, and it's a lot. It's a huge undertaking, it's a massive facility. And I just couldn't fathom leaving home to do this. And then, plus my daughter, she got signed, she was at NXT, and I always wanted to do something together with her. And I figured the opportunity would come about with WWE. And she got injured, she blew her knee out, actually, when she got there," he said. "So he asked me again, I said, 'You know what? Let's do it.'"

Marella said that a bad back limited his wrestling, which led him to ultimately accept a role in TNA, where he would wrestle sporadically. What was initially a skeptical decision turned out to be a great one, as the former WWE star admitted that he is pleased with his role in the promotion.

"I went there, and it didn't take long, like three months or so, and I'm like, 'Man, I miss this, man.' And now, instead of just being a performer, I've been a coach for 13 years, now I'm dabbling in producing, and coaching, and sitting in the production meetings. And I just fell in love with wrestling again, man, with creating moments, producing television."

The veteran star's return and the WWE-TNA relationship have also allowed him to work with his daughter, which has been a highlight of his return to the ring.