I am surprised by all the goodwill being shown to Santino in this thread. I don't hate him per se, and I have a known aversion to outright comedic gimmicks, but I have never really cared much for him as a performer and have assumed I was in the majority.
I think Santino filled a very Cena-like spot for a lot of people. Tired of seeing him do the same ol' same ol' day in and day out. It wore on us. Tired of the angle and spot, but not of the actual performer.
Remember when there was talk of starting a tv series with him and Beth Phoenix? At one point Santino was glorious ray of sunshine.
I think the outpouring of affection for Santino is simply because it's a face we've seen for quite awhile retiring from active duty. Death or retirement tends to bring out the affectionate part of everyone, even if we didn't particularly care for their day to day activity.
On a semi-related note, the Cobra vs Socko face-off during the Royal Rumble 2012 was freaking hilarious. I had no idea the two most electrifying sock puppets in Sports Entertainment had faced off against each other. That'll put some asses in seats The battle was inconclusive, as both Foley and Santino were eliminated soon afterwards. I guess it was the 2011 Rumble that Santino ended up almost winning?
I don't like Santino. Sure, when he debuted he was interesting. For the past few years, as soon as he showed up on TV I would be disappointed and just hope for his segment to be over as quickly as possible. I never found his comedy gimmick funny at all, and the Cobra and teaming with the Great Khali and other dreck soured me on him years ago. I know he is a talented wrestler, but at this point the less I see of him the better. Pairing Emma with him did her no favors.
It is a shame he has to retire due to injuries, I wouldn't wish misfortune on any wrestler no matter how much I dislike them.
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