Summary

Santino Marella reflected on his return to the ring during WWE NXT in July 2025, where he challenged Ethan Page for the NXT North American Championship. Speaking to Know Your Wrestling, Marella said the reaction to that performance stood out because many people did not expect him to move at that level.

Quote from Santino Marella

"That felt amazing, you know. Everyone seemed very shocked that I could still move. So in my 40s, my body was banged up, and I just started investing in myself, you know, from red light therapy to PEMF mats to stem cells, and I do a lot of physio, you know, iron neck. I train. My diet is good, and I restored my body somehow. It’s actually incredible. I’ve restored my body. Now that I’m 51, I’m able to do this again, and at a pretty decent level, you know. I’m doing up and overs and leapfrogs and arm drags and jumping, and I feel good. My body feels really good."

What Santino Marella’s NXT Return Could Mean for His Next Matches

Marella’s showing against Ethan Page creates a clear consequence, he can still be presented as a credible in-ring option rather than a one-off nostalgia appearance. That matters for how fans and promoters view his future bookings, especially in stories centered on veterans proving they can still go.

Return stories remain a recurring theme across promotions, as seen in Tony Khan saying Samoa Joe could return to AEW very soon.

Sources

As reported by Fightful.