Santino Marella is a former WWE Star, and now, his daughter is in NXT 2.0 under the name ‘Ariana Grace’.
While speaking on the Monday Mailbag with Mike Chioda, Santino Marella talked about WWE changing the names of their talent. He ripped WWE for changing his daughter’s name as well as other second-generation superstars’ names.
I wish someone could explain the logic behind it. It’s fine, if my daughter was ‘Arianna Marella,’ I don’t see a problem with that. They started that at first with Curtis Axel, Mr. Perfect’s son, but everybody knew who he was. I think there’s some equity in being the second generation, but it’s great for her too because when you’re a second or third-generation wrestler, it’s really important for them to know that they’ve earned this and they’re not just getting a free pass because of who their parents are. I remember being with Cody [Rhodes] at OVW and the worst thing you could ever say to Cody, the most hurtful thing you could ever say to him was that, ‘You don’t deserve this, you’re only here because of your dad,’. I saw someone say that to him once and I felt so bad for him. I think that’s why he always goes the extra mile, above and beyond, because without a shadow of a doubt, he knows he made it on his own merit.
– Santino Marella via Monday Mailbag
Ariana Grace made her debut at the NXT LVL UP Tapings. We will see what’s in store for her.
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