Santino Marella has added another accomplishment to a resume that already spans two combat sports and a professional wrestling career that made him a household name.
The former WWE Intercontinental and United States Champion won gold at Jiu-Jitsu Con, competing for Zenith BJJ in the Master 5 purple belt super heavyweight division, finishing ahead of four other competitors to top the podium.
Marella, who currently serves as TNA Director of Authority, brought a judo background into his Jiu-Jitsu career, and that grappling foundation has clearly carried over well on the mats.
The win didn’t come without cost.
Shortly after landing back in Toronto following the event, Marella gave fans a candid look at how the weekend had left him physically:
Just landed back in Toronto. It was a hard-fought weekend to say the least.
My jaw is not perfectly aligned. My back is a bit f***ed up, & my feet are bleeding, I’m afraid to take off my shoes.
Even so, he made clear the outcome made it all worthwhile:
We got gold though so that’s a sweet feeling.
Thank you to everybody is all I can say at this time.
Just landed back in Toronto. It was a hard-fought weekend to say the least. My jaw is not perfectly aligned. My back is a bit fucked up, & my feet are bleeding, I’m afraid to take off my shoes. We got gold though so that’s a sweet feeling. Thank you to everybody is all I can say… pic.twitter.com/gXpUAl92Ak
— Santino Marella (@milanmiracle) September 6, 2026
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