Santino Marella Believes Current WWE Star Would Be An Asset To TNA

Change is in the air as it pertains to Impact Wrestling, with the promotion enjoying a year-over-year increase in television ratings, pay-per-view buy rates, and general fan interest. As the company prepares to revert to its old name of TNA in 2024, there were calls from Booker T and others to aggressively pursue CM Punk, who was backstage at an Impact taping last month. Santino Marella, while he was still a free agent. Impact's onscreen Director of Authority also wanted to see his old WWE colleague join the third-biggest wrestling company in North America.

"I just hope he wrestles, wherever it's gonna be," Marella told "The Edlow Podcast" while discussing Punk's free agency. "If he comes to TNA, oh my god, that'd be wicked. I have to talk to Scott [D'Amore] to know if there are any talks [still] happening. But he'd be an incredible asset because TNA is obviously trying to get back to the former glory days ... when TNA was on Spike, the numbers they got were like current "SmackDown" numbers." Marella admitted that bringing in Punk would be a huge shot in the arm for TNA, especially at a time when there's "a new change of guard" and a reformulation of strategy in the front office.

Could we possibly see Marella striking Punk with The Cobra?  "I don't wrestle that much anymore," Marella said. "I wouldn't wrestle more than six times a year for TNA, but I do take guys aside and say, 'Hey man, that was awesome.' It's an incredible group. We know who we've got; we know our guys. The locker room is awesome." While the idea of Punk in an Impact ring intrigues some, the former AEW star is officially a member of the WWE roster again following his return at Survivor Series: WarGames.