Former WWE Star Shelly Martinez Recalls Jim Cornette Slapping Santino Marella
Shelly Martinez came up through the developmental territory OVW where she witnessed the physical altercation between Santino Marella and Jim Cornette. The incident stemmed after Marella no-sold The Boogeyman's gimmick during a live event and Cornette preceded to berate and then slap Marella backstage.
Martinez recalled that incident when she joined VOC Nation.
"I get to OVW and... it was my first day there. I'm watching the show out by the crowd, and then I come inside and I'm watching on the monitor, and then I went to the bathroom," said Martinez. "And when I came back from the bathroom, I heard this yelling... I see Cornette and he's hitting Boris [Santino Marella], and I'm like, 'What is going on?' He was going crazy, this dude.
"I only know Jim Cornette from being around him. I always liked the way he treated me. From what I understand, he's talked negatively about me, which is fine. But it does kind of hurt my feelings."
Martinez announced her retirement in 2017 and said she was tired of the "fake and phony" of the wrestling business. Her feelings appear to be unchanged since then when she was asked about a possible return.
"I don't care about money. Wrestling was never about money for me... I was at the bottom of the totem pole as far as pay went in ECW because I was just a valet. I was very happy with what I was making... That's all I ever wanted, to make enough money to help my sister and my grandma for whatever they needed," stated Martinez. "If somebody were to be like, 'Hey, would you manage Kevin [Thorn] over here,' or if WWE were to be like, 'We want to bring you guys back, and you're going to get this awesome payday out of it,' I have no interest. What more is there to do?
"The biggest heartbreak to me were the people who hurt my feelings. So, if I were to go valet Kevin at a show, chances are I will see them. Why would I want to put myself in that situation? It's like a break up. I broke up with wrestling. We're done. I have somebody else. Why go to a nice fancy dinner invitation with my ex? There's no reason to go back into that world."