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The next night, in Brampton, during a May 2025 TNA pay-per-view, they nailed it — and the crowd roared. For the Carellis, it wasn’t just a match. It was a milestone.

The moment was deeply personal. They had never wrestled together before, and the crowd included Anthony’s parents, his wife, and their two young children.

They became the first father and daughter to ever wrestle together in a mixed tag-team match for Total Nonstop Action (TNA) Wrestling — and the first to do so on a televised pay-per-view for a major North American promotion.

“It was one of the biggest matches in my career because everything lined up,� Anthony said. “Not only did I wrestle with my daughter close to Mississauga, my dad’s health is declining due to Parkinson’s disease and I don’t know how many more matches he’s even going to be able to come to. This was everything, man. The stars aligned. It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime moment.�

“To wrestle with my dad in front of family and friends, especially with my grandfather being sick, it really did align so perfectly,� Bianca said.

A legacy in the making

Anthony, 51, wrestles under the name Santino Marella and currently plays the on-screen role of TNA’s Director of Authority. Now nearly 25 years into his career, he’s enjoying something of a renaissance.

He spent 11 years with WWE — wrestling’s biggest stage — where he portrayed an over-the-top Italian character known for his sock puppet cobra and exaggerated broken English.

Best known for comedic storylines — including bits with Snoop Dogg and Donald Trump — he even once portrayed his own “twin sister,� Santina, to win a 30-woman battle royal at WrestleMania. (Note: It was technically 29 women and one man dressed as a woman.)

After a neck injury forced him to retire in 2014, he opened Battle Arts Academy, a Mississauga gym for aspiring wrestlers.

His daughter Bianca, 28, from a previous marriage, never planned to follow in his footsteps — but she admired the world he came from.

“I think I always enjoyed the glitz and the glamour, and I loved going on the road, seeing the shows and the divas — the female wrestlers,� Bianca said. “They thought they were all so beautiful and I looked up to them.�

From biomed to body slams

After earning a biomedical sciences degree from Western University, Bianca wasn’t sure what to do next. Her father encouraged her to try wrestling — especially as the industry began shifting toward more athletic, character-driven roles for women.

An athlete growing up, Bianca had trained in judo, competitive dance, and swimming. She began wrestling at Battle Arts, and after a WWE tryout, the company flagged her as a future prospect. She moved to Florida to gain experience on the independent circuit, and just three months later, a second WWE tryout landed her a contract with NXT, the company’s developmental brand.

“I was really lucky,� she said. “Everything worked out the way I envisioned it.�

WWE gave her a choice between the names Arianna Grace and Arianna Sky. She chose Arianna Grace — not a reference to Ariana Grande, though she says she’s fine with the clickbait it generates.

Six months into her contract, she tore an ACL and was sidelined for nine months. When she returned, she debuted a new persona: Miss NXT, inspired by her real-life pageant background, including a Miss Teen Ontario title in 2013. Wearing a crown and sash, she plays an exaggerated motivational queen — a character that’s caught on with fans, fellow wrestlers, and the company alike.

When Bianca was sidelined with a shoulder injury a few months ago, her fiancé — also a wrestler — suggested she talk to her father about playing a liaison between NXT and TNA. The idea came at the perfect time. In January, WWE, the parent company of NXT, entered into a multi-year partnership with TNA — now in its 23rd year — allowing wrestlers to appear on both promotions.

The opportunity to work together became suddenly real — and Anthony loved the idea.

More importantly, the head writers at both NXT and TNA saw a fit. They began scripting comedic parodies and building toward a joint wrestling match — one that would take place close to home.

Anthony, who had undergone stem cell treatments in 2020 and again in 2024, followed by extensive physiotherapy, had finally returned to the ring without debilitating pain. Lifestyle and dietary changes helped too. Now, he had the chance to wrestle with his daughter — and he chalked it up to serendipity.

Moments before their tag-team match against Robert Stone and Victoria Crawford, Bianca noticed her father beginning to cry.

“He’s very emotional — so am I, the whole family is,� she said. “It’s the Italian side.�

To mark the moment, Anthony invited longtime friend and retired WWE referee Jim Korderas, based in ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½, to officiate the match.

“You could see the legitimate emotion in him — not just wrestling emotion,� Korderas said. “From the get-go, the crowd was happy for them. Anthony’s emotion really transcended to the audience.�

Though the crowd knew they weren’t playing a father-daughter duo in the storyline, they were still emotionally invested — in part because they knew the two were father and daughter in real life. That rare, real-life dynamic, combined with the hometown connection, made it a powerful moment.

A storybook ending would have seen Santino and Arianna defeating Stone and Crawford — but they lost. Anthony was fine with that. The loss built tension between Santino and Stone, and two weeks later, Santino got his revenge, with a little help from Bianca.

What’s next for the Carellis

Anthony believes Bianca has what it takes to be promoted to WWE’s main roster — not just for her wrestling ability, but for her character work. As for himself, he’s relishing his return to the ring and the push he’s getting from TNA. But his dream now is to play her manager.

“We definitely demonstrated to everyone in the professional wrestling world we have excellent on-screen chemistry together,� he said.

Bianca agrees — and the idea of working alongside her dad full-time has real appeal.

“Having him manage me would be hilarious,� she said. “I would love that. Hopefully that’s what happens.�

In the scripted, character-driven world of wrestling, anything is possible.