>>16154041This isn't a joke just so you know what I'm about to post:
According to Carelli, it boiled it down just to a miscommunication. At the time, Carelli, an OVW trainee, had his young daughter (now wrestling in "NXT" as Arianna Grace) with him at ringside, and she was frightened by the appearance of the supernatural wrestler known as the Boogeyman. Carelli says the Boogeyman's makeup was melting under the lights, which aggravated Cornette, as the adult fans were laughing at what was supposed to be a scary character.
"He thought I was laughing at the Boogeyman, but I was enjoying watching my daughter be terrified," Carelli said on an episode of "Monday Mailbag w/ Mike Chioda. "That was a misunderstanding."
When he was told to come backstage, Carelli thought he would be receiving praise. "I come back and [Cornette's] like, 'You think this is a joke?' And he came up and gave me the little paint brushes [slaps] and I just kind of stopped and looked at him and I'm like, with my eyes, trying to make it very clear that you are very lucky that we're in this situation right now, and I'm not going to say anything."
Carelli found himself up in WWE eventually, starting with the Milan Miracle in 2007, and talks about earning his spot rather than it being given to him after the slaps from Cornette.
"That's one of the things that Cornette likes to say is that they gave me a job so I wouldn't sue or something like that, but that's just ridiculous," he said.
https://www.wrestlinginc.com/news/2022/06/santino-marella-jim-cornette/Cornette tried to get physically violent over Santino looking out for his family.
