Santino Marella believes TNA Wrestling stands out by giving its talent more freedom to express themselves.

Speaking to We R Wrestling, Marella pointed to the company’s approach to production and the creative input performers have inside the ring.

“So TNA is not overproduced. We don’t have 15 writers. We don’t have 15 producers. We have more freedom. The individuals in the ring have a little more freedom.”

Marella compared that approach to earlier eras, when wrestlers developed their own characters and delivered promos in their own words.

“And when you have freedom, because you hear about back in the golden age of wrestling, they didn’t write their promos for them. They knew their characters. They came from other territories, and you’ll hear guys like Roddy Piper back in the day say, ‘Yeah, they didn’t write any promos for me.’”

He acknowledged that modern television brings responsibilities, with companies needing to consider their networks and sponsors.

“That was the golden era, so there’s something there. I know today it’s different, right? You’re on television, you’re on a network. There has to be some quality control. You have to make sure people aren’t saying things that are going to offend sponsors and stuff. So you do have to know what’s happening on television basically every second, right, to protect yourself.”

For Marella, giving performers room to contribute remains one of TNA’s biggest strengths.

“But I think that’s one of the strengths in TNA: we do have some more creative freedom at the individual level.”

Do you think more creative freedom brings out the best in wrestlers? Share your thoughts in the comments.