In October 2022, Maria Kanellis-Bennett arrived in AEW alongside her husband Mike and Matt Taven, shortly after exiting Impact Wrestling. As well as AEW, the trio have also appeared and competed for Ring of Honor, but Maria’s time working with Tony Khan may be ending within a matter of days.
On Instagram, Maria shared an update on her retroperitoneoscopic adrenalectomy, sharing that she has been consulting with a surgeon and will undergo an operation soon. Maria was diagnosed in July of this year after a mass was found on her adrenal gland.
Addressing her AEW future on Instagram, Maria shared that her contract is due to expire on October 31 and despite reaching out to AEW about whether she’ll be re-signed, “I haven’t heard anything yet”. Maria said she’s trying not to dwell too much on her health concerns or her worries about her AEW future, but is instead getting into the ‘spooky season’ by setting up some Halloween decorations.
With over 20 years in the wrestling business, Maria has proven herself in a variety of roles from being an in-ring talent to an interviewer to a manager of other wrestlers. Ultimately, it will be Tony Khan’s decision as to whether Maria is presented with a new contract, and if so, her choice as to whether she’ll remain with AEW/ROH or try herself in a different promotion. Stay tuned to SEScoops for the latest on Maria and other contracts in the world of professional wrestling.
In the wake of numerous reports surrounding WWE talent asking for their release, one Superstar has responded to the rumors.
Taking to Twitter, Maria Kanellis addressed the speculation that she and her husband, Mike Kanellis, recently requested their release from WWE.
It was actually a fan question that prompted her response. She was asked why she was excited to be included in WWE 2K19’s Rising Stars DLC pack when she had asked to leave WWE.
Despite not out-right denying the rumor, Maria did downplay it by openly mocking it.
“Everyone thinks they know everything. Hahahahaha…. it’s social media not an autobiography.”
Everyone thinks they know everything. Hahahahaha…. it’s social media not an autobiography. https://t.co/5wlyJgzfF1
Maria proceeded to clear up some misinformation surrounding both her and Mike Kanellis, setting the record straight. She addressed Mike’s substance abuse recovery, and whether or not WWE was supportive of her when she became pregnant with the couple’s daughter.
“Social Media Fact Check: Mike NEVER went to rehap ANYWHERE. He was on the road with me rehabbing. We were on house shows. He never took time off to rehab. He worked through it.”
Social Media Fact Check: Mike NEVER went to rehap ANYWHERE. He was on the road with me rehabbing. We were on house shows. He never took time off to rehab. He worked through it.
Prior to debuting in WWE at the Money in the Bank PPV last year, Bennet and Maria had been a popular act in Ring of Honor and NJPW. They had a brief run in Impact Wrestling in 2016-2017 before signing with WWE last spring/summer.
Many have responded poorly to their gimmick of a love-struck couple. Since their debut, Mike has come out as having had a painkiller addiction (for which he is now sober), and Maria is approximately 6 months pregnant.
Just hours after her husband, Mike Bennett, appeared to make it clear what he thinks of today’s TNA news, Maria Kanellis Bennett tweeted a multi-part message on Monday night not long after Raw started:
Granted, she’s not retiring right away. Still, it’s not like retirement tours are new in the wrestling business, either.
Analysis: As noted earlier in the post about Mike Bennett’s tweet, the married couple came into TNA under the new type of contract that the company started offering this year. The idea was for TNA to be able to offset good guaranteed money by booking talent out to independent promotions, but it appears that the prices being charged by the promotion were not competitive enough to get most indies to bite.
With wrestler paychecks being late and/or bouncing at least twice over the court of the last three pay periods, you can see why someone in TNA would become disillusioned with the business, especially when both halves of a marriage are having the same pay issues. If you have options, and Maria clearly feels like she does, then maybe a way out sounds awfully good right now.
While she never turned into great mechanical pro wrestler, Maria absolutely doesn’t get enough credit for how good a performer she has become in all other facets.. In one sense, it will be a shame to see her go, but I hope she does great in the next stage of her life and we should all respect her decision, especially under the current circumstances for TNA roster members.
Nashville-based model and branding specialist McKenszie Mitchell is now handling the weekly Impact Breakview segment, looking back on this week’s episode.
Following Impact, here’s the final card for Sunday’s Slammiversary PPV:
TNA Champion Drew Galloway vs. Bobby Lashley (Submission or KO only)
Jeff Hardy vs. Matt Hardy (Full Metal Mayhem)
Knockouts Champion Jade vs. Sienna
Tag Team Champions The Decay vs. The Bromans
X-Division Champion Trevor Lee vs. Eddie Edwards vs. DJ Zema vs. Andrew Everett
King of the Mountain champion Eli Drake vs. Bram
Mike Bennett vs. EC3
Maria Kanellis vs. Gail Kim
Grado & Mahabali Shera vs. The Tribunal (with Al Snow)
The following report comes courtesy of F4WOnline.com:
Dark match:
Jeff Cobb defeated El Mariachi Loco
Wednesday, February 24th:
Jack Evans defeated PJ Black
Jack cut a heel promo on the crowd before the match started where he called himself “The Dragon Slayer”. Midway through, Drago appeared on one of the corner platforms wearing a dragon skull and taunting Jack with nunchucks. Finish saw Drago come down and try to spit mist at Jack, but ended up hitting PJ which led to a rollup.
King Cuerno defeated Killshot
They messed up a move on the apron but it didn’t take much away from the match. Cuerno kept beating on Killshot afterwards until Fenix came out for the save
Chavo Guerrero, Mr Cisco, & Cortez Castro defeated El Texano Jr in a gauntlet match
Cisco is eliminated within 10 seconds after a kick to the face, Castro put up more of a fight in that it took just 2 minutes to beat him. Most of the match was Chavo/Texano with Cortez using Texano’s rope to trip him and hold his feet down for the cover
Johnny Mundo defeated Cage
A woman came out to distract Cage but I could not identify her (Blonde hair, similar attire to Asuka). After the match, both of them beat down and taunted Cage. Good match
Wednesday, March 2nd:
Cobra ??? (Last name sounded like Moon) defeated Sexy Star via submission
Cobra made her debut and looked to be Cheerleader Melissa under a blue snakeskin bodysuit (If it helps, she had a tiki tattoo on the back of her neck). The Mack came out to cheer Sexy on and Marty the Moth was in the stands near the end to distract Sexy. Cobra won with a rear naked choke and did some hissing towards Marty, clearly some type of relationship between them.
Prince Puma vs Pentagon Jr went to a no contest
Nice back & forth matchup until Mil Muertes ran 5 minutes into the match and beat both of them out. Mil left both laying with a double flatliner
Fenix defeated King Cuerno in a ladder match to regain the Gift of the Gods title
Awesome ladder match which saw them fight in the stands and in the floor seats. Match ended with Fenix giving Cuerno a top-rope hurricanrana through a table, then grabbing the title. The tapings ended with a staredown between Mil Muertes from his throne and Fenix on the ladder.
The following are highlights from a recent interview with former WWE Diva Maria Kanellis:
On working with Paul Heyman in OVW in the past: “I’m kind of an underground Paul Heyman girl and he is what really inspired the ditsy character, he really inspired me to do the things that I did at WWE. I’m an admirer of his work, I think what he has done with so many guys and throughout ECW was incredible.”
When I was in OVW I just watched him as he helped CM Punk every day, Punk was already incredible but then Paul Heyman kind of pushed him over the edge and gave him that opportunity on ECW to be who he is today.”
On what Vince McMahon is like as a boss: “He was great with me, I know he can be very tough with other people but with me he wasn’t, he was like a father figure to me, I really enjoyed working for Vince.”
On her opinions of the Total Divas reality show: “I’ve watched a few of the episodes of Total Divas and I think it is a great show. There is a lot of tremendous talent in WWE’s women division at the moment, I think AJ Lee is incredible, I’ve always been a fan of Natalya. There are also some great women down in NXT like Paige, there are a lot of great talented women that are a part of that company at the moment.”
On whether or not we could ever see her and Mike Bennett in WWE or TNA: “TNA called me twice this year, I think they’re a great company but I’m loving my time in ROH and I’m definitely happy with my fiancée. Who knows if that will ever change, but I wish TNA all the best in the world, I think the girls there are tremendous.”
WWE called me earlier this year and for whatever reason that fell through, would I go back there eventually, sure. I loved my time there I loved traveling the world and the people that I worked with. I’m sure Mike will be in the WWE very soon and it will be great to join him there.”
Check out the complete interview online at Wrestling101.com.
-Current Ring Of Honor stars Mike “The Prodigy” Bennett and Maria Kanellis are currently planning their real-life wedding.
-Former professional football players Mojo Rawley and Baron Corbin are expected to start on WWE television in the near future. Rawley and Corbin are the only two stars with no prior wrestling experience in the current crop of athletes taken from scratch and placed into the NXT system that are said to be ready for WWE television exposure.
– Ivelisse Vélez, who appeared in Florida Championship Wrestling as Sofia Cortez, says she has been released by WWE. She announced Saturday on Twitter:
This is NOT okay. Hottest chick down there with the most talent. "@Sofia_WWE: I, as well, have been released by WWE. Sorry my #Soljas…."
Vélez, who began her professional wrestling career in 2005 in Puerto Rico, rose to prominence as a contestant on Tough Enough last year, a televised competition that awarded the winner a WWE contract.
Vélez was eliminated from the competition due to injury, but offered a developmental contract in November. She had been appearing on WWE NXT as of late.
– The August 10 episode of WWE Vintage Collection featured the following matches: Chavo Guerrero vs. Chavo Classic vs. Spike Dudley (WWE SmackDown – May 20, 2004), The Mexicools vs. The Blue World Order (WWE Great American Bash 2005), The Caribbean Kid vs. Steve Austin (WWF Superstars – April 13, 1996), Pedro Morales and Tito Santana vs. Nikolai Volkoff and The Iron Sheik (WWF Superstars – January 31, 1987), Eddie Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio (WWE SmackDown – September 9, 2005). (Thanks to Devin Cutting)
– Former WWE Diva Maria is today’s featured Superstar on WWE.com.
Posted August 11th, 2012 in News, WWE. Tagged: Maria.
– It’s being speculated that Val Venis will make a cameo appearance on tonight’s Raw SuperShow since the program emanates from his billed hometown of Las Vegas, Nevada and the official WWE website posted several videos on Sunday highlighting his career. When asked via Twitter whether he would appear for the organization again, he responded, “Not so long as they support sopa/cispa.”
– Alex Riley announced on Tout that he will be facing former Intercontinental Champion Cody Rhodes tonight in Las Vegas, Nevada and wanted fan feedback on what strategy he should use to defeat him. Riley, however, did not indicate whether the match will be dark, or take place on Raw SuperShow or WWE Superstars.
– Fozzy release a brand new single “Sandpaper,” via iTunes Tuesday. The single is taken from Fozzy’s upcoming new album, Sin and Bones, which is due out August 14 via Century Media Records.
– Former WWE Diva talent Maria Kanellis stated on Twitter that AfterBuzzTV.com’s recap show for Raw SuperShow will return next Monday night.
As reported earlier, Maria Kanellis voiced her displeasure with being groped by a spectator at Saturday’s Ring of Honor Best in the World 2012 event in New York City, writing on Twitter: “Thank you New York for coming to see Mike Bennett and myself. But the guy in the front row that grabbed my bum, I will have you thrown out next time. You are a pervert!!
“I am not to be touched, ever, by a fan weather I am working or not. It’s gross. I am not a toy. You pay to watch, so watch. Don’t touch. The only person that can touch is Mike Bennett. From now on you will get thrown out. thank you…”
Kanellis says she is disgusted with wrestling fan comments she read online Tuesday concerning the groping incident. She tweeted: “So since Marisa Tomei played a stripper and is scantily clad in a movie that gives you the right to grab her? I don’t think so. I am a performer and so is she. Your comments disgust me on [wrestling website].”
Maria Kanellis was displeased with being groped by a spectator at Saturday’s Ring of Honor Best in the World 2012 event in New York City. Following the event, she tweeted, “Thank you New York for coming to see Mike Bennett and myself. But the guy in the front row that grabbed my bum, I will have you thrown out next time. You are a pervert!!”
The former WWE Diva continued, “I am not to be touched, ever, by a fan weather I am working or not. It’s gross. I am not a toy. You pay to watch, so watch. Don’t touch. The only person that can touch is Mike Bennett. From now on you will get thrown out. thank you…”
Kanellis was asked late last night whether she misses WWE. She responded, “I’m the FIRST LADY in the greatest company in the world. No I don’t. I’m all grown up.” Hours later, she was made today’s spotlighted Superstar on WWE.com. She then wrote, “Thank you for the spotlight… WWE.com. A LADY deserves the spotlight…”
Posted June 26th, 2012 in News, WWE. Tagged: Maria.
– With WWE’s sixty-day suspension of Randy Orton for his second violation of the Talent Wellness Program last Wednesday, the sentiment within the organization is that management is getting serious about drug testing since he is a top star. It has been widely speculated in the past that WWE officials selectively enforced drug testing policy violations based on a wrestler’s importance to the organization.
Since last July, WWE has handed out ten suspensions to nine performers (Andy Leavine, Darren Young, Evan Bourne, Heath Slater, Mike Chioda, R-Truth, Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara), the most within a one-year period since WWE began publicly announcing all Talent Wellness Program violations on November 1, 2007. From November 2008 up until the July 2011 announcement of Sin Cara’s suspension, the company had only issued one suspension (to Rey Mysterio).
– WWE.com has published a playlist of “Macho Man” Randy Savage interviews that make you go “Ooh Yeah!”
– WrestlingFigs.com says Maria Kanellis will appear at Wrestling Universe 7 Main St. Watertown, Massachusetts on Saturday, July 14 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Call 617-744-6455 for more information.
— Ultimate Warrior has addressed One Warrior Nation, a rotund wrestler who parades around the independent circuit with the former WWE Champion’s gimmick.
He tweeted this photo of the impostor Wednesday and ridiculed his less than Warrior-like physique, writing, “One tiny favor, warriors. If you ever see me in this condition, kill me. Just fucking kill me. W.”
— Former WWE Superstar Snitsky has resurfaced on Twitter at BiggeneWDF. He closed his previous account last summer following a homophobic outburst toward fans of The Miz—which he claimed wasn’t him.
— Maria Kanellis, Davey Richards, Teddy Hart and Brittney Savage have been announced to appear for Pro Wrestling Syndicate’s five year anniversary shows on Friday, June 1 and June 2 in Rahway, New Jersey. (Event Information)
— WWE Hall of Famer Verne Gagne turns 89 years old Thursday while WWE Hall of Famer Tito Santana turns 59.
— The latest issue of The Wrestler has a feature on CM Punk revealing elements of his past including the origin of his ring name, why he left TNA Wrestling, the meaning of some of his tattoos and even which women wrestlers he has dated. Regarding the women’s wrestlers Punk has been romantically linked to, the magazine writes:
“We all know women love the bad boys. Though Punk isn’t really a bad boy in the traditional sense given the way he lives his life, he looks the part. Whatever the reason, he has been romantically linked to several Divas and Knockouts, including Daffney, Traci Brooks, Maria Kanellis, Amy “Lita” Dumas, and most recently, Beth Phoenix. What is Punk’s type?”
— Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has addressed the meaning behind one of his most famous catchphrases, “Jabroni.”
When asked of the meaning of the word Tuesday on Twitter, he wrote, “Jabroni was a term I started using to describe a phony, goof, punk or a ham & egger. #NoCandyAssJabronis.”
— WWE has updated the logo for their Over the Limit pay-per-view—see here. This year’s show takes place on May 20 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina.
– Actress Jessica Alba stepped into the wrestling ring Monday to film a YouTube commercial in Los Angeles, California. Her opponent was former WWE Superstar John Morrison. The official website of Us Weekly has published a photo of Alba applying a headlock on Morrison.
– Former WWE Diva Maria Kanellis defended independent wrestling after receiving an inflammatory message on Twitter saying she should get a “real” job rather than waste time in Ring of Honor earning “$100” per show. She wrote:
“Were do you think your precious WWE superstars come from? ROH and the Indies making maybe a hundred. Working their asses off!! Hurt, tired, working 2 jobs, driving everywhere. These are my boys now and don’t you dare insult them. I’m PROUD of where I am.”
– Ring of Honor’s weekly television show will begin airing on KFDM in Beaumont, Texas on April 22. The show will air at midnight.
— WWE Superstar David Otunga poked fun at the consistently flat ratings for TNA’s Impact Wrestling.
He wrote on Twitter, “If imitation is the highest form of flattery, I’m flatter than Impact’s ratings right now. #OtungaLaw.”
This is apparently in response to a lawyer character for Bobby Roode appearing on Thursday’s Impact Wrestling.
— Both Epico and Jack Swagger turn 30 years old on Saturday. Former WWE Superstar Barry Horowitz also turns 52.
— Maria Kanellis and Demolition will appear at Royal Collectibles 96-01 Metropolitan Ave. Forest Hills, New York on Saturday, May 5 from noon to 2:00 p.m. Call 718-793-0542 for more information.
— WWE’s Once in a Lifetime: The Rock vs. John Cena airs in the United Kingdom on Sunday at Noon on Sky Sports.
— WWE Classics On Demand takes a trip back to the ’80s in April with the best moments and matches from the decade. Those highlighted include Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior, “Macho Man” Randy Savage, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, Dusty Rhodes, Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat, Junkyard Dog, Road Warriors and more.
— WWE.com has published a photo gallery highlighting The Brooklyn Brawler’s career. He currently works for WWE in a behind the scenes capacity.
— Former WWE Women’s and Divas Champion Melina competes for Family Wrestling Entertainment on April 28 at The Hall at St Paul, 59th Street + 9th Ave, New York, New York. Though her opponent has not been announced, former WWE Diva Maria Kanellis currently holds the promotion’s women’s title.
— WWE creative curtailing Mark Henry’s standing in the company following a huge promotion relates to injuries and perception. Many internally have perceived Henry for numerous years as being injury prone and not tough enough to gut said injuries out.
Meanwhile, Henry is trying to break into acting as he feels his days in wrestling are coming to an end. He also realizes that his acting roles will probably limited to playing a bodyguard or bar bouncer.
— Carlito and Pimp Fatha (a/k/a The Godfather) headline the Territory League show on March 27 at the Avalon in Hollywood, California.
— Maria Kanellis will appear at WrestleReunion 8, which takes place April 13-15 at the Doubletree Toronto Airport 655 Dixon Rd. Toronto, Ontario Canada.
— WWE has yet to follow up on Kharma’s appearance last month at the Royal Rumble because she has not fully recovered from giving birth on December 31, 2011 and isn’t ready to work a full-time schedule. Nonetheless, her return to the squared circle is on the horizon.
When asked on Twitter this week what she was doing, she replied, “Working hard to come back at my best.” She was then asked when she would be returning to WWE and said “Soon.”
— Former WWE Champion John “Bradshaw” Layfield wrote the following on Twitter regarding a potential return to WWE: “Sorry, WWE has never asked about coming back more than a one off- happy coaching kids in Bermuda! Gotta make a difference-or try at least!”
— Former WWE stars John Morrison, Maria and Melina have been announced to appear at the Motor City Comic Con taking place May 18-20 at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi, Michigan.
Former WWE Diva turned First Lady of Ring of Honor, Maria Kanellis, joins us to talk about her first wrestling match in two years since her WWE release. This weekend, Kanellis faces fellow former Diva and current TNA star, Tara, in New York on her 30th birthday, no less. Maria talks to us about the match, why she’s returning to the ring and her training for her ring return.
The First Lady of ROH dishes on how her ROH appointment came about, the differences between working in ROH and WWE, the reactions from the notoriously tough ROH crowd, and her response to fans who questioned her passion for wrestling & assumed she’d quit the business after her WWE release.
Maria also tells us about her recent backstage visit to WWE and what happened when she spoke to Vince McMahon and John Laurinaitis, the very people who fired her two years ago this week.
Working in ROH vs working in WWE: “I’m much more relaxed! I’m very relaxed at Ring of Honor. I don’t feel the pressure that I did at WWE. But I’m also, so I think that a lot of it comes with maturity and being comfortable in your own skin. I’m more confident in myself than I was when I was in WWE. That goes with being outside of WWE and starting to see the world through different eyes. Now coming back into wrestling and being like, ‘You know what? This is where you have fun’, and I just want to have fun with my wrestling career now. I don’t want to be stressed out or worrying about where’s my next storyline. I don’t want to be worrying about all that stuff.”
Why she’s returning to the ring: “There was a lot of things I wanted to accomplish that I didn’t get to accomplish before. I never really felt like I was that great in the ring, and then I also felt that I didn’t get a whole lot of time to be in the ring. My goal is to go out there and do the best that I can, and if I get out there and I’m like, ‘Okay, this is it for me and I’m not going to wrestle anymore’, that’s one thing. Or if I get out there and I’m like, ‘You know what? I really want to continue moving forward with this part of wrestling’ then that’s what I’m going to do. But there was so many things I wanted to accomplish in the ring and so many things I loved doing in the house shows that I never got to really show off on WWE TV.”?
“I never won a championship and that was a big thing for me. I didn’t want to win the greatest championship in the world and I didn’t need to hold it forever, but just winning it by a fluke would’ve been nice, just to say I was on that great list.”
“There’s just a lot of things I want to accomplish in the ring.”
Being backstage recently at a WWE Raw taping: “I stood there and talked to Vince for probably 10-15 minutes, just shooting the shit. I talked to him about the new network. I told him that I thought the show was great as of late, I really enjoyed last week’s episode. I talked to him about, ‘How’s the family?’ and ‘Give Linda my best’. At the same time that I’m not there, it’s still part of my family. Sometimes I don’t like the things that John Laurinaitis does but at the same time, for a long time I was on the road with him all the time. He’s the one that initially called me and sad, ‘Maria, we want you to go down to OVW’, so you still have to have an appreciation.”
?“At the end of the day, wrestling’s still a business and I try to remember that every day when I do anything with wrestling.”
Posted February 22nd, 2012 in News. Tagged: Maria.