Subhojeet Mukherjee on August 31, 2024
Maria Kanellis was once a mainstay of WWE television, but that is all in the past now. She is currently part of the AEW and ROH roster but it appears she is uncertain about her future in AEW and pro wrestling in general at the moment.
Earlier this year, Maria Kanellis made it clear she was not happy about her limited role in ROH as well. The First Lady then revealed that she is scheduled for Retroperitoneoscopic Adrenalectomy surgery. On August 12, she confirmed that her surgery for the adrenal gland mass is set for September.
While speaking on Gabby AF, Maria Kanellis opened up about her current career and personal challenges. Currently associated with Ring of Honor and occasionally appearing on AEW programming, Kanellis revealed that she’s contemplating her future in wrestling. She expressed uncertainty about where she fits in the industry and mentioned potential opportunities coming up in November, but remains focused on contributing meaningfully wherever she ends up.
”When we (myself & Mike Bennett) got split up, it was difficult on our marriage. This was probably the hardest year of our marriage. We’re good now, but at first, it was really difficult. It’s a blessing now. When we were first going through it, I was pissed. It’s being competitive, and wanting to be successful and wanting to be on the main show and wanting to show what you got and do what you were made to do and so, that makes it tough then, plus on top of that, he’s my best friend, so I wasn’t seeing my best friend. So yeah, we’ll see what happens. I don’t know what’s gonna happen. I know that things are coming up at the beginning of November. There’s an option but, we’ll see what happens. For me, it’s about still being able to have a purpose and feel like you’re contributing and wherever I can do that, that’s where I wanna do it. I want to work for my money. I don’t wanna not work for a paycheck. I wanna work for a paycheck and I’ve always felt that way. Even when I was on maternity leave, I was like, ‘I gotta get back to work. I gotta get back to work’ because I just want to contribute and that’s who I’ve always been, that’s how I was raised. I had my first job when I was 12 years old and so, wherever it is that’s going to be an opportunity to really make an impact and to be able to work and help people, that’s where I wanna be… ”
Kanellis praised AEW and its president, Tony Khan, for their impactful pay-per-views but questioned her own place within the company. She shared that the past year has been particularly difficult for her and her husband, Mike Bennett, especially after being split up on different shows, which strained their marriage. Despite overcoming those challenges, Kanellis feels unfulfilled in her career and is considering whether it might be time to move on or explore new opportunities outside of wrestling.
”I love what AEW is about. That’s why I loved Ring of Honor after I was out of WWE and that was because I think it is the greatest wrestling in the world. I think AEW has the greatest wrestling in the world. I think that Tony Khan is probably the very best at putting together pay-per-views that I’ve ever seen in my life. The pay-per-views, every single of them is a banger. Every one of them, I’m excited to see, I’m excited to watch and I think that the idea of a company that is the underdog that is able to make such a huge impact in the wrestling industry, I can get behind that for sure. But it’s also, do I fit? And there have been tons of changes. WWE has done so much change in the last few years and I’m excited to see where it goes from here. The opportunities that the women are getting. I’m just so happy to be seeing those things. I think that what IMPACT — or TNA is doing right now, I think that is really cool and the way that they’re starting to sell-out more and more arenas and bigger places. I think that there’s just so much momentum out there in the wrestling world and I go, at this point, I don’t feel one way or another way about any companies. I just feel like everybody in this industry needs to find out where they best fit and where is the best for their family.
Whatever comes down the pipe, whether it is staying at AEW or leaving wrestling completely, whatever it is, I know it’s how it’s supposed to be. It’s just a matter of surrendering and sometimes, I just wanna fight it on.”
Kanellis stated that while she’s content with her in-ring work, she’s been struggling with health issues and a sense of lost purpose in her career. Kanellis expressed a desire to continue contributing to the wrestling business, particularly in ways that could improve the industry for both male and female wrestlers. However, she’s also open to the possibility of stepping away if necessary, acknowledging that the universe might be signaling it’s time for a change.
”I just talked about this recently. This past year has been just awful. I mean, yes, also great in some ways but then awful in others. But I’ve been home by myself without Mike (Bennett) a ton and so, we were put on two different shows, we were on completely opposite schedules for the longest time. He’s in London right now for a week, and I’m not and so, it’s like, I’ve got that going on in my career where I’m feeling very unfulfilled and wanting to do more and I’m used to fighting for and doing so much more, especially in the last several years of my career before I got to AEW and then on top of it, now I’ve got these health issues and it starts to make you feel very much like, what’s my purpose? Is there a sign here? Is wrestling and this portion of my career coming to a close?
Or do I need to start looking at it in a different way and do I need to start, you know, going somewhere else? Doing something else? Because there’s all these things that are happening in my life and when your health comes into question, then all you can think about is like, am I living my best life? So if something terrible were to happen, would I be proud of the things that I’m doing right now in my life? As far as my kids and of course my family and my marriage. All of that is wonderful and I feel like that’s really great. But then, what is my purpose in my career? And right now, I think that’s kind of gotten lost, and I fight and I try to do more and more. But, it’s also when timing meets opportunity and it’s where do you belong? So, mentally, that makes it really tough. But it also gives you a sense of clarity of like, okay, I know I’m not happy with where my career is right now and whether that means in wrestling or just it’s time to move on and do something else, I’m not sure.
As far as wrestling goes, I don’t feel unfulfilled at all, in the ring. In the ring stuff. Me, wrestling, I did it, and my very last match was at WrestleMania, and I could feel it. I got about halfway down the ramp and I go, this isn’t it. This isn’t it at all. I just knew I was done with wrestling myself. Do I think there’s things in the business of wrestling that I could contribute? Of course. I hate when people feel as if they’re not getting heard in this industry. There’s been so many more opportunities for women and I think that women, they’re the strongest in any division in any company right now.
I think they just have so much to tell, such a brilliant story to tell. The business of wrestling, I think, could run smoother. I think that there’s ways that we could help our talent and help both male and female. I think there are things that definitely could be put into place that could help wrestlers lead longer, happier, healthier careers and so, there’s a part of me that feels like maybe I should fight for that and maybe I’ve been fighting for that a bit (she laughed). In my own way. But, if I had to walk away, there’s other things that are getting put into place right now that I feel confident will be beneficial eventually anyways so, sometimes the universe tells you it’s time to move on and I don’t know if now is the time but, sometimes I feel like its tried to say, okay, maybe try something else for a little while.”
After MxM Collection (Mansoor & Mason Madden) competed at Death Before Dishonor, they caught the attention of Maria Kanellis. Since that initial encounter, the two sides have continued to interact on ROH programming. In the meantime, she remains focused on her surgery, so we’ll have to see how that will turn out before she takes the next step in her pro wrestling journey.
What do you think of what Maria Kanellis had to say about her pro wrestling future? Do you feel she might step away from the industry? Let us know in the comments section below!
August 31, 2024 7:12 am
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