Away from in-ring competition for the past several years, Maria Kanellis is fully embracing her family life and motherhood. Alongside her husband, also an ROH wrestler, Mike Bennett, she’s now expecting a third child. This morning, the celebrity professional wrestling couple made the exciting announcement public.
Both Mike Bennett and Maria Kanellis took to their Instagram accounts to disclose that they’re expecting baby number three. With no further details given, the two siblings were wearing to-be brother and sister t-shirts while the couple simply wrote, “we’ve been keeping a secret.”
We’ve been keeping a secret… pic.twitter.com/n0k0jT3BmO
— MariaKanellisBennett (@MariaLKanellis) June 30, 2025
Maria Kanellis has been together with Mike for over a decade, and they tied the knot in 2014. Their first two children, a daughter named Freddie and a son named Carver, were born in 2018 and 2020. During her second pregnancy, WWE utilized her in storylines as a pregnant wrestler who also won the then-functional 24/7 Championship, thus becoming the only pregnant champion in WWE history in her only title run with the company.
“That Was One Thing I Wanted To Do In AEW,” Reveals Maria Kanellis
Maria Kanellis was released from her AEW/ROH contract
With the news of her third-time mother coming out, it’s seemingly clear that Maria Kanellis will be staying away from the squared circle for the foreseeable future, with her tenure in All Elite Wrestling already coming to an end long ago. While she did want to be associated with AEW in a capacity, she wasn’t granted he opportunity.
A health scare kept Maria Kanellis away from AEW/ROH programming for the majority of 2024, after which her contract expired and it wasn’t renewed, either. Currently a free agent, the former AEW wrestler is not focused on a return to pro wrestling unless the right opportunity strikes. Before AEW, she previously worked for WWE, TNA, and NJPW, making her one of the few female wrestlers to have worked in the big-five wrestling companies.
It was back in December that Maria Kanellis shared the uplifting news regarding her health upon overcoming a challenging period. Following surgery in late October to remove a mass on her adrenal gland, the popular pro-wrestler declared herself a cancer survivor.