Bio
Maria Kanellis is an American professional wrestler who is also famous as an actor and a model. She has worked in major professional wrestling promotions like WWE, TNA Wrestling, and AEW, and won multiple championships. She has also worked in Japan. Currently, she is under contract with All Elite Wrestling.
Maria Kanellis Height, Weight, Age & More:
The billed height of Kanellis is 5’7” and her billed weight is 120 lbs. She was born on February 25, 1982 and currently the former TNA Knockouts Champion is 42 year old. She received strong bookings from major promotions and her excellent physique had always been a big advantage for her success.
Maria Kanellis: Age, Height, Weight, Husband, Net Worth, Family, Injury Details, Tattoo, and Other Unknown Facts
Maria Kanellis Early Life
Kanellis was born on February 25, 1982 and currently she is 42 year old. Ottawa, Illinois is the place where Maria Kanellis born. Kanellis had interests in sports from her childhood and she grew up playing volleyball, basketball, and softball. In 2000, she graduated from Ottawa Township High School and she also attended Northern Illinois University for further study.
Who is Maria Kanellis
Maria Kanellis is a 42 year old American professional wrestler who is currently active in All Elite Wrestling. She has also worked in major professional wrestling promotions like WWE and TNA Wrestling. She won multiple top championships from the wrestling world. She is also famous as an actor and a model.
Maria Kanellis WWE Debut
Kanellis made her breakthrough in WWE through the inaugural Diva Search competition and she was placed fifth in this competition. She earned a contract from WWE after the end of this competition and she started working regularly on Monday Night RAW. She remained under contract with WWE until 2010.
Professional Wrestling Career
Diva Search First Round
Kanellis had an athletic background and she was always interested in playing Sports, particularly volleyball, basketball, and softball. In 2004 WWE organized the inaugural WWE Diva Search competition and a total of 28 women participated in this competition. Kanellis was one of those 28 participants.
Diva Search Finals
Kanellis also made it to the final 10 competitors who competed in the Diva Search competition and appeared on the episodes of Monday Night RAW regularly during that time. Ultimately, Kanellis failed to win the competition and he was placed fifth by the end of it. The WWE Diva Search competition of 2004 was won by Christy Hemme.
Early WWE Days
Kanellis might have failed to win the competition but she earned a professional contract from WWE. At first she started appearing in various non wrestling roles. She worked as a backstage interviewer. Her gimmick was of a girl who kept on asking wrong questions to the wrestlers and annoyed them. This gimmick did not help her much to evolve for the future.
In Ring Debut
She made her in ring debut in January 2005 when she competed in a Lingerie Pillow Fight against the winner of the Diva Search competition of 2004 Christy Hemmy in a losing effort. After this match, she irregularly performed in various matches, including some Diva Battle Royals. But in most cases, she had to suffer defeat.
Early in Ring Works
During those days most of the WWE female wrestlers did not need much skill. Women were mostly objectified during the time so Kanellis did not need much skill either. She was not very good in the ring at first, as she had to perform in gimmick matches like Bra and Panties matches or Lingerie Pillow Fights, which did not require much skill either. But slowly, her skills improved and she went on to become a top star.
Professional Information Table
|
Ring Name |
Maria Kanellis |
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Maria Kanellis Nick Names |
The First Lady of WWE, The First Lady of ROH ROH |
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Profession(s) |
Professional Wrestler |
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Maria Kanellis Height |
5’7” |
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Maria Kanellis Weight |
120 lbs. |
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Relationship Status |
Married |
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Maria Kanellis Net Worth |
$3 Million |
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Maria Kanellis Eye Color |
Light Brown |
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Hair Color |
Blonde (natural) |
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Wrestling Debut |
2004 |
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Mentor |
* |
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Maria Kanellis Signature Moves |
Bronco Buster, Cartwheel Evasion, Headscissors takedown, Enzuigiri |
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Finishing Move(s) |
Beautiful Bulldog |
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Theme Song / Maria Kanellis Song / Maria Kanellis Music |
True Love (WWE) |
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Catchphrases |
*
|
Maria Kanellis Net Worth & Salary
Kanellis is currently under contract with AEW and according to reports from various media sources, the current net worth of Kanellis estimated to be somewhere around $3 million. There is no report on how much salary she receives from AEW annually. Reports suggest that she earned something around $500,000 from WWE in 2019.
Maria Kanellis Family
Kanellis was born on February 25, 1982 in Ottawa, Illinois. There is no information available about her parent. Reports suggest she has at least one brother named Bill and a sister named Janny. She always preferred to keep her previous life private. Sometimes she posted photos of her mother on social media. She grew up in an athletic environment and she had interests in multiple sports categories.
Championships and Accomplishments
Kanellis mostly worked as a valet and non wrestling personnel in the world of professional wrestling, she could not win many championships from the wrestling world. However, she managed to win some top championships like TNA Knockouts Championship one time. The only title she could ever win in WWE was the WWE 24/7 Championship.
Championships and Accomplishments Table
| Championships and Accomplishments / Trophy (WWE) | WWE 24/7 Championship (1 time), Slammy Award (1 time) – Diva of the Year (2009) |
| Awards & Achievements (Outside WWE) | FWE Women’s Championship (2 times, inaugural)
Pro Wrestling Illustrated – Ranked No. 21 of the top 50 female wrestlers in the PWI Female 50 in 2008 TNA Knockouts Championship (1 time) |
| Records | One time TNA Knockouts Champion |
Personal life & Lifestyle
Kanellis made her breakthrough in WWE through the first ever WWE Diva Search competition where she was placed fifth. A number of her fellow Diva Search competition also went on to become famous wrestlers. Candice Michelle, Christy Hemmy, and Michelle McCool are to name a few. Michelle McCool is arguably the most famous among them, she is also the wife of the Undertaker.
Personal Information Table
|
Maria Kanellis Real Name / Full Name |
Mary Louis Kanellis |
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Birth Date
|
February 25, 1982 |
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Maria Kanellis Age |
42 |
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Relationship Status |
Married |
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Zodiac Sign |
Pisces |
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Birthplace |
Ottawa, Illinois |
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Nationality |
American |
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Hometown |
Ottawa, Illinois |
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School/College/University |
Ottawa Township High School, Northern Illinois University |
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Educational Qualification |
Graduate |
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Religion |
Not known |
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Maria Kanellis Ethnicity |
White |
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Current Residence |
Chicago, Illinois |
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Hobbies |
Not known |
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Maria Kanellis Tattoo |
One tattoo on right arm quoting “To the moon and back” |
Maria Kanellis Movies and TV Shows
Beside of her successful wrestling career, Kanellis is also pretty successful in her glamour career. She worked on various movies and television series. She worked on loads of television series, but she appeared mostly as herself. She also worked in a number of movies. The first movie she worked in was Mother Hen released back in 2012.
Maria Kanellis Husband
Kanellis is currently married to famous professional wrestler Mike Bennett. This power couple started dating each other back in 2012 and they got married in 2014. Together they have two children. Mike Bennett had been a pretty famous wrestler and he worked in major wrestling promotions including WWE and other promotions. He also won multiple prestigious championships.
Further Success
Later In Ring Career
Kanellis managed to survive in WWE until 2010 and she might have started her WWE career mostly as a non wrestling personnel, and then she slowly joined in ring fights, but later she started working in the ring regularly. She started having regular fights and rivalries with various names like Michelle McCool and Maryse.
Final Days of First WWE Run
She also challenged for the WWE Divas Championship and the WWE Women’s Championship on various occasions but she could never win these championships in the promotion. She remained in WWE until 2010 and she managed to leave a mark in the promotion. When she left WWE she was a full time in ring talent.
Post WWE Career
After leaving WWE, Kanellis joined Ring of Honor and started working regularly in the promotion. She also worked on various other promotions. She became a top star in TNA Wrestling and she even won the TNA Knockouts Championship one time. She also worked in Japan for a short amount of time. She was also pretty famous on the independent circuit.
Return to WWE
In 2017 she returned to WWE and spent a total of 3 years in the promotion. This time she arrived at the promotion along with her husband Mike Bennett. She got a totally new character after returning to WWE. She even won the WWE 24/7 Championship one time. In April 2020 WWE released her along with her husband as the promotion was desperate to arrange their budget due to the covid 19 pandemic.
Recent Days
Kanellis was really unhappy about her WWE release and she even spoke about it openly. After getting released from WWE, she returned to Ring of Honor where she spent around a year. She also returned to Impact Wrestling for a short amount of time. In 2022, Kanellis made her AEW debut. She is still active in the promotion and she is doing pretty well.
Iconic Quotes From Maria Kanellis
“It was two and a half years that I was down in Ohio Valley Wrestling. It’s been a big part of my life now in the sense that I love that period of my life so much. It was like my college years.”
“Yeah, I’ve been a wrestling fan. I probably got back into it when I was 16, 17. But I was a wrestling fan since I was a little girl. I used to watch it with my dad and my brother.”
“I got to work with Ric Flair. I got to work with John Cena when he was just coming into his own. I got to work with Santino when that character was just started.”
“There’s some guys whom you never thought would go back to WWE because of what they’ve said in the past or the drama that’s happened. But they end up going back.”
“During my first run with WWE, I didn’t realize it at the time, but I came to find out I was one of the favorites. I had no idea – you don’t know if you’re liked there or hated there and it could be both in the same day.”
“If I were to build a company, I would make every single person the biggest star possible because you are only as strong as your weakest link.”
“There are so many opportunities at Ring Of Honor. If you do a good job, you get to do more. If you do a crappy job, then you don’t.”
Notable Feuds and Rivalries of Maria Kanellis
Kanellis did not have a regular in ring career in the world of wrestling but she did manage to have some rivalries throughout her wrestling career. During her first run in WWE, Michelle McCool was one of her early rivals. She challenged her for the Women’s titles on multiple occasions but she could never beat McCool to win any championships in WWE.
During her later career on her first WWE run, Maryse had been one of her top rivals and the duo had some excellent matches together as well. She also had a regular storyline with former two times WWE Intercontinental Champion Santino Marella. At first, they worked as a team but later they became enemies and they even had a match. Marella can be considered a rival of Kanellis’ first WWE run.
Maria Kanellis Injury
Kanellis suffered multiple injuries throughout her wrestling career. But thankfully, no injuries were bad enough that it could cause any permanent damage to her career. In 2016, she suffered a broken hand injury that pulled her off from Slammiversary event of the same year where she was supposed to challenge Jade (Mia Yim) for the TNA Knockouts Championship.
Other Details
Despite being under contract with WWE since 2004, Kanellis made her first appearance in a WWE video game in WWE Smackdown vs. RAW 2009 which was released in 2008. Her latest appearance was in WWE 2K20 and she did not appear in any other WWE video after that since she was released from the promotion back in 2020.
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Maria Kanellis Salary |
$500,000 (2019) |
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Brand Endorsements |
* |
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Sponsors |
* |
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Charity |
Not known |
Maria Kanellis Social Media Accounts
Maria Kanellis is active on Twitter and Instagram from verified accounts. Her verified Twitter account has a total following of 463.5K and her Instagram has a stunning following of 930K. Here are links of her social media accounts where you can follow her. Maria Kanellis Twitter, Maria Kanellis Instagram.
Maria Kanellis Win Loss Record
| Promotion | Win % | Draw % | Loss % |
| FCW | 1 (100.00%) | 0 (0.00%) | 0 (0.00%) |
| FWE | 5 (50.00%) | 0 (0.00%) | 5 (50.00%) |
| NEW | 2 (100.00%) | 0 (0.00%) | 0 (0.00%) |
| NJPW | 1 (100.00%) | 0 (0.00%) | 0 (0.00%) |
| OVW | 1 (50.00%) | 1 (50.00%) | 0 (0.00%) |
| PWS | 0 (0.00%) | 0 (0.00%) | 1 (100.00%) |
| ROH | 2 (50.00%) | 0 (0.00%) | 2 (50.00%) |
| TNA | 6 (54.55%) | 1 (9.09%) | 4 (36.36%) |
| WWE | 47 (38.21%) | 4 (3.25%) | 72 (58.54%) |
| TOTAL | 65 (41.94%) | 6 (3.87%) | 84 (54.19%) |
Maria Kanellis Manager
Kanellis never worked with any professional managers regularly in any wrestling promotion but she had been managed by various names throughout the time. Her husband, Mike Bennett managed her regularly from time to time, and in various promotions Bennett managed her during her final run in WWE too. She had also been managed by other names like Santino Marella previously.
FAQS
Q. When did Maria Kanellis start wrestling?
A. Maria Kanellis started working in 2004
Q. How tall is Maria Kanellis in feet?
A. Maria Kanellis is 5’7” tall in feet
Q. Who is Maria Kanellis manager?
A. Maria Kanellis had been managed by various names like Santino Marella and her husband Mike Bennett
Q. What is current Maria Kanellis song?
A. Maria Kanellis used the song ‘True Love’ in WWE during her final run
Q. Who is Maria Kanellis mother?
A. Not known
Q. Who is Maria Kanellis father?
A. Not known
Q. Who is currently Maria Kanellis boyfriend?
A. Maria Kanellis is currently married to famous professional wrestler Mike Bennett
Q. Who is Maria Kanellis brother?
A. Maria Kanellis has a brother named Bill.
Q. How much is Maria Kanellis worth?
A. Maria Kanellis’ net worth is something around $3m
Q. How many times Maria Kanellis won the WWE 24/7 title?
A. Maria Kanellis had been a one time WWE 24/7 Champion