With relatively fewer wrestling skills in comparison to her contemporaries, Maria Kanellis began her career in the WWE. After roaming around the independent circuit in the early 2000s, she subsequently had the opportunity to join the WWE in 2005 as a backstage interviewer. It portrayed her in an innocent dumb role which wasn’t initially liked by her but she ultimately managed to stay around.
Although her immediate WWE stint wasn’t successful, it’s safe to say that the name Maria Kanellis went on to become the most organic babyface name on the female roster by the end of the Ruthless Aggression era. Her popularity was the reason that WWE allowed her to feature as the cover girl of Playboy magazine, the last of its kind.
Down the road, Maria Kanellis also became “The First Lady of professional wrestling” after leaving the WWE. The moniker is apparently true since she’s only the second female wrestler in the whole world to have enjoyed a career in five of the top wrestling promotions of the world – WWE, AEW, Impact Wrestling, ROH, and NJPW.
Maria Kanellis most randomly found out “The First Lady” moniker
Speaking in an interview on the AEW Unrestricted podcast, Maria Kanellis explained what inspired her to pick up such a unique gimmick that she used all over the wrestling circuit over the past decade and beyond.
“We were actually just sitting in my husband’s parent’s basement. And his friend at the time said ‘What about being the First Lady?’ And I was like ‘Oh, I kind of like that.’ And it’s a bit of an homage to Miss Elizabeth because she was called the First Lady as well. She was such an integral part of the matches, even though she wasn’t wrestling.” (quotes courtesy Wrestling INC)
Overall, Maria Kanellis is the third woman to have used the “First Lady” moniker in this wrestling business. The most famous one to carry that name was WWE Hall of Famer Miss Elizabeth. The former WCW and ECW valet Missy Hyatt also used the same gimmick. Kanellis also noted in the conversation that she wanted to pay homage to her predecessors by calling herself the “First Lady.”
Currently, Maria Kanellis is signed to All Elite Wrestling where she continues to be a manager for The Kingdom faction. She’s not participated in competition for over four years but one last match can’t be ruled out given her kids wants to see her in action.
