Candid responses from Kanellis.
The newest episode of Gabby AF featured an hour-long interview with Maria Kanellis. Maria is currently featured on Ring of Honor and occasionally appears on AEW programming.
As the conversation went on, Kanellis shared that ‘things are coming up’ in the beginning of November and there’s an option. She wants to feel like she has a purpose and is contributing. Kanellis said wherever she can do that, that’s where she wants to be.
She followed up by saying she loves AEW. Maria heaped praise onto company President Tony Khan for his presentation of pay-per-views and making an impact, but circled back to the point of where does she fit in.
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…
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 explained why she’s feeling unfulfilled with her career. She questioned if it is time to move on to somewhere else or do something else.
She clarified that she’s not referring to the in-ring portion of wrestling and stated that she’s fulfilled with that. Kanellis said if she has to walk away, there are things being put into place that will be beneficial.
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.
As she continued to dive into the topic at hand, she opened up about no longer being paired with Matt Taven and her husband Mike Bennett. Maria said it just stopped happening and she did not know it was coming.
She understands business is business but added that there’s a 10-year history with the trio. She wishes she could have said goodbye on-screen before they went their separate ways. She knows Taven and Bennett do not need her anymore but wanted that formal goodbye. Kanellis added that she gets excited when she sees them at Ring of Honor tapings.
Yeah, it was crazy (to stop appearing with Mike Bennett & Matt Taven) because I didn’t know it was happening. It basically just happened, and then that was it (she laughed). I’m like, uh… I understand business is business and that’s fine. But there’s also like — there’s 10 years of history there, and I’ve been working with my husband for 13 years, and so, it’s weird. It’s weird for me. It’s just really hard. I adore them both so much. It’s like, Mike’s my husband but Taven ended up being my protector in a lot of ways for so many years. It’s so many times, we’d be out there and match would happen, all this stuff and for some reason, Taven is the one helping me out of the ring or carrying me to the back. He’ll be the one to hold my hand while I’m getting in the ring and I’m like, where is my husband!? What is going on!? So, I had these two amazing men that constantly protected me in different ways and you know, Taven and I would share hair products when we’d go to Japan, or we’d share all these stories of what was going on with our lives and it’s so funny, still to this day, the boys come back from a match and if I’m backstage, they come right to me, and it’s heartbreaking now because I want to be out there with them. But I also think that there’s something to letting ‘em go so they can fly. I think for me, it’s more of a, I wish I had the chance to just to have that one final goodbye. Every time I say it, I start tearing up because those are my boys, and I never had that moment of, alright, now go and be these incredible champions that I always knew that you could be and be these amazing people that I always knew that you would be and you don’t need me anymore, and that’s great and I want them to need me and as parents, you raise children not so that they are great kids. No, you raise children so they go out and become great adults and in essence, that’s what I feel like is they don’t need me anymore but I would’ve liked a goodbye. Or at least the opportunity to have that one last moment, and that makes me very sad and I miss them so much. I always get so excited when they’re at Ring of Honor when I’m there with Griff (Garrison) or Griff and Cole (Karter) because it’s like, we all come together and it’s nice to have that camaraderie and that back-and-forth. Griff is Taven 2.0 and Cole is Mike 2.0. It’s so funny. There’s similarities. Of course, there’s a million differences but there’s definitely some similarities there and Griff and Cole, they’ve really formed this amazing relationship during all of this… But yeah, it’s hard. That definitely took a toll on me. I’m so used to being with my husband all the time and people would get so annoyed. They would be like, ‘Why do you guys hang out all the time? You’re married and then you come to work and you hang out at work and you sit at lunch together.’ I’m like, ‘Well, ‘cause I married my best friend,’ and then Taven will come and he’ll be with our group and you know, we all just liked hanging out together and so, yeah, it definitely took a toll.
After MxM Collection (Mansoor & Mason Madden) competed at Death Before Dishonor, they were approached by Maria. Since then, the two sides have further interacted on ROH programming.
Maria joined AEW/ROH in October 2022.
If the quotes in this article are used, please credit Gabby AF with an H/T to POST Wrestling for the transcriptions.
