Maria Kanellis
| Maria Kanellis | |
|---|---|
Kanellis in April 2016
|
|
| Birth name | Maria Louise Kanellis |
| Born |
February 25, 1982 Ottawa, Illinois, United States |
| Residence | Ottawa, Illinois, United States |
| Spouse(s) | Mike Bennett (m. 2014) |
| Children | 1 |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Maria Maria Kanellis Maria Kanellis-Bennett |
| Billed height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) |
| Billed weight | 120 lb (54 kg) |
| Billed from |
Chicago, Illinois Ottawa, Illinois |
| Trained by |
Ohio Valley Wrestling Dave Finlay |
| Debut | 2004 |
Maria Louise Kanellis-Bennett (born February 25, 1982) is an American professional wrestler, valet, actress and singer known for her time in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) under the ring name Maria, where she is a former TNA Knockouts Champion. She is best known for her time with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), and Ring of Honor (ROH) as the valet of her real-life husband Mike Bennett.
Kanellis's career began as a contestant on the reality show Outback Jack in 2004. In the same year, she placed fifth in the Raw Diva Search, but was later hired by WWE as a backstage interviewer. Kanellis began competing in the ring as a wrestler in 2005. She also posed for the April 2008 cover of Playboy magazine, which was incorporated into a storyline on Raw. She released her debut album Sevin Sins on April 13, 2010 on iTunes.
Kanellis was born in Ottawa, Illinois. She has two younger siblings; a brother and sister named Bill and Janny, respectively. Kanellis grew up with an interest in playing sports, particularly volleyball, basketball, and softball. She graduated from Ottawa Township High School in 2000, before spending some time as a student at Northern Illinois University. Before her career in wrestling began, Kanellis regularly competed in beauty pageants.
She competed in the Raw Diva Search in 2004, deciding to enter the contest after seeing an advertisement while watching Raw. Even though she only placed fifth in the contest, she was hired by the company. She stood out in the contest by giving fellow contestant Carmella DeCesare the finger after being eliminated from the contest. Maria began making appearances in Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), WWE's then-developmental territory, under head trainer Paul Heyman. She contributed booking ideas, and her work at OVW earned her a spot on the Raw brand roster. Maria was brought on to Raw as a ditzy backstage interviewer and the host of WWE KissCam in November 2004. Her gimmick involved her asking wrong questions, irritating and amusing WWE Superstars and Divas. The gimmick would last all the way until 2007.
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