Maria Kanellis
| Maria Kanellis | |
|---|---|
Kanellis in 2012 | |
| Birth name | Mary Louis Kanellis |
| Born | February 25, 1982 Ottawa, Illinois, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Northern Illinois University Johnson & Wales University |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| 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 |
| Trained by | Ohio Valley Wrestling Fit Finlay |
| Debut | 2004 |
Mary Louis Kanellis-Bennett (born February 25, 1982) is an American professional wrestler, manager, promoter, singer and model. She is best known for her tenures in WWE, TNA, All Elite Wrestling, and Ring of Honor.
Outside of wrestling, she is known for her 2008 Playboy magazine pictorial and 2010 appearances on the Celebrity Apprentice television series.
Kanellis' career began as a contestant on the reality show Outback Jack in 2004. In the same year, she placed fifth in the Diva Search, and was later hired by WWE as a backstage interviewer. Kanellis began competing in the ring as a professional wrestler in 2005 and received the Slammy Award for Diva of the Year in 2009. She released her debut album Sevin Sins in 2010 and departed WWE later that year. After departing WWE, she worked for Ring of Honor (ROH) and Impact Wrestling - then Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) - often appearing with her husband Mike Bennett. In TNA, she is a former TNA Knockouts Champion. Along with Bennett, she returned to WWE from 2017 to 2020 and held the WWE 24/7 Championship once.