Maria Kanellis has made clear that a regular return to professional wrestling is not currently part of her plan, but the veteran performer is not prepared to call the possibility of one more major appearance completely finished.
Kanellis, whose career has included prominent runs in WWE, Ring of Honor and AEW, has spent time away from the industry since her AEW departure in January 2025. In that time, she has focused on her health, her family and a new professional direction in Nashville, where she works as an event planner and florist.
Speaking on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Kanellis discussed the uncertainty she felt after stepping away from wrestling. Her comments painted a picture of someone who had spent years moving from one major wrestling opportunity to another while also confronting serious personal health challenges. The transition out of that environment was not immediate or simple.
“Because I was in AEW and I was in ROH and I had a tumor and I had skin cancer and I had this and I had that,” Kanellis said on Insight with Chris Van Vliet. “So, it was a lot of self-reflection.”
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Kanellis said she benefited from the support and patience of her husband, fellow wrestler Mike Bennett, as she worked through what she wanted the next stage of her life to look like. Rather than rushing into another wrestling commitment or forcing a quick answer about retirement, she allowed herself time to consider different possibilities.
“Luckily, I have a husband that’s just allowed me to take my time to figure out, ‘What do I want to do next?’” Kanellis said. “I finally have found something, so now I’m all in, but before that, it was very much like, ‘Eh. I don’t know. I don’t know. I miss performing and I miss this.’ It was really hard.”
That honesty helps explain why Kanellis is not framing her current situation as a definitive retirement announcement. She has found a fulfilling pursuit away from the ring, but wrestling has remained an important part of her identity for much of her adult life. For a performer whose career has moved through multiple eras and promotions, separating from the business entirely can be more complicated than simply deciding to stop taking bookings.
A Career Across WWE, ROH and AEW
Kanellis first became widely known to wrestling fans through WWE, where she emerged as one of the company’s recognizable personalities during the mid-2000s. Her work there introduced her to a national audience, but her career eventually grew far beyond the role that initially made her familiar to viewers.
Following her first WWE departure, Kanellis built an extensive résumé on the independent scene and in Ring of Honor. Her ROH work became especially significant. Kanellis was known as “The First Lady of ROH,” a designation that reflected both her visibility in the promotion and the prominent role she held alongside Bennett during a formative period for both of their careers.
Her time in ROH also helped establish Kanellis as a performer capable of contributing in different formats. She was not limited to one presentation or one company identity. Across her career, she worked as an on-screen personality, manager, valet, competitor and character-driven performer, adapting her approach to the changing needs of each promotion.
Kanellis later returned to WWE with Bennett, appearing on both the main roster and on the company’s other programming. The pair’s relationship was central to their presentation, while Kanellis also continued to show the poise and confidence she had developed through her years away from WWE.
After another WWE exit, Kanellis and Bennett became part of the AEW and ROH landscape. Their arrival offered another chance to work in an environment connected to the history they had helped shape. Kanellis’ AEW tenure concluded in January 2025, beginning the period of reflection she described in her interview.
Her career has therefore been defined by more than one chapter or a single company run. WWE gave Kanellis broad exposure. ROH gave her a lasting nickname and a substantial place in the promotion’s history. AEW and the revived ROH environment represented a later opportunity to remain involved in major televised wrestling. Those experiences are part of why the question of a future appearance still draws interest.
Not Closing the Door, But Not Planning a Weekly Return
When asked about the possibility of wrestling again, Kanellis did not speak in absolute terms. She acknowledged a reality familiar to longtime fans: in wrestling, decisions about a return do not always rest solely with the performer. Timing, opportunities, creative circumstances and the right event can all matter.
“I haven’t closed the door, but it’s not always up to the person,” Kanellis said on Insight with Chris Van Vliet.
At the same time, Kanellis drew a strong distinction between a cameo or special-event role and going back to the demands of consistent in-ring work. Her comments suggest that she does not see a full-time wrestling schedule as the likely path ahead.
“Wrestling, probably not, unless it’s like the Royal Rumble or another Evolution pay-per-view or something like that,” Kanellis said. “But, consistently wrestling? Probably not.”
The Royal Rumble is an obvious setting for a surprise appearance because its match structure has long allowed WWE to bring back recognizable names from different generations. A return in that environment would not necessarily require a long-term contract, an immediate storyline commitment or a weekly schedule. It would instead offer a concise, high-profile moment built around nostalgia and recognition.
Kanellis also mentioned Evolution, WWE’s all-women’s premium live event concept. The original Evolution event remains a notable landmark for women’s wrestling in WWE, and Kanellis’ mention of another edition makes sense given the nature of her career. She has worked in several different periods for women in the industry, from WWE’s mid-2000s presentation to the evolving opportunities provided by ROH and AEW.
Neither reference should be read as confirmation that a Royal Rumble appearance or another Evolution event is planned. Kanellis was describing the type of circumstance that could make a return appealing, not announcing an agreement, a booking or a scheduled match. Still, the fact that she specifically named those possibilities confirms that she has not entirely shut the door on a wrestling appearance under the right conditions.
A New Life Outside the Ring
For now, Kanellis appears firmly invested in her work beyond wrestling. Event planning and floral design are far removed from the travel, physical strain and unpredictable schedules of the wrestling industry, but they also provide another outlet for creativity and presentation. Those fields require vision, organization and an ability to help create memorable experiences—skills that can translate naturally from years spent working in entertainment.
Her new focus also arrives after a stretch she described as emotionally difficult. Kanellis spoke of missing the act of performing while trying to determine what was next. That feeling is understandable for someone who spent so many years in front of live crowds and cameras. Yet her comments indicate she has now reached a greater sense of clarity.
That clarity does not erase her wrestling legacy or remove the possibility that fans could see her again. Instead, it gives Kanellis the ability to approach any future wrestling opportunity on her own terms. A one-night appearance, a special event, or a role tied to a meaningful occasion would be very different from returning to the grind of a weekly in-ring schedule.
Kanellis’ present stance is measured rather than final. She is not campaigning for a full-time comeback, and she is not presenting herself as someone waiting by the phone for wrestling’s next offer. She has a new career, a family life and priorities shaped by her health and personal experiences. But she also recognizes that professional wrestling has a way of reopening doors when the moment is right.
For fans who followed Kanellis from WWE through ROH and AEW, that leaves room for cautious optimism. Her days as a consistent wrestler may be behind her, but a special appearance remains possible. As Kanellis herself noted, wrestling is rarely predictable—and that uncertainty is exactly why the door remains slightly open.
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Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.