Maria Kanellis Bennett Describes The Journey Of Getting The Kingdom To AEW

During a recent episode of "AEW Unrestricted," Maria Kanellis-Bennett explained how she, Mike Bennett, and Matt Taven landed in AEW in October 2022.

"After Ring of Honor closed, some of the first people we reached out to was AEW because we've worked with so many of the guys that are in AEW," Kanellis recalled. "We see the growth, we see the potential from the outside, and it was just not great timing. As we worked in Impact, it was actually a blessing because we had only had one match where the three of us were all back together since before Mike and I went back to WWE. So we only had one match to go, 'Oh, this is what it's like for the three of us to work together.' And then Ring of Honor closed."

Kanellis explained how they had to figure out who they were again as Taven had a singles run in ROH, Bennett started working a new style, and she had two kids since the last time they were a unit in 2015.

"As we were figuring that out, the goal was always to go to AEW as soon as the opportunity arose. And it did, and I won't give you too many specifics, but I will have to say there were a couple of people that were really pulling for us, people that I feel like they are what it means to be veterans in a locker room. They are really what it means to fight for those guys who fought for you. So to have that as you're coming in felt so good."

Kanellis also noted that she and Brandi Rhodes are the only two women to work the five major pro wrestling companies such as WWE, ROH, Impact Wrestling, NJPW, and AEW.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "AEW Unrestricted" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.