Mike Bennett On Getting The WWE Release Call, What Maria Kanellis Is Doing Now
Mike Bennett recently spoke with Scott Fishman of TV Insider and said he thought about quitting the business when WWE released he and wife Maria Kanellis back in April of this year along with other COVID-19 budget cuts. Mike and Maria had signed a new multi-year contract in mid-2019, but then Mike requested his release in October 2019.
"When I got fired, I contemplated if I wanted to keep wrestling," Bennett revealed when asked how it felt to get the release call from WWE. "I don't know what the post-coronavirus pro wrestling world is going to look like. I have a 2-year-old and, when we got fired, my son was 2 months old. I'm so thankful to have my wife to lean on. She's my biggest supporter. We had constant talks after the kids went to bed and figured it out. You become parents, adults, and figure out life."
Bennett returned "home" to Ring of Honor last month. He recently reunited with Matt Taven on ROH TV, and will make his ROH pay-per-view return at Final Battle this Friday, December 18. Taven and Bennett are set to face Vincent and Bateman in a Tag Team Grudge Match.
Bennett noted that the last three years of his career, while with WWE, haven't been the best years he's had, so he was happy to be back with ROH. He confirmed that he's currently working a per-appearance deal with ROH.
"It's per appearance [while] everyone is trying to figure out what's going on with the world," Bennett said when asked about his ROH contract status. "I'm there. That's my home. I love it there. I love my family there. It will take a lot for me to leave again. I don't see that happening anytime soon."
Regarding Maria, Mike revealed that she is currently back in school for her master's degree. The mother of two has considered a return to the industry.
"Maria is very much a methodical person," Mike said when asked where Maria's head is at when it comes to the business. "The minute we got released she was already thinking about what we're doing next. I was still registering the fact we got fired, and she was already planning the next six years of our lives. She's back in school now getting her master's degree. That woman blows my mind. We've talked about her coming back to wrestling. She still loves the industry. For Maria, it's one of those things where if she feels it's the right time, she still will come back on her terms."