Entertainment
How Ring of Honor’s Mike Bennett rediscovered passion for wrestling after WWE ‘beat the love’ out of him
He’s gunning for gold this weekend (Photo: Ring of Honor/Mike Adams)
The Mike Bennett fans will see at Ring of Honor: Best In The World this weekend is a very different man to the one who was released from WWE in April 2020.
Reinvigorated and with a renewed passion for wrestling, this is a performer motivated by the artform and inspired by the chance to etch his name into history by winning the Pure Championship from Jonathan Gresham on Sunday night (July 11).
He exclusively told Metro.co.uk: ‘It was one of those things where I felt like WWE kinda beat the love out of wrestling for me. I’d always loved wrestling, I loved what it was, I loved performing but then when I got there, I got to the point where I was like, “I don’t like this”.
‘But it was really differentiating between… It’s not that I didn’t like the wrestling, I just didn’t like the wrestling I was doing, I didn’t like the company I was working for.’
Since he and wife Maria Kanellis were released by WWE during a global pandemic – which presented its own fears about supporting themselves and their two young children – he has been revitalised, first with a NWA Worlds Championship match with Nick Aldis, and then by his return to ROH.
‘When I was in Ring of Honor the first time, I don’t think I truly appreciate the opportunity I was given. I was young and stuff, and you can always chalk it up to that, but I don’t think I ever took a moment to be like, “Oh my God, I have a good spot in this great company that has produced mega stars,”‘ he admitted.
Mike wasn’t satisfied with his time in WWE (Photo: WWE)
‘Instead, I was always like, “What’s next? What’s next? How am I gonna be a bigger star?” Now I’ve reached the pint where I don’t really care about what’s next, I’m more focused on my legacy.’
For Bennett, that means proving he can be spoken about in the same breath as the likes of Nigel McGuinness, CM Punk, Samoa Joe and Bryan Danielson, who all left a lasting mark on ROH.
He pondered: ‘Are they gonna put me in the list of guys like Punk and Joe and Danielson and Nigel, or am I just gonna be another guy that came trough and then left?
‘To me, it’s more important that they put me in the names of those guys and that’s where my focus is.’
He’s been revitalised after last year’s releases (Photo: Ring of Honor/Mike Adams)
Since leaving WWE, the 36-year-old wrestler has developed a love for new styles of wrestling, including really delving into the likes of NOAH and All Japan Pro Wrestling, and learning to appreciate a whole other side to the business.
‘[It’s] stuff that I was always aware of but I was never 100% invested in. Just watching, like, Kobashi and Misawa. That stuff, I got so excited,’ he beamed.
‘I was like, “Oh my God, I never wrestled this way, I didn’t even want to wrestle, but now I really wanna wrestle this way”! It was just cool to become a fan again.’
As much as wrestling unites passionate fans around the world, there can be plenty of bickering when it comes to different styles, but Bennett – who is admittedly focused on ‘wrestling as a sport’ at the moment – noted there is a time and a place for everything.
‘If it’s entertaining and it’s in the scope of a professional wrestling ring, who cares? We’re just having fun, it’s just supposed to be fun,’ he laughed. ‘I would watch a show that had a deathmatch on it and then the next match had Orange Cassidy doing absolutely nothing. I would love that!’
These aren’t just hollow words either, as recent shows for Alabama’s New South Pro Wrestling saw him work both ends of the scale, including a ‘serious, Ring of Honor style match’ with Danhausen (on the very nice, very evil one’s request), and then an ‘outlandish, crazy, hilarious’ clash with Effy the next night.
It’s nothing new for him, as the grappler had a similarly diverse experience with Preston City Wrestling back in 2014, going from an incredible technical display with the late Kris Travis to a slow-motion comedy match with Mad Man Manson.
‘I don’t necessarily like everything in wrestling. I appreciate everything in wrestling,’ he explained. ‘If it’s good, it’s good, who the hell cares if it’s “not pro wrestling”? If it’s fun, let it be fun!’
Make no mistake about it though – this weekend’s match against Gresham will be at one end of the scale, with Bennett doing all he can to prove himself in a Pure Rules match for the gold.
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‘Wrestling has become fun. I’ve gotten to the point where I’m trying to figure out new stuff, I wanna do new moves, I wanna put a story together in a match that’s never been done before,’ he gushed with obvious passion and sincerity.
‘I’m finally mentally in a place where I get to wrestle the way I wanna wrestle, and I’m actually having a lot of fun doing it. I always wrestled to get signed or to get noticed or to get a contract.
‘Now, I’m actually at the point where I’m comfortable and confident in myself and I’m like, “You’ve been doing this 20 years, don’t question yourself. You know what you’re doing. Go out there, have a kickass match and just trust yourself.” ‘
*Ring of Honor: Best In The World airs Sunday night (July 11) at 1am. UK fans can watch the show via Fite TV.
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