Ex-WWE star Maria Kanellis thought she was paralysed after terrifying mistake during tryout

The veteran star had a scary moment very early in her wrestling career (Picture: Ring of Honor/Mike Adams)

Maria Kanellis has reflected on a terrifying experience during her WWE tryout when she thought she was ‘paralysed’ after a simple mistake.

The current Ring of Honor star, who broke into the business in 2004 as part of that year’s Diva Search, has reflected on her early experiences getting in the ring and recalled a scary moment she tried to hit a sunset flip on Mickie James.

She exclusively told Metro.co.uk: ‘I was purple after I was done! From my shoulder down my back, down my legs, was purple because of hitting the ropes and taking the bumps, and also doing the squats.

‘Lance [Storm] was training that week. I was there, Mickie was there, Angelina Love was there, I think Melina – and it was a tryout. And Michelle McCool, oh my God. She shined above all of us Diva girls because she’s so athletic!

‘So yeah, I was purple. I landed on my chin. I went to do a sunset flip, went and I caught my chest on Mickie and I landed right on my chin.

‘So, my butt was hanging in the air and I was balanced on my chin and my chest. I thought I was paralysed, it was awful! As a fan, you don’t know until you know. It’s intense.’

It was a rude awakening of sorts for Maria, who had been a fan for some years before competing in the talent competition to find her way into the company.

The first time she really got hooked on the idea of working in wrestling came when she saw a live show in Illinois and had an interaction with ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin that left her inspired.

‘So, our seats were terrible! We get to the building and our seats were all the way up at the top, nosebleeds,’ she recalled. ‘But something went wrong with those seats so we got moved to the floor.

‘They added another row to the back. So, as you’re coming out as a performer it would have been back row, off to your left. So, right as people were coming out, we were right there.

Maria was inspired by Stone Cold (Picture: George Pimentel/WireImage)

‘And Stone Cold, he spilled some beer on me way back when, and I was like, “Yep, this is the feeling I want. I wanna be able to create this feeling”. So I did!’

Maria found her way in through the Diva Search, and she never doubted her own ability as she remained laser-focused on her dream.

‘When they started advertising for the Diva Search, I saw it on Monday Night Raw and I was like, “Oh cool, I’ll enter online”. But from the moment I got my first call, I was like, “No, this is going to be my job now,” ‘ she said, simply as a matter of fact.

Maria and her husband Mike are thriving since leaving WWE (Picture: WWE)

‘Even though there was a competition, there was all these other girls – there were 6,000 women or something that entered that year – I was like, nah, I’m going to be in the WWE now.

‘And I was. I manifested it in my brain and I was like, “This is what’s going to happen now.” ‘

That same commitment and fire is what drives Maria to this day, and she’s continuing to thrive in ROH – as is her husband Mike Bennett – 18 months after they were released from WWE in the midst of the pandemic.

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‘People tell me I can’t do something and I’m like, “What?! I can’t do it?! Let me just ram this down your throat that I can do it!” I am angry every day,’ she admitted with a smile.

‘I have always been like that, and I don’t think it’s a bad thing as long as you can find a way to harness that anger or harness that motivation. So, that’s what drives me.

‘And now I have two beautiful children that everyone said I couldn’t have because I am a wrestler. So, now I wanna prove that yes, I can have them and provide a beautiful life for them.’

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