Maria Kanellis, Mike Bennett announce birth of third child

Maria Kanellis and Mike Bennett are now parents to three after welcoming a new child into the world.

The couple revealed today that their new baby boy — named William Mercury Bennett — was born on January 19. Weighing seven pounds and seven ounces, the baby is named after Kanellis’ brother and grandfather.

“William Mercury Bennett was born yesterday afternoon at 7 pounds 7ounces and 18.8 inches,” Kanellis announced. “He is an absolute angel. William gets his name from his great-grandfather who is my godfather and was an immigrant from Greece. And my brother who is a veteran, husband, father, and wonderful brother. They are two of the toughest men I know. William Mercury’s name means strong willed warrior, messenger. We are so in love.”

The couple has been married for more than a decade now and also have a daughter named Freddie and son named Carver, who were born in 2018 and 2020.

Though his Kingdom tag team partner Matt Taven departed the promotion this month, Bennett remains part of the AEW roster. His most recent match for the company was a six-man tag that aired on ROH in November 2025.

Maria Kanellis, who has not been with AEW since January 2025, is currently a free agent.

Maria Kanellis & Mike Bennett expecting third child

Maria Kanellis-Bennett and her husband Mike Bennett announced some big personal news this morning — they’re expecting another baby.

The couple posted an Instagram video on Monday revealing that they’re expecting baby number three. Maria and Mike have been married for more than a decade now. Their first two children, a daughter named Freddie and son named Carver, were born in 2018 and 2020.

Mike Bennett is signed to AEW and competes on the ROH roster as part of The Kingdom with his tag team partner Matt Taven.

Along with working for AEW/ROH, Bennett competes on the indies and has made recent appearances for Maple Leaf Pro and AAW.

Maria departed AEW earlier this year and is currently a free agent, though she’s not focused on a return to pro wrestling at the moment unless the right opportunity comes up. She’s previously worked for both WWE and TNA. Last year, Maria navigated a difficult health situation after a mass was found on her adrenal gland. The mass was ultimately determined not to be cancerous.

Maria Kanellis shares positive health update: ‘The tumor was not cancerous’

After a months-long health scare, Maria Kanellis is breathing a sigh of relief.

Kanellis shared an update with fans on Monday announcing that she does not have cancer. The mass on her adrenal gland was determined to be a rare tumor called a pheochromocytoma, but it was not cancerous. Kanellis said she is incredibly grateful for this good news and is looking forward to the future.

“I wanted to give you guys an update. I know it’s been a little bit, it took a while for the pathology to get back. But I wanted to let you guys know that I am cancer-free,” she said. “The tumor was not cancerous. We are so incredibly grateful and thankful to be moving into this holiday season cancer-free and to not have that worry.

“Thank you so much for all of the well-wishes and the prayers. It did turn out to be a pheochromocytoma, which is an incredibly rare tumor. Only 3 to 8 people get it out of a million. It’s just a weird thing that happened. It affects your mood, it affects your metabolism, it affects your blood pressure, your heart rate. So we are very, very blessed to have found it as early as we did, because it really can start causing problems in your body. So thank you so much. And I am looking forward and I’m really, really hopeful about the future.”

Kanellis, 42, has documented her health journey since the adrenal gland mass was found over the summer. Surgery to remove the mass was performed in October and a biopsy was done to determine whether it was cancerous.

Amid her health struggles, Kanellis revealed that her contract with AEW was scheduled to expire at the end of October. Kanellis has not given an update on if she will be remaining with the promotion or not. She debuted for AEW in 2022 and has been featured as a manager in ROH. Her husband Mike Bennett is a member of the Undisputed Kingdom in AEW.

Maria Kanellis says AEW contract expires at end of month

Update —

Maria Kanellis posted today that, after October 31, she will be accepting interviews about her “time and treatment” in AEW. She will be able to start appearing at bookings six weeks after her October 24 surgery for the mass on her adrenal gland.

https://twitter.com/MariaLKanellis/status/1843655574745166102

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Maria Kanellis’ AEW future is uncertain with her contract coming up at the end of the month.

While sharing a health update with fans on Monday, Kanellis said her contract with AEW is scheduled to expire on October 31. She’s reached out to AEW but doesn’t know if she is going to be re-signed.

“My contract with AEW is coming up October 31,” Kanellis said. “I’ve reached out to them to find out whether or not they are going to be signing me, but I haven’t really heard anything yet — so of course that is weighing on me as well.”

Kanellis is set to undergo surgery on October 24 after a mass was found on her adrenal gland. She does not know if the mass is cancerous or genetic. This week, she has an ultrasound and genetic testing scheduled and will be meeting with her surgeon to discuss a plan for surgery day.

“Today I’m going to work on some outdoor Halloween decorations, because the rest of it I can’t control right now,” she said. “I can’t control AEW. I can’t control this surgery. But what I can do is make some wonderful memories for my kids.”

Kanellis and her husband Mike Bennett debuted for AEW in October 2022. Maria has been a manager on ROH, working with Griff Garrison & Cole Karter.

With help from AEW’s tuition reimbursement program, Kanellis is pursuing a masters degree in business administration at the University of Illinois.

Maria Kanellis shares health update, is ‘starting to get some answers’

Maria Kanellis-Bennett says she is closer to getting some answers regarding the health issues she has dealt with this year.

Kanellis is scheduled to meet with an endocrine surgeon next week regarding a mass discovered on her adrenal gland. She recently underwent a series of blood tests as well as a 24-hour urine test and posted about her results on Wednesday, writing:

“Just got some test results back… from what I can tell my adrenal mass is hormone producing. I’ll get a more clear picture on September 3rd. But, one of the symptoms of the over production of a particular hormone was hands and feet tingling which has been something I have been trying to figure out for months!!! I’m hopeful that this surgery will take care of some or all of my symptoms. Anyways I’m having this drink because Mike is back and I’m starting to get some answers.”

https://twitter.com/MariaLKanellis/status/1828859590630617403

Kanellis also revealed this week that she plans on returning to school and obtaining a Masters degree in Business Administration at the University of Illinois. She’ll be receiving financial help through AEW’s tuition reimbursement program.

https://twitter.com/MariaLKanellis/status/1828062750020411506

Maria Kanellis-Bennett to schedule surgery for retroperitoneoscopic adrenalectomy

Maria Kanellis-Bennett is sharing more on her recent medical status.

On Tuesday, she posted a message on X giving an update on her adrenal gland after a mass was found earlier in the month. She said she will soon be scheduling surgery to remove her adrenal glands in the fall. 

“I went to my doctor’s appointment today at Rush. The next steps are blood work and a possible 24 hour urine test,” she wrote. “From there I will be scheduling surgery for most likely some time in September. The mass I have is borderline what they get concerned about and biopsy is not an option. I will be having a retroperitoneoscopic andrenalectomy and they will biopsy the mass after.”

https://twitter.com/MariaLKanellis/status/1818409630898229462

In a post on X earlier this month, Kanellis-Bennett wrote that she was meeting a surgeon later in the month to discuss her next steps.

Kanellis has been a regular on Ring of Honor programing, managing the team of Griff Garrison and Cole Karter until Karter suffered a broken arm. Most recently, she was seen at the Death Before Dishonor Zero Hour pre-show last Friday congratulating MxM Collection following their win over Serpentico and Angelico.

Maria Kanellis-Bennett meeting with surgeon after mass found on adrenal gland

Maria Kanellis-Bennett is moving forward with the next steps as she navigates a difficult health situation.

On Monday, Kanellis-Bennett shared to social media than a mass has been found on her adrenal gland. At this point, it’s inconclusive whether the mass is cancerous or not. She has an appointment scheduled for later this month to discuss what’s next.

Kanellis-Bennett noted that she originally asked to have her adrenal glands checked and blood work done six months ago, but insurance would not cover it. The mass later ended up being found accidentally during a different test.

“So fun story… 6 months ago I asked to get my adrenal glands checked and blood work done to check hormone levels because of symptoms I had been having. Insurance would not approve the tests. Fast forward today, I had a CT with contrast to check a mass that was found accidentally during another test, that is either on my kidney or adrenal gland. Moral of the story… listen to your body,” she wrote.

“So here is the update. Yes it is a mass on my adrenal gland. Next step is meeting with an endocrinologist surgeon. It’s inconclusive at this point, if it is cancer. In other news, I ate French fries and a concrete mixer and I feel a little better.”

In a follow-up tweet today, Kanellis-Bennett said her appointment will be on July 30.

“Appointment is set for July 30th at Rush Copley [Medical Center] to discuss next steps,” she wrote. “This weekend Mike has the weekend off so we are taking the kids to Indianapolis to take my mind off things and see the dinosaurs at the children’s museum.”

Kanellis-Bennett and her husband Mike Bennett made their AEW debut in 2022 and both currently perform in Ring of Honor. Bennett & Matt Taven are the ROH Tag Team Champions, while Maria manages the team of Cole Karter & Griff Garrison. Karter is out of action right now after undergoing surgery for a broken arm.

Daniel Garcia vs. Christopher Daniels part of ten-match Ring of Honor TV lineup

Continuing his push toward what he hopes is a shot at the Pure title, former champion Daniel Garcia will take on former Ring of Honor World Champion Christopher Daniels on this week’s ROH on HonorClub TV.

Garcia will be looking to extend a three-match win streak in ROH as he pursues a first-time-ever bout with reigning Pure Champion Katsuyori Shibata at this month’s Death Before Dishonor pay-per-view. Garcia held the title for three months before losing it to Wheeler Yuta.

This will be the second time Daniels and Garcia have wrestled and the first in one of the Tony Khan-owned companies.

Maria Kanellis-Bennett will join The Kingdom’s Mike Bennett & Matt Taven in trios action against The Infantry (Shawn Dean & Carlie Bravo) and Trish Adora. The former Impact Knockouts Champion hasn’t been in the ring since a WWE Raw mixed tag team match in July 2019.

Trent Seven will make his return to the Khan companies and his ROH debut in a six-way that will also feature Shane Taylor, Josh Woods, Brian Cage, Willie Mack and Dalton Castle.

ROH Women’s Champion Athena will face Seleziya Sparx in a Proving Ground non-title bout.

Here’s the ten-match lineup:

  • The Righteous (Vincent & Dutch) and Stu Grayson vs. Zak Patterson, Macrae Martin & Rip Impact
  • Diamante vs. Vanessa Kraven
  • ROH Women’s Champion Athena vs. Seleziya Sparx in a Proving Ground match
  • Daniel Garcia vs. Christopher Daniels
  • The Kingdom (Mike Bennett, Matt Taven & Maria Kanellis-Bennett) vs. The Infantry (Shawn Dean & Carlie Bravo) and Trish Adora
  • JD Drake vs. Tony Nese
  • Lee Moriarty & Big Bill vs. The Boys (Brent & Brandon Tate)
  • Komander vs. Gringo Loco
  • Gates of Agony vs. Action Andretti & Darius Martin
  • Shane Taylor vs. Josh Woods vs. Brian Cage vs. Willie Mack vs. Dalton Castle vs. Trent Seven

Report: The Kingdom sign multi-year AEW contracts

The Kingdom’s Matt Taven, Mike Bennett and Maria Kanellis-Bennett are now under multi-year AEW contracts according to a Fightful report on Wednesday.

The trio, who debuted at the end of the Friday, October 14th Rampage from Toronto, Canada, weren’t officially signed at the time of their appearance. As part of the show-closing angle, they challenged FTR for the ROH Tag Team titles — the date and location for which have yet to be announced.

Of the three, Kanellis-Bennett has a talent-only contract and is not expected to wrestle.

The three, and Vincent, recently wrapped up with Impact Wrestling, losing the Tag Team titles to Heath & Rhino on last week’s TV that was taped following this month’s Bound for Glory. Vincent was recently spotted backstage at a WWE Raw TV show which has led to speculation about his future employment.

Dave Meltzer had reported that WWE had interest in Taven while Fightful reported Bennett and Kanellis-Bennett had conversations with WWE but were unsure of any contract offer coming out of those talks. FTR had reportedly pushed for the team to be signed by AEW.

The Kingdom has yet to appear on AEW TV, Dark or Dark: Elevation since making their debut.

Mike Bennett & Maria Kanellis-Bennett sign full-time ROH contracts

Mike Bennett and Maria Kanellis-Bennett are officially back with Ring of Honor full-time.

In an interview with PWinsider today, Bennett and Kanellis-Bennett announced that they’ve signed new contracts with  ROH and will be with the promotion full-time going forward. The two had been on short-term deals with ROH that were set to run through the end of June.

ROH has also officially announced that Bennett and Kanellis-Bennett have re-signed with the promotion..

Bennett and Kanellis-Bennett were both released by WWE as part of the company’s pandemic-related roster cuts last April. In November, Bennett returned to ROH by reuniting with his former Kingdom stablemate Matt Taven. Bennett and Taven are now known as The OGK.

Kanellis-Bennett made her return to ROH by announcing the promotion’s The Experience fan-engagement initiative in December of last year. She’s working for ROH both behind the scenes and as an on-air talent. At ROH’s 19th Anniversary pay-per-view last month, Kanellis-Bennett announced that ROH will be holding a Women’s Championship tournament that will begin this summer.

Bennett and Kanellis-Bennett’s original run with ROH ended in December 2015. They were then with Impact Wrestling prior to joining WWE in 2017.