Maria Kanellis Hopes To Return To NJPW, Says ROH Has Always Had An Admirable Women’s Division

Maria Kanellis is known more for her managerial skills than her in-ring status, but she was part of a major match in NJPW history. 

In 2015, Maria teamed with Matt Taven & Mike Bennett to battle Bullet Club’s Karl Anderson, Doc Gallows, and Amber Gallows. Not only was Maria in the bout, she picked up the victory for her team as she pinned Amber. 

Speaking on ROH Strong, Maria reflected on the bout and wrestling in NJPW. 

“I definitely felt the weight of what I was doing, but in a good way. Everybody was so supportive. The fans were incredible. I hope to do it again. People are probably surprised by that, but I really enjoyed my time over there. We want to figure it out to where we can go back to New Japan,” she said.

Maria has now returned to ROH where she is heading up The Experience, a new program that will allow fans to share their opinions. One thing Maria wants to do now that she’s back in ROH is spotlight the women’s division once again. 

“Ring of Honor has always had a women’s division that people have admired. They were at the forefront of that for a very long time. Then, somewhere along the way, that stopped being the case. There were incredible women that were out there, they just didn’t seem to be showcased. Getting ready for this role and how much research I’ve done; there’s a lot of incredible women out there with incredible fanbases. They are different and exciting and have stories. We need more space for women in this industry and we need space to grow and sell and showcase all the differences in the females out there. I want ‘who is the best at being themselves,'” she said.

When asked about intergender wrestling possibly making its way to ROH, Maria replied, “It has to be right. It can’t just be thrown together because ‘ohhh, this is the fun thing we’re doing at the moment.’ We have to be careful because things can be taken one way or another when there is not a story behind it. We need to make sure we have a reason for doing what we’re doing and it’s not just because it’s the cool thing to do. If the fans want it, I’m sure Ring of Honor will find a way to do it and do it in a way that’s not offensive to anybody.”

ROH was set to highlight the women’s division before the shutdown when they put together a tournament to crown a new Women of Honor Champion. It is unknown if ROH will go back to the Women of Honor tournament now that tapings have resumed. 

Elsewhere during the podcast, Maria gave her thoughts on Vince McMahon. You can view her comments by clicking here. 

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