Mary Louis "Maria" Kanellis-Bennett (born February 25, 1982) is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling manager, actress, model and former singer. She is best known for her time in Impact Wrestling where she was a member of Honor No More, and is known for her time with Ring of Honor (ROH) and WWE. She is also known for her 2008 Playboy magazine pictorial and 2010 appearances on the Celebrity Apprentice television series. She is currently the co-owner and founder of Women's Wrestling Army (WWA). Kanellis' career began as a contestant on the reality show Outback Jack in 2004. In the same year, she placed fifth in the Diva Search, and was later hired by WWE as a backstage interviewer. Kanellis began competing in the ring as a professional wrestler in 2005 and received the Slammy Award for Diva of the Year in 2009. She released her debut album Sevin Sins in 2010 and departed WWE that year. After departing WWE, she worked for Ring of Honor (ROH) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), often appearing with her husband Mike Bennett. In TNA, she is a former TNA Knockouts Champion. Along with Bennett, she returned to WWE from 2017 to 2020 and held the WWE 24/7 Championship once. She is also the first ever pregnant champion in WWE history. Early life Kanellis was born in Ottawa, Illinois. She has Greek origins. She has two younger siblings; a brother and sister named Bill and Janny, respectively. Kanellis grew up with an interest in playing sports, particularly volleyball, basketball, and softball. She graduated from Ottawa Township High School in 2000, and then went on to study at Northern Illinois University. Before her career in wrestling began, Kanellis regularly competed in beauty pageants. Professional wrestling career World Wrestling Entertainment (2004–2010) Diva Search and beginnings (2004–2005) Maria competed in the Diva Search in 2004, deciding to enter the contest after seeing an advertisement while watching Raw. Even though she only placed fifth in the contest, she was hired by the company. She stood out in the contest by giving fellow contestant Carmella DeCesare the finger after being eliminated from the contest. Maria began making appearances in Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), WWE's then-developmental territory. She contributed booking ideas, and her work at OVW earned her a spot on the Raw brand roster. Maria was brought on to Raw as a ditzy backstage interviewer and the host