“How dare you have a kid!” - Maria Kanellis details abuse she suffered from the WWE Universe
Former 24/7 Champion Maria Kanellis has opened up about the abuse she suffered from fans while planning out her family.
The life of a professional wrestler is quite difficult as they often face criticism from fans for their performances. In 2019, Kanellis was on her own journey towards motherhood when she started receiving hate for being an on-screen performer while she was a couple of weeks into her pregnancy.
Maria Kanellis and Mike Bennett both held the 24/7 Championship while the former was pregnant. Speaking to Steve Fall on Ten Count, the former champion revealed the negative reactions she received as she took some time off to start her family:
"During that time when I was having so many problems of like getting into the mode of motherhood, and like seeing all the comments of like, 'oh your husband is just this and you're just that and how dare you have a kid!' and saying things about my daughter. She was like a couple days old and I'm getting like death threats... It's like, come on people, it's wrestling, and there's plenty of other talented people out there that can fulfill that need for you. It's just right now, I gotta take some time for me and my family." (From 20:34 to 21:07)
Fortunately, as she became a mother, Kanellis learned how to create a mental barrier which would keep the fans and their negative comments towards her and her family at bay.
Maria Kanellis announced her pregnancy on WWE RAW during a match with Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch
In 2019, WWE wanted to create a buzz around its weekly shows, which is why they introduced a 24/7 Championship, which any superstar from any brand could compete for.
During that time on the red brand, the power couple of Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch feuded with Constable Corbin and Lacey Evans for their respective titles.
I guess Becky Lynch did get Maria Kanellis pregnant? cagesideseats.com/wwe/2019/7/3/2… https://t.co/IFjBefbQ4r
On the July 1, 2019 episode of WWE RAW, Mike and Maria Kanellis lost to Rollins and Lynch in a mixed tag team match where Maria revealed that she was pregnant. After the match, Maria Kanellis insulted her own husband.
In the coming months, the couple worked in the 24/7 division and even won the title on several occasions. The following year, they were both released from their contracts due to budget cuts.
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If you use quotes from this article, please credit Ten Count and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.