Welcome to the #1 source for Maria Kanellis news, photos, videos & more. Maria is a former WWE Diva, ROH manager, actress, swordfighter, stuntwoman, singer, AfterBuzzTV host, writer, and entrepreneur.
Farewell….
Maria – Her team’s loss in the Intergender Six-Man Tag Match on Raw dropped the Playboy cover model from the P25. If the Diva needs a sympethetic hug, the Academy voters are just a phone call away…
What You’re Saying
“Maria off the P25? What do you have against her?” - Corey
The Academy replies: It’s not what we have against Maria, but rather what we have for Mark Henry, who belongs on this list. Maria can earn a spot again with the BunnyMania Match.
With the arrival of St. Patrick’s Day, people are sure to be out looking for leprechauns, shamrocks and other ways to improve their luck. In the spirit of the day, learn what your favorite Superstars consider to be their luckiest days.
“I’ve never been lucky. I don’t believe in luck. I think that luck is what you make it. The best day of my life was probably when my sister got out of being really, really sick; she was born premature. The greatest day of my life was knowing that my whole family was going to be together and we weren’t going to lose my sister.”
“She’s gorgeous and she’s real. I told her that only she could make me buy Playboy,” says female fan Vicky Corban.
“She’s one of my favorite Divas,” adds Desiree Lorick. “She is so nice. She is so sweet and so pretty. The pictures are gorgeous. I’m so glad Maria had creative control because I think they’re some of the best Playboy pictures there has ever been.”
Maria says she loves the magazine and wouldn’t change a thing about it, even though at first she had her doubts about the cover.
“I’m so happy and so amazed. I love the cover shot,” she says. “There were three different covers, and I thought I really wanted the gold one, but now seeing this one and seeing how it turned out and seeing how the fans responded to it, you could see the passion in my eyes in the photo and I look like me.
“Wrestling is where I really got my start, where I had the opportunity, where someone saw something in me to even let me do this crazy job. So, I’m glad. I’m very, very happy with it,” Maria smiles.
As for the sexier shots within the magazine, the Diva truly hopes our fans are delighted with the surprises inside.
By: Jim Ross
Written: March 6, 2008
Thank goodness The King did not take any of JBL’s miracle elixir Mamajuana Energy Monday night before hosting the unveiling of Maria’s Playboy cover, which is on newsstands as we speak. I hear the lovely WWE Diva is “tastefully nude,” which is something yours truly has never been accused of. It was good to hear that one of our favorite guys to hang with, he once called me “Dawg,” Snoop Dogg will M.C. the BunnyMania Lumberjack Match at WrestleMania. What does a M.C. do for in BunnyMania Match any way??
NOTE: In other news, we have OVER 200 screencaptures from Maria’s appearance on MyFox New York’s Morning News yesterday ready and rarin’ to go. They will be added soon in a mass update, so stay tuned.
Fashion comes naturally to Maria
By Kara A. Medalis
Written: March 4, 2008
If anyone can express a high-fashion attitude in a nude photo shoot, it’s Maria. WWE’s fashionista Diva always looks flawless, not to mention incredibly sexy, each week in the Raw ring. Maria’s beauty and style easily translated to her recent Playboy photo shoot.
Maria’s interest in fashion began at a young age. She attributes her knowledge of clothes and style to her mother, who sewed the future Diva’s baby clothes.
“She made dresses for me; she made my Halloween costume. So as I grew up, I also got into sewing my own clothes,” Maria said. “I started making certain things that I wanted to see, but didn’t see out there. I would make them, and they were my own.”
Maria said she’s always been in love with the glamorous world of fashion. As a teenager, she’d save her hard-earned dollars to spend on – what else – clothes.
“When I was probably 15 years old and making $20 on a Sunday bussing tables, those $20 I would spend at Value City, buying clothes and making an outfit. People would be like, ‘You paid 20 bucks for that?’ And I’d be like, ‘Heck yeah, I paid 20 bucks, and it looks damn good!’ ” Maria laughed. “So fashion has always been a part of my life, and it will always be a part of my life, as well as everybody else’s life, it’s just the way society is. You don’t always see it, but it’s always there.”
While many teenagers rebel against their parents, society and school, Maria channeled her boldness into a sassy personal style, something she’s carried into being a Diva today.
“I have always liked to be different, I’ve always liked to dress how I wanted to dress and I think because of that, I never was really a bad kid,” she explained. “Clothes were my outlet, if it was making something or if it was just walking down the halls of my high school in something that stood out, it was my way of showing, ‘Hey look at me, I stand out, I’m different.’ ”
It seems hard to believe that Raw’s loveable, fashionista Diva was a bit of a misfit, although it’s no surprise Maria always stood out from the crowd.
“I never fit in anywhere from grade school, to high school, or even when I went to college … so clothes were my outlet,” Maria said. “I developed my sense of style, and it’s funny, I developed my style through people. If certain people were around me, I would dress a certain way.”
While some may wonder just how Maria fit high-fashion into a nude Playboy shoot, don’t underestimate the chic Diva.
“You fit fashion into nudity by a certain attitude, and it has to be a very fashion attitude,” Maria purred.
Maria said she’s certain her own particular style – which she describes as “rock-glam” – will be very evident in her Playboy magazine spread, which hits newsstands March 7.
“I like a little bit of softness along with a lot of hardness. I like big hair. Right now I’m a redhead, and red is very rock ‘n’ roll. I like glitzy and sparkly and everything shiny down to my skin, which has some nice bling on it right now,” she said, pointing to her shimmery arms and legs.
Maria is grateful Playboy gave her the chance to showcase her fashion sensibilities, as she was very hands-on throughout the shoot. She helped pick out her outfits and accessories – including Burberry shoes and a Dolce & Gabbana belt – and determined which photographs she thought looked best, something not all Playboy models have the opportunity to do.
“Arny Freytag, my photographer, has totally let me be hands-on,” Maria said. “If I don’t like my face in something, I just say I don’t like it, I move, I adjust. Even when it comes down to the clothes … we have a stylist here, but I also help style.”
Naturally, with Maria’s assistance, the results of the shoot were amazing, and our fans have something to look forward to when the Diva’s issue of Playboy is released this week.
“I’m very glamorous in this photo shoot, I’m very high-fashion, and it definitely brings out that personality in me and makes me look strong,” she said.
“This Playboy shoot is my Playboy shoot. It’s exactly what I would want it to be. It is everything I could have ever asked for. When it comes to the clothes or the hair, the theme, it’s everything I could have asked for.”
Maria and Ashley spotted at Playboy Mansion
Written: February 13, 2008
LOS ANGELES – Maria and Ashley were spotted at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles Tuesday night at a party in honor of NBC’s premiere of Knight Rider, WWE.com has learned. It’s not known yet what the Divas were doing at this party along with other celebrities.
WWE.com is following this story and will have more details as they become available.
