During a recent appearance on the ROHStrong podcast, Maria Kanellis revealed that she had plans for the women’s division in ROH that we never saw due to the shutdown.
Kanellis credited Mandy Leon for her tenure in the company: “Mandy has been in this company for a very long time. I would’ve liked to have seen one more singles run for her. Another title shot at some point. I think she deserved it. I think that she has been one of the pillars for Ring Of Honor, not just on the women’s side but for the entire company. I think she deserved that.”
The shutdown also prevented many other women from showcasing their talent in ROH: “(I) Would’ve liked to have some time to give credit due to more people from the women’s division past, especially Sumie (Sakai), because we ran out of time. I think that seeing the third match between Miranda (Alize) and Trish (Adora) would’ve been awesome because Trish has been on a tear and I feel like there was so much more that we could do with her. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to do that.”
She then mentioned a highlight from Final Battle, when she was hit by a Spear from her husband Mike Bennett: “If he didn’t bring it, I would’ve made him sleep on the couch. As a manager, your job is to make sure that whatever bump you take is the greatest bump, or whatever you’re involved with, you do not take away. You always add. And I always think to myself that if I’m gonna be out there, I’m out there for real. Whatever happens, happens. I like to be a true manager. I’m not out there just to put in a chair and look pretty. That’s not who I am. I want to look pretty while I’m doing it. But if I’m out there, I’m out there. And I wanted it to mean something. And it was a big night for Mike (Bennett) and myself, as well. I mean, this was the first time both of us had been working together since we had been released from WWE. So…it was a big deal for us.”
