Mike Bennett and Maria Kanellis recently started their own podcast, which you can now listen to on iTunes. Below are some highlights from the first show:
Bennett on the respect he deserves from wrestling fans: “I’ve only been doing it for 12 years … I think it has to do with a mixture of things. A lot of it has to do with how I wrestle; I lot has to do with who I know in wrestling. It’s complicated thing. I didn’t really get national publicity until the last 3-4 years, and people didn’t know I existed, but I did. I was on the indies for 9 years before I got my Ring of Honor contract.”
Kanellis’ response: “Well for one, you’re a heel…”
Bennett on who he looks up to in the business: “I think Kevin Steen is amazing. I think he deserves to make a million dollars in wrestling. I didn’t see it until I started with Ring of Honor, but he’s the top guy in ROH and I admire him. Kevin Kelly has helped me out and I respect his opinion … This is going to sound weird because I know a lot of indie fans think he sucks, but I admire Cena. Being the top guy for that guy for that long… I admire Punk for how he got there; I don’t think we’re in similar boats, but I understand where he comes from. I’ve always been told ‘oh you’re just a WWE guy’ but no, I’m not. I respect wrestling and I love Ring of Honor.”
Kanellis on how she likes ROH compared to her experience in WWE: “I’ve been having more fun than I’ve ever had in my entire career. I like to be challenged. I don’t like to have just the one line, or the two lines that I had with WWE. I have a lot more to offer than that, and I always felt that I could do more. There’s also some exciting things on the horizon with myself and Ring of Honor, and I can’t say more about that at this time.”
Kanellis on the state of women’s wrestling: “I feel like there are two, maybe three girls running the show, and everyone is is garnish on the plate. I’m not good at being garnish, so I can only imagine how it feels to be in that position. When I was younger I was good at it. But now I want to be the main event. Now if there’s going to be a girl’s division, I want to be the top dog, and if I can’t be the top dog I have no interest in being there, no matter how much money they are paying me. So in a lot of ways, I feel like it was a blessing in disguise, what happened to be earlier this year with the Bella Twins.”
Bennett on what he finds frustrating on fans: “I’ve had this argument with wrestling fans. They say, ‘If I order steak at a restaurant and it sucks, I know that it sucks and I should send it back.’ Yes well, you yourself don’t know how to cook a steak. That’s why you’re out to eat. If you knew how to cook a good steak, you’d be back there yourself. You’re buying a product, you have the right to say ‘this sucks’ or ‘I like this’. What bothers me is when they start talking how a wrestler looks in the ring or ‘he looks sloppy’ or “if I were booking I would do this’ – well you’re not booking. You don’t know what a booker goes through. I don’t come to your job and tell you how to do your job.”
