Maria Kanellis Biography Yet another wrestling diva following in the steps of Candice Michelle, Christy Hemme, Torrie Wilson and Ashley Massaro, who has graced the cover of Hugh Hefner’s Playboy magazine and often playing the dumb blonde at WWE events and during interviews has won the attention of fans and the media alike. Maria Kanellis was born on February 25th 1982 in Ottawa, Illinois. After graduating from Ottawa Township High School in 2000 she progressed to Northern Illinois University. She has a sister named Janny, and one brother. Kanellis always had a dream of being a star and started dancing and modeling when she was very young. At the age of 3 she started taking dance lessons and took them for 17 years. She also had a stint at teaching dance lessons for four years in Illinois. Maria started modeling when she was 15 and later became a Hawaiin Tropic Girl. Kanellis’s first encounter with the world of TV was in 2004 as a contestant on the show Outback Jack where she appeared as a woman searching for love and actually managed to remain in the show until being one of the final three, after which she was dropped. With an interest in wrestling and fame Maria competed in the RAW Diva Search in 2004 and although she didn’t make enough of an impression to win, she did leave enough of a mark for the organizers to hire her after which she went on to make an appearance at Ohio Valley Wrestling where she made an enemy of another diva, Sosay. Following their feud the RAW organizers put the two together in an ‘Evening Gown’ match which was televised for OVW TV.
Although Maria is a brunette she was brought into RAW as a ditzy dumb blonde interviewer. Her first scripted "ditziness" was during an interview of Shawn Michaels when she referred to wrestler Edge as "The Edge." This "dumb" gimmick saw her in many comic skits, most notably during interviews involving WWE Champion John Cena, The Big Show, and Mick Foley.
Kanellis competed in her first official wrestling match on the January 10th, 2005 edition of RAW which saw her as an opponent of wrestling Diva Christy Hemme in a Lingerie Pillow Fight. In the ring she has earned the nick names Boop and Dancer and is the youngest Diva in the WWE Roster. On the January 1st 2007 edition of RAW, Maria attempted to interview Kevin Federline, ex husband of Britney Spears but was instead slapped by Melina and called a "bitch." This led to a match between the two later that night, with Melina winning with a roll up following a failed attempt at a dropkick. In June 2007 Maria began an on-and-off romance with Santino Marella, appearing in segments together as an on-screen couple. She also resumed competing in the ring occasionally. Maria's favorite television shows are Lost, Entourage, Heroes, and The Girls Next Door which of course stars Holly Madison and Hugh Hefner. Another of Maria’s talents is her ability to design her ring attire and several of her own clothes although given the choice of designers she always chooses Gucci and Vera Wang. Let us know of updates to the Maria Kanellis biography at editor@yuddy.com | 
