What’s the story?
On a recent appearance on E&C’s Pod of Awesomeness, Mike Kanellis revealed that it was ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin that really drew him to professional wrestling as a fan in 1998.
Additionally, Mike credited Mick Foley for being the person whose performances finally convinced him to become a professional wrestler.
In case you didn’t know...
Mike Kanellis, whose real name is Michael Bennett, is best known for his performances in notable promotions such as ROH (Ring Of Honor), NJPW (New Japan Pro Wrestling) and Impact Wrestling.
The 32-year-old rose to fame alongside WWE veteran Maria Kanellis whom he married back in 2014. Mike and Maria have performed as a couple ever since and recently made their WWE debut, with his wife already having performed for the WWE and her previous run having ended in 2010. Mike made his WWE debut at Money In The Bank on June 18th, alongside the returning Maria, with the former assuming the ring name Mike Kanellis.
The heart of the matter
A former TNA X-Division Champion, Mike Kanellis revealed that back in the late 90s, ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin’s entertaining persona and matches are what really attracted him to professional wrestling.
Besides, Mike also asserted that he found Austin’s work in the late-1990s to be much different than some of his earlier work; alluding that he felt as though Austin was legitimately putting a beat-down on his opponents in the ring.
Furthermore, he also spoke about being inspired by Mick Foley, “The moment where it actually clicked when I said I wanted to be a wrestler was because of Mick Foley because the very, very first show I ever went to was at the Worcester Centrum; the first time Mick won the World Title and I just remember I was in the building when he pinned The Rock and that reaction, that crowd it still gives me goosebumps thinking about it today,” said Kanellis.
He continued and spoke about his admiration of Stone Cold, “I’ve never heard a crowd louder, that was unbelievable and from the minute Stone Cold came out to the minute he won, I just remember being like ‘oh, this is what I wanna do.’”
What’s next?
Maria and Mike Kanellis are presently contracted to WWE’s SmackDown brand, and are all set to feature on this week’s episode.
Author’s take
Mike and Maria are one of the most popular couples in professional wrestling today. It’s great to see the duo make it to the big leagues, and most of all, it’s exciting to have the beautiful Maria back in the WWE.
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