WWE Diva Maria Kanellis Cleared to Return to Wrestling

WWE star Maria Kanellis is planning her return to the ring after a year out, with the wrestler announcing on her podast, Mike and Maria in Wonderland, that she has been cleared to “come back to the WWE.”

“It is cleared,” she said, holding up her wrist.

“I will be back,” Kanellis added, with her co-host and husband Mike Kanellis chiming in, “Who knows when.”

Kanellis went on a leave of absence from the WWE one year ago when she announced that she was pregnant. She gave birth to daughter Fredrica Moon in April and later suffered a broken wrist while preparing for her WWE comeback.

The athlete addressed her announcement on Twitter on Monday, writing that she isn’t yet 100 percent cleared to get back in the ring.

“Not quite all clear… still have to go to Florida for the WWE doctors,” she wrote.

Kanellis initially competed in WWE’s Diva Search in 2004 and was later hired by the company, eventually leaving the WWE in 2010. She returned in June 2017 alongside her husband before getting pregnant.

When she announced her pregnancy, Kanellis shared that she planned to return to the WWE.

“WWE is and has been my dream job and I plan on coming back with my doctor’s approval after the baby is born and get’s plenty of mommy time,” she wrote at the time.

Kanellis has addressed her comeback numerous times on social media, including an August post on Instagram that saw her share a series of photos of herself and her husband.

“Once upon a time, there was a couple that went through some s— while they watched their contemporaries gain fame and success,” she wrote. “It did not make them jealous. It made them hungry. It made them strong. We wait in the wings, impatiently.”

Though she has been absent from the ring, the 36-year-old recently made headlines when she tweeted that she would like to see the return of the Divas Championship.

As fans know, that title was done away with in 2016 when the WWE’s female athletes were made Superstars, with the women now competing for the RAW and SmackDown Women’s Championships.

“The Divas Champions have value,” Kanellis explained. “They are an important part of the Evolution of Women in the WWE.”

The athlete added that she would bring back the championship alongside the two current championships women have the chance to win in the organization.

“There are few people that truly understand what the Divas title was supposed to be,” she tweeted. “It was supposed to be another title to fight for, just like there are today, not the only title. But people criticize that don’t understand and that’s just ignorance.”

Photo Credit: Getty / Paul Archuleta