Its been quite some time since we've seen former IMPACT Wrestling and Ring Of Honor (ROH) star Mike Kanellis (also known as Mike Bennett) on WWE TV.
Mike and his real-life wife, Maria Kanellis, signed with WWE back in June of last year and made their TV debut at the Money In The Bank pay-per-view (PPV) under their "Power Of Love" gimmick. After several appearances on SmackDown Live, including a feud with Sami Zayn, Kanellis has since been sparingly used on WWE TV.
There are several reasons we have not seen Mike and Maria on SmackDown Live as of late. For starters, Mike has been battling drug addiction for some time now and has been rehabbing thanks to some support from WWE.
Maria is also pregnant with she and Mike's first child and is at home during her pregnancy. While Mike has been sidelined for several months now he hasn't just been catching up on his couch time.
He recently posted this comparison photo showing off his physique now compared to back around the time he signed with WWE initially. Check out the transformation here:
It could only be a matter of time before we see Kanellis return to the SmackDown Live ring. As a matter of fact, Dirty Sheets reports that Kanellis will be back just after WrestleMania 34 this upcoming April.
It's unlikely he will be joined by Maria as she'll either still be pregnant or will still be recovering from giving birth. WWE has a few options with Mike Kanellis regardless of Maria's status.
WWE could choose to completely repackage Mike and push him as a mid card singles star, perhaps somewhere in the United States Title picture. Or creative could pair Kanellis up with another WWE Superstar and start a new tag team.
It would add to the already depthy SmackDown Live tag team division that includes The Usos, The New Day, Rusev & Aiden English, The Bludgeon Brothers, Breezango, and many more.
What are your thoughts on Kanellis' amazing physical transformation during his time off for rehab? Do you think that the WWE Universe will welcome him back with open arms when he does make his return after WrestleMania? And what do you think is Kanellis' potential within the WWE fold? Have YOUR say in the comments section below, and the fourth episode of GiveMeSport’s WWE podcast is here!
Check it out via this link: https://soundcloud.com/user-818579649/gms-wwe-podcast-money-in-the-bank-fallout
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