The story of Mike Kannelis in WWE has been a very interesting one. He & his wife Maria Kannelis joined the company back in 2017, being one of the first people to skip NXT and come right to the ‘Main Roster’ when he would enter a feud with Sami Zayn right out of the gate.
The former Impact Wrestling & Ring Of Honor midcarder seemed an odd choice to not spend time in WWE’s then developmental system, especially after some rough performances in his debut matches. He would go months before being seen again on TV following his debut, relegated to working live events and dark matches only.
He really wouldn’t been seen on TV in any major capacity until late 2019 when he would enter a short lived storyline where his wife Maria claimed the baby she was pregnant with was not his. That storyline was seemingly scrapped to focus on the Bobby Lashley, Lana, & Rusev storyline. Following a match on the September 24th episode of Smackdown where Kannelis lost in 19 second to Chad Gable, he would once again vanish.
Mike Kannelis To NXT?
At an NXT Live event in Melbourne, Florida, Mike Kanellis & Tony Nese would defeat Mohammed Fahim & Nick Ogarelli. This is the first match Kannelis has had for the NXT brand since his debut for WWE, and finally where a wrestler like him belongs. He did not have the skills to really make any impact as part of the WWE roster, he was a solid worker & decent talker, but that isn’t enough to really earn a spot there over people who have put more time into WWE. With NXT now a third brand for WWE, Kannelis could try to carve out a place on their roster, or take some time to further his skills in the Performance Center. It’s never too late to try and improve.
AJ Styles, Karl Anderson, & Luke Gallows also jumped the line to come to the main roster, but AJ Styles & Karl Andersons were veterans of wrestling, and Gallows was around previously as Festus, Fake Kane, and a member of CM Punk’s ‘Straight Edge Society’. They would also eventually show up on NXT, but as a special attraction on the build to Survivor Series. They would battle an all star team of Keith Lee, Matt Riddle & Tommaso Ciampa to a no-contest.
Do you think Mike Kannelis can find a role within NXT, or should he be on the next release list for WWE? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below. Stay tuned to The Overtimer for more WWE news, rumors, and speculation.
