The revitalization of the Ring of Honor women’s division has certainly been a highlight of the wrestling world since the calendar turned to 2021. While it’s not for a lack of effort on the part of ROH – last year’s women’s tournament was a casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic – this year has certainly been the biggest step forward for the division in quite some time. A large part of that has been the presence of Maria Kanellis-Bennett, who not only was recently added to the Ring of Honor board of directors but has been a major influence on the future direction of the women’s division itself. Whether it be announcing the women’s tournament itself or her involvement on the recruiting side of the promotion, Kanellis-Bennett has already made a major tangible impact on the division both on-and-off screen.
One name often mentioned when talking about potential additions to ROH’s women’s division is that of LuFisto. While the Canadian wrestling icon made an appearance for Ring of Honor in 2009 against Daizee Haze, the over 20-year veteran has never been under any sort of full-time deal with the promotion.
However, after hearing Kanellis-Bennett speak highly of LuFisto in previous interviews, I had to take the opportunity to ask her about the potential of the Canadian icon making a return to ROH in the near future.
LuFisto in ROH?
“One other individual that I do specifically have to ask on – and I’m certain you won’t be able to tell me either way – but you know, every Monday I noticed that LuFisto is out there tweeting about #watchROH,” I asked coyly. “I also know that you’ve talked very, very highly of her in the past. So maybe again, take me through her influence on women’s wrestling and yourself specifically.”
“Is there maybe some room for a good Canadian in the ROH women’s division?”
“All right, this is another COVID thing. COVID has put a lot of dampers on a lot of things,” admitted Kanellis-Bennett. “So I don’t know. That is the honest to goodness truth. I just don’t know.”
“Do I think that she’s an asset to women’s wrestling? Of course I do,” continued the First Lady of Professional Wrestling. “I think that she is one of the best-kept secrets in women’s wrestling ever. She is highly talented, been in the ring with so many talented women, helped the careers of so many women and I think now is a fantastic opportunity for her to shine. Can that be possible? I don’t know. If I could have like a magic wand and like, be like, ‘and you’re in the tournament!’ Yes, that’s great. Maybe we should call Harry Potter!”
“But, I was gonna say, it turns into a lot more than a 16-person bracket at that point, too,” I commented on the possibility of international appearances in the tournament.
Kanellis agreed. “I mean, I would love to have 32, but that’s not going to happen,” she stated. “If I had all the international girls, I’d be pulling from all over. But, I can’t. I don’t know. So yeah. We’ll just leave it as I don’t know. I’m trying really hard to get [them] but I can’t fight the government so it is what it is.”
Please credit Spencer Love/Love Wrestling with any of the above quotations.
