Michael Bennett (born May 16, 1985) is an American professional wrestler currently wrestling for both IMPACT Wrestling and the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) . He is best known for his time in Ring of Honor (ROH) and WWE where he wrestled under the ring name Mike Kanellis.
After a few years on the independent circuit, Bennett made his Ring of Honor (ROH) debut in 2008; where he went by The Prodigy. With his then-girlfriend Maria Kanellis, he worked as part of The Kingdom stable, winning the ROH World Tag Team Championship with Matt Taven. ROH's talent-sharing agreement with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) enabled the team to make limited appearances in Japan, where they won NJPW's IWGP Tag Team Championship. Bennett left ROH in late-2015 to sign with rival promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he won the TNA X Division Championship. In 2017, Bennett joined his wife Maria in WWE (whose maiden name was used as his character's surname), where held the WWE 24/7 Championship twice.
Bennett and Taven also operate a wrestling school in West Warwick, Rhode Island.
In wrestling[]
- Finishing moves
- Awesome Coolness / Box Office Smash (Sitout side slam)
- Divine Intervention / MIP – Miracle in Progress / The Power of Love (Samoan driver)
- Photo Finish (Fireman's carry cutter)
- Signature moves
- Ankle lock
- Belly to back suplex
- Big boot
- Delayed vertical suplex
- Double underhook facebuster
- Dropkick
- Elevated DDT
- Flapjack
- Figure-four leglock
- Go Back to Japan (Anaconda vise)
- Jumping neckbreaker
- Lariat
- Miracle Maker (Wrist-lock transitioned into a right-handed hook)
- Running cutter
- Piledriver
- Spear
- Single arm DDT
- Single leg dropkick, on a seated opponent
- Sitout reverse crucifix driver
- Sitout powerbomb
- Spinning spinebuster, sometimes on the apron
- Scoop brainbuster
- Shoulder armbreaker
- Superkick
- Tilt-a-whirl backbreaker
- Managers
- Bob Evans
- Gia Savitz
- Grayson Alexander
- Maria Kanellis
- Nicknames
- "The Epic"
- "The Miracle"
- "Professional Wrestling's Jesus"
- "The Prodigy"
- Entrance themes
- Ring of Honor
- "Poem" by Taproot
- "Red Hot Rock" by Louis Thom
- "S.U.M." by Avenue F
- "Something for You / Suffer Unto Me" by David Rolfe and Avenue F (used as a member of The Kingdom / The OGK)
- New Japan Pro-Wrestling
- "Damage" by Medeline (used as a member of The Kingdom)
- "Suffer Unto Me" by Avenue F (used as a member of The Kingdom)
- "Something for You / Suffer Unto Me" by David Rolfe and Avenue F (used as a member of The Kingdom)
- Total Nonstop Action Wrestling / IMPACT Wrestling
- "Cage of Souls" by Dale Oliver
- "Tidal Wave" by Slowburn (used as a member of Honor No More)
- World Wrestling Entertainment
- "True Love" by CFO$ Feat. KIT
- National Wrestling Alliance
- "Anno Satana" by The Smashing Pumpkins (used as a member of The OGK)
- All Elite Wrestling
- "Something for You / Suffer Unto Me" by David Rolfe and Avenue F (used as a member of The Kingdom)
- Ring of Honor
Championships and accomplishments[]
- Eastern Pro Wrestling
- EPW Television Championship (1 time)
- EPW United States Championship (1 time)
- Neo Revolution Grappling
- NRG Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- New England Wrestling Alliance
- NEWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- New Japan Pro-Wrestling
- IWGP Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Matt Taven
- Northeast Championship Wrestling
- NCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Chris Venom and Johnny Idol
- Northeast Wrestling
- NEW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Pro Wrestling Experience
- PWE United States Championship (1 time)
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Ranked #51 of the top 500 wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2016
- Ring of Honor
- ROH World Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Matt Taven
- Top Prospect Tournament (2011)
- Honor Rumble (2014)
- ROH Year End Awards
- Holy S*** Moment of the Year (2020) – Returning to ROH and Saving Matt Taven from the Righteous
- Top Rope Promotions
- TRP Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- TRP Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Bryce Andrews
- Kowalski Cup (2006)
- Total Nonstop Action Wrestling / IMPACT Wrestling
- TNA X Division Championship (1 time)
- IMPACT World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Matt Taven
- World Wrestling Entertainment
- WWE 24/7 Championship (2 times)
- Wrestling Federation of America
- WFA Tag Team Championship (2 time) – with The Ray (1) and The Shane (1)
- The Wrestling REVOLVER
- REVOLVER Tag Team Championship (1 time, current) – with Matt Taven
- Xtreme Wrestling Alliance
- XWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time)