Maria Menounos Training For In-Ring WWE Return?

The long-time wrestling fan is gearing up for a return to the squared circle.

by Andrew Pollard
maria menounos kelly kelly
WWE.com

Having last competed in the squared circle back at SummerSlam 2013, it appears that Maria Menounos is getting set to return to the ring.

Courtesy of her Instagram page, Menounos has been working out with Sean Waltman and Sonya Deville down at Rikishi’s Knox Pro wrestling school.

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Just what this return will be and when it will take place, we’ll have to wait and see, but this won’t be the AfterBuzz TV CEO’s first rodeo when it comes to in-ring action.

A long-time pro wrestling fan, Menounos first appeared on WWE TV as a Raw guest host back in 2009. That same October 12th Raw saw her make her in-ring debut in a six-woman tag contest that saw her famously slap Beth Phoenix.

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Skipping ahead to December 2011, Maria competed in an eight-woman contest at WWE’s Tribute to the Troops show – which would then lead to Menounos and Kelly Kelly vs. Beth Phoenix and Eve Torres at the following year's WrestleMania XXVIII.

Since then, Menounos’ continued relationship with WWE has seen her induct Bob Backlund into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013, host the Hall of Fame pre-show since 2014, and make various appearances behind the scenes, as a ring announcer, and on WWE Network shows.

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As mentioned, the last time Maria Menounos competed in a WWE ring was in a winning effort as she teamed with Natalya to defeat Brie Bella and Eva Marie at SummerSlam Axxess in 2013.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.