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Maria Kanellis worked for WWE between 2004 and 2010 before returning for another spell with the company between 2017 and 2020. In a recent interview, former WWE talent Jay Bradley recalled how he was once supposed to appear in a storyline with Kanellis.
Bradley, also known as Ryan Braddock, joined WWE's Deep South Wrestling developmental territory in 2005. He left WWE in 2009 after several live event appearances and a brief run on SmackDown.
On Developmentally Speaking, Bradley said the creative team had plans for his character to follow Kanellis around as part of a love interest angle:
"The one we had talked about was maybe I develop not a stalker, but kind of like a guy that's in the friend zone with one of the Divas. We had talked about doing it with Maria Kanellis, who was on board for it at the time, where I'm kind of like, oops, I happen to pop in where she's at all the time. 'Oh, is he watching her? Is he not watching her? Who is this guy?'" [45:56 – 46:27]
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While Bradley now wrestles for the NWA, Kanellis is signed to AEW and frequently appears in Ring of Honor.
Jay Bradley explains why the Maria Kanellis angle would have worked
Although the idea never materialized, Jay Bradley thinks it might have been well received due to the inclusion of a real-life backstory.
Bradley grew up in the same area as Maria Kanellis, meaning his character's fascination with the former Diva could have started years earlier:
"It would have worked because we're both from the Chicagoland area. We actually both went to the same college. We thought that was an interesting story that you could have dropped in." [46:27 – 46:37]
Bradley also revealed how he almost received an unexpected WWE Championship opportunity against Triple H.
What are your thoughts on the nixed idea? Hit the discuss button and let us know.
Please credit Developmentally Speaking and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.
