Greeks across the world have made a name for themselves in many fields. From science and academia to movies and music many a people of Greek ancestry have left their mark in their respective fields. But one of the least likely niches you would expect Greeks to have ‘explored’ is that of the professional wrestling entertainment industry.
Trish Stratus (or Stratigeas) and Maria Kanellis are two WWE divas, as the female wrestlers are called, to have made a career in the business. Trish Stratus is a Canadian born of Greek origin and started her career in the WWE in 2000 and made a name for herself, eventually winning the belt in 2001 and 2003. The 40-year-old former model and TV personality stood out for her personality and acting abilities during her tenure at WWE. She managed to make some money as in her career, as the world of professional wrestling has been a huge business for many years, generating hundreds of millions in revenue in the USA.
Maria Kanellis, who was born in Illinois and frequently competed in beauty pageants in her earlier years, joined the WWE franchise in 2004 when she entered a contest called ‘Diva RAW Search’. The sexy 34-year-old red-head was then hired by the company, even though she came in fifth. In 2005, Maria began wrestling more matches, and was defeated in her first official match on the 2005 episode of Raw. The two ‘Greeks’ encountered each other in March of the same year on an episode of Raw, when Trish slapped Maria causing her fillings to fall out. In 2010 Maria won the Diva of the year award, while she also made the cover of Playboy magazine.
