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The wrestling business is traditionally known to feature superstars of the same gender compete against each other inside the squared circle. However, there have some instances that the fans have witnessed a male competitor standing across the ring against a female competitor. The concept of intergender matches has its own place in history, with the first one taking place during the late 1970s/early 1980s. Since then, many encounters have been witnessed by fans over the years. One such surprising intergender match to take place was between WWE interviewer-turned competitor Maria Kanellis and the Samoan Bulldozer, Umaga.
Umaga was credited as one of the most physically imposing and dangerous athletes to step inside the ring. His lethal strength, ferocious nature, and aggression made him one of the most feared WWE superstars in history. Maria Kanellis, on the other hand, started her career as a part of the 2004 WWE Diva Search, earning a contract despite not winning the contest. She began as a backstage interviewer, eventually transitioning into an in-ring competitor and going on to become an accomplished athlete in the ring, which earned her the moniker of 'The First Lady of Wrestling.'
While it was highly unlikely that Umaga and Maria Kanellis would ever cross paths, the former WWE superstar found herself in the dangerous presence of the Samoan Bulldozer. So let's dive deep into the origins of this story and explore in detail the intergender bout that took place between Maria Kanellis and Umaga.
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Maria's Match Against Umaga Was Made Due To A Past Encounter Involving Eric Bischoff
Maria Kanellis was known as the perfect damsel in distress in WWE. She was portrayed as a young and innocent backstage interviewer who found herself put into danger situations a couple of times in her career. Maria has been slammed by Kurt Angle in a match, taken a beating from Lita in a mixed tag team match, and even been put in an 'Anything Goes' match against Santino Marella.
Before her last intergender encounter in 2008, Maria Kanellis' comments landed her in trouble. Maria was presented as a witness by Mick Foley to testify against Eric Bischoff during his court trial headed by Vince McMahon, which led to him being fired as the General Manager of Monday Night RAW in 2005. However, the mastermind of WCW returned to RAW, serving as the GM for one night only in November 2006. He decided to extract revenge against all those who testified against him at the trial, and one of those targets was Maria Kanellis.
The evil Eric Bischoff subjected Maria Kanellis to capitol punishment by pitting her in an intergender match against the dangerous Umaga. The second Bischoff revealed the match to Maria, her face was covered with fear. She had no option but to compete against the Samoan Bulldozer or be fired from WWE.
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Umaga Did Not Show Any Mercy On Maria Kanellis During Their Match
Sensing the danger that stood in front of her, Maria Kanellis tried to flee the scene only to be dragged to the ring by Eric Bischoff's stooge, Jonathan Coachman, for her bout against Umaga. The Coach held Maria tight inside the ring to ensure that she could not escape the wrath of the Samoan Bulldozer that was approaching towards her.
As soon as the bell rang, Kanellis tried to plead with Umaga to spare her from the decimation he was able to cause. She found her cornered near the turnbuckle, only to be pulled up by Umaga who laid her out with a thunderous Samoan Drop. The punishment would not stop there, as Umaga dragged her back to the corner and executed a running hip attack on the unconscious Maria. It seemed like the final stop of the match had arrived, as Umaga was ready to put the exclamation point by finishing the former WWE superstar off with his devastating finisher, the Samoan Spike.
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However, Umaga's rival at the time, John Cena, ran in to stop the attack and fend off the dangerous Samoan from hurting Maria further. Cena was shocked at the sight of a destroyed Maria Kanellis who lay inside the ring and helped her to recoup from the harsh punishment she just suffered.
The match between Umaga and Maria Kanellis, made to inflict pain only for being bubbly and funny during a trial to remove a power hungry man from his position, will always be regarded as a brutal sight when history talks about intergender wrestling.
