Quick Links

Actress/presenter/host Maria Menounos is best known for appearing on shows like Extra, E! News, and Access Hollywood, as the Greek-American beauty seemed to be all over television in the 2000s. However, she'd eventually expand into an industry few would have expected: professional wrestling.

RELATED: 10 Celebrities Who Should Have Failed In Wrestling (But Worked)

Starting with her first guest-hosting gig on Monday Night Raw in 2009 alongside colleague Nancy O'Dell, Menounos' portfolio began including regular WWE appearances. Despite seeming like an odd marriage, MTV's The Challenge host worked with WWE so often over the following decade that Menounos has an entire section of her Wikipedia page dedicated to the relationship!

Maria Menounos: Guest Host... And More!

menounos-raw-wwe-kelly-kim-lillian

Upon its announcement, Menounos and O'Dell's October 2009 appearance as Co-Guest Hosts — between weeks hosted by Pittsburgh Steelers Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and Snoop Dogg — probably seemed to be one of the more unremarkable editions of the nearly-year-long gimmick.

However, by the evening's end, Menounos was making her in-ring debut as part of a six-Diva tag team match with partners Kelly Kelly and Gail Kim. Despite having no training, the self-professed lifetime wrestling fan didn't embarrass herself, pulling off a few rudimentary moves with opponent Alicia Fox and even briefly coming face-to-face with — and slapping — Beth Phoenix.

Maria Vs. Beth: Not Rock And Austin, But Not Bad!

menounos-phoenix-kelly-wwe-wrestlemania-extra

A little more than two years later, at WWE's 2011 Tribute to the Troops special, Menounos stepped into the ring again. This time, fans could see that she had some more training under her belt as she displayed increased confidence as part of an eight-Diva tag match, again finding herself across the ring from the Glamazon.

RELATED: Bad Bunny & 9 Other WrestleMania Celebrities Who Were Actually Relevant

To the crowd's approval, Menounos scored a surprise sunset flip pinfall over Phoenix. However, this didn't sit well with the multi-time Women's Champion, who (along with Eve Torres) later interrupted an interview Menounous was conducting on Extra with Kelly Kelly. The confrontation led to a WrestleMania 24 tag team match, where Maria - who was probably already her partner Kelly Squared's in-ring equal, despite being the "amateur" in the duo - stole yet another fluke win from Beth, this time via a roll-up.

Menounos Hangs Up Her Boots, But Not Her Mic

menounos-eva-marie-wwe-summerslam-axxess

Undefeated at WrestleMania and with a 3-0 overall record, Menounos would only appear in a formal wrestling match one more time - and her first not involving her archrival, Beth Phoenix. Proving that she wasn't all about hogging the spotlight, her last bout featured little fanfare or ballyhoo — in fact, it wasn't even on the main card.

On the 2013 SummerSlam Axxess pre-show, she and Natalya defeated the odd tandem of Brie Bella and Eva Marie (who, ironically, was having just her first match and throughout her career never even became as good as Menounos), leaving the Greek hostess with an unblemished career record. However, this was only the beginning of a long-term relationship with WWE.

Maria And Her Friend... Mr. Bob Backlund?!

menounos-backlund-hall-fame-wwe

Aside from appearing as a guest backstage interviewer, correspondent, and overall ambassador at nearly every WrestleMania (including 38) and other events like the occasional Royal Rumble and SummerSlam, Menounos also has personal connections to two very different WWE stars.

RELATED: 8 Celebrities Who Deserve A WWE Hall Of Fame Induction

Weirdly, she first met Backlund in 1999 while working on a film school feature as a 19-year-old Emerson College student. After the two-time former WWE Champion was cast (along with cult movie icon John Waters and Charles In Charge child star Josie Davis), they struck up an unlikely friendship. The following year, Backlund assisted in Menounos' runner-up bid at the Miss Massachusetts beauty pageant crown, and she reciprocated by helping with his (failed) campaign for U.S. Congress. Eventually, she even had the honor of inducting her friend into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013.

Maria Pays It Forward To Sonya Deville

menounos-deville-rose-backstage-wwe

Years later, Menounos and her husband - director Keven Undergaro of MTV's Singled Out (and that aforementioned Emerson indie film featuring Backlund) - co-founded the podcast network AfterBuzz TV. She became friends with UFC AfterBuzz series host Daria Berenato during the young former MMA fighter's time with the channel.

On a 2020 episode of WWE Backstage, Menounos later claimed that USA Network producers asked her to be a contestant on their 2015 Tough Enough revival. Not wanting to put her boots back on, she recommended Berenato - now known as Sonya Deville - instead. Ultimately, although Deville didn't win the competition, she emerged with a contract, and she and Menounos have remained good friends ever since.