The Kingdom

The Kingdom (Mike Bennett and Maria Kanellis (left), and Matt Taven (Right)) in July 2015

## Stable

### Members

Matt Taven
Mike Bennett
Maria Kanellis

### Promotion(s)

NJPW
ROH
RPW
IMPACT
AEW

**The Kingdom** was a villainous professional wrestling stable, best known for wrestling in Ring of Honor (ROH) and New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW). Originally composed by Adam Cole, Mike Bennett, Matt Taven and Maria Kanellis, later a tag team when Cole left the stable. Between 2014 and 2015, Taven and Bennett won the ROH World Tag Team Championship and the IWGP Tag Team Championship once. However, the team disbanded after Bennett left ROH.

During the following years, Taven joined TK O'Ryan and Vinny Marseglia, forming a new encarnation of the stable, while Bennett worked for Impact Wrestling and WWE. In 2020, Taven feuded with his partners, leading him to reunite with Bennett, after Bennett and Maria Kanellis were released from WWE as part of budget cuts relating to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and won the ROH World Tag Team Championship one more time before ROH came to hiatus in 2021. In 2022, Taven, Bennet, and Maria made their debut in AEW under The Kingdom name once again.

## History

### New Japan Pro Wrestling (2014–2015)

On August 10, 2014, during the G1 Climax The Kingdom, represented by Cole and Bennett and accompanied by Maria Kanellis, made their New Japan Pro Wrestling debuts, defeating Captain New Japan and Jushin Thunder Liger. The Kingdom, now represented by Bennett and Taven, returned to New Japan in November 2014, to take part in the 2014 World Tag League. They finished third in their block with a record of four wins and three losses.

On March 1 at ROH's 13th Anniversary Show, Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows were scheduled to wrestle in a three-way non-title tag team match with The Kingdom and The Addiction (Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian), however, when Gallows was unable to make the event due to travel issues, Anderson was left to wrestle alone and was in the end pinned for the win by The Kingdom. Upon his return to NJPW, Anderson publicly offered The Kingdom a shot at his and Gallows' IWGP Tag Team Championship anytime, anywhere, while also stating that Bullet Club was going to steal Bennett's valet and real-life wife Maria Kanellis away from him. Bennett and Taven returned to NJPW on April 5, 2015, at Invasion Attack 2015, where they defeated Bullet Club (Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson) to win the IWGP Tag Team Championship, thanks to Bennett's wife Maria Kanellis distracting Anderson. Following the event, Bullet Club recruited Gallows' wife Amber Gallows to take part in the first NJPW match involving female wrestlers since October 2002. The match took place at Wrestling Dontaku 2015 and saw Bennett, Taven and Kanellis defeat Anderson and the two Gallows with Kanellis pinning Amber for the win, after low blowing Anderson. Throughout the match, NJPW continued a storyline, where Anderson's infatuation with Kanellis distracted him from the match, but following the loss, Anderson turned on Kanellis and came together with Doc to perform their signature double-team move, *Magic Killer*, on her, before being chased away from the ring by Bennett and Taven. On July 5 at Dominion 7.5 in Osaka-jo Hall, The Kingdom lost the IWGP Tag Team Championship back to Bullet Club in their first defense. The match featured outside interference from both Amber Gallows and Maria Kanellis. Anderson's infatuation with Kanellis continued distracting him from the match, eventually leading to Doc Gallows superkicking Kanellis, removing her from the match. Anderson and Gallows isolated Taven and hit him with the *Magic Killer*, to end The Kingdom's reign at their first title defense.

Bennett and Taven returned to NJPW in November to take part in the 2015 World Tag League, where they finished with a record of two wins and four losses, failing to advance from their block.

## In wrestling

* **Bennett's finishing moves**
	+ *Go Back to Japan* (Anaconda vise)
	+ Piledriver
* **Cole's finishing moves**
	+ *Florida Key* (Bridging X-Plex)
* **Taven's finishing moves**
	+ *Climax* (Arm trap headlock driver)
	+ Frog splash
* **Double-team finishing moves**
	+ **Taven and Bennett**
		- *Hail Mary* (Aided Spike piledriver)
		- Extreme Combination (Twist of Fate by Bennett followed by a Swanton Bomb by Taven) - adopted from the The Hardy Boyz
* **Managers**
	+ Maria Kanellis
* **Entrance themes**
	+ "Fire Guitar" by Fabio Codega (NJPW; April 5, 2015 – December 9, 2015)

## Championships and accomplishments

* **New Japan Pro Wrestling**
	+ IWGP Tag Team Championship (1 time) – Bennett and Taven
* **Ring of Honor**
	+ ROH World Championship (1 time) – Cole
	+ ROH World Tag Team Championship (2 times) – Bennett and Taven
	+ Survival of the Fittest (2014) – Cole
	+ Honor Rumble (2014) – Bennett

## References

1. ↑ NJPW G1 Climax 24 Day 12 results .
2. ↑ 『World Tag League 2014』出場チーム＆公式戦が決定！ 棚橋はヨシタツとタッグ結成！ 桜庭、AJ、柴田、ROH、NWAも参戦!  (in Japanese). *New Japan Pro Wrestling* (2014-11-11). Retrieved on 2014-12-05.
3. ↑ World Tag League 2014  (in Japanese). *New Japan Pro Wrestling*. Retrieved on 2014-12-05.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Invasion Attack 2015  (in Japanese). *New Japan Pro Wrestling*. Retrieved on 2015-04-05.
5. ↑ Show results - 4/5 NJPW "Invasion Attack" in Tokyo, Japan: A.J. Styles defends IWGP World Title in main event, ROH tag teams win both Tag Titles, Bullet Club in action, more . *Pro Wrestling Torch* (2015-04-05). Retrieved on 2015-04-05.
6. ↑ Meltzer, Dave 2015-07-04. New Japan Dominion live coverage from Osaka Jo Hall - Styles vs. Okada for IWGP title, Nakamura vs. Goto for IC title and notes on biggest event since the Tokyo Dome, plus all G-1 main events . *Wrestling Observer Newsletter*. Retrieved on 2015-07-05.
7. ↑ NJPW World Tag League Results & Standings . *Pro Wrestling Torch*. Archived from the original on 2015-12-09. Retrieved on 2015-12-06.
8. ↑ Trionfo, Richard 2014-02-02. Ring of Honor television report: A.J. Styles returns; Michael Bennett debuts a new finisher; Steve Corino introduces new catchphrase; and more . Pro Wrestling Insider. Retrieved on 2014-02-03.
9. ↑ Pile Driver Versus Pile Driver . Ring of Honor (2013-10-02). Retrieved on 2013-10-03. “The Battle Of The Piledrivers! Will Kevin be the third former World Champion in a row to fall to Bennett's piledriver...”
10. ↑ Namako, Jason 2012-03-19. ROH on Sinclair Results – 3/17/12 . WrestleView. Retrieved on 2013-05-30. “Cole then hooks Silvio and hits the Florida Key (Cross-Armed German Suplex) for the victory.”
11. ↑ Carapola, Stuart 2013-03-20. Adam Cole – Panama's Finest DVD Review: Cole discusses his career thus far in a 75 minute shoot interview, plus an assortment of Future Shock matches, the 10th Anniversary main event, Hybrid Rules, and more . Pro Wrestling Insider. Retrieved on 2013-05-30.
12. ↑ ROH house show report 5-18 Richmond (updated) . *Wrestling Observer Newsletter*. Retrieved on 2013-09-17. “Adam Cole def. Adam Page in 09:57 with the Florida Key (X-Plex)”
13. ↑ World Tag League 2014  (in Japanese). *New Japan Pro Wrestling*. Retrieved on 2014-11-28.
14. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `ASEVII`
15. ↑ Honor Rumble (2014) results .