Maria Kanellis Debunks False Claims Surrounding Her Time in WWE

Maria Kanellis came to prominence after her stint with WWE, starting as a backstage correspondent and then transitioning into an in-ring athlete. However, some reports had pinpointed some accusations towards the First Lady of wrestling, and being someone not afraid to speak her mind, she decided to set the record straight.

Kanellis took to her X to reveal intriguing details regarding her tenures in the global juggernaut. Maria stated that her first run in WWE ended in 2010 when she refused to resign. She cited the simple reason of being paid only one-third of what the male superstars made their that time.

The First Lady then shifted towards her second coming in WWE, when she debuted alongside her real-life husband, Mike Bennett. She mentioned that they were persuaded to believe that it was a new WWE they had arrived in.

Moreover, they were lied to about their creative direction, did not go or had WWE pay for any rehabs, and had only an average WWE contract that was valid for 6 months.

“There are a lot of reports about things that happened when I was in WWE. Most of them are just wrong. Some are rumors circulated by WWE loyalists, bots, or “news” organizations on the WWE payroll. Here are some facts: When I was “released” by WWE the first time in 2010 my contract was up and I refused to sign for one third what my male contemporaries were making. When I went back, I was told by many people I trusted that WWE had changed. WWE knew we were planning on adding to our family when we resigned. Mike asked for his release, I did not. Mike never went to WWE rehab. Nor did they pay for any rehab. We were lied to many times about our storyline and what direction it was going. I fought back against it to no avail. We were never paid millions of dollars in WWE. We had the average contract for WWE for 6 months. We are not millionaires and we don’t live in a mansion. I hope this helps people separate fact from fiction.”

Mike Bennett and Maria Kanellis left the WWE in 2020 and wrestled for various promotions following that. Currently, the duo are members of the AEW roster with Mike being a part of Adam Cole’s faction while Maria is aligned with younger stars like Griff Garrison.

Do you want to see Mike Bennett and Maria Kanellis reunite for one more run? Sound off in the comments!