'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Former WWE superstar Maria Kanellis Bennett has revealed that she and her husband Mike Bennett (formerly known as Mike Kanellis) regretted signing with WWE at one point.
In an interview with Shakiel Mahjouri of Cageside Seats, Maria reflected on the time she and Mike initially signed with WWE in 2017. She noted that they didn't want to leave IMPACT Wrestling, but WWE convinced them to make the jump.
“Let’s start from the beginning," said Maria. "When Mike and I were picked up from WWE, it was in March [of 2017]. So we were picked up in March and we were promised the world. We didn’t want to leave IMPACT. We were happy. They [IMPACT] offered us more money and the exact same money that WWE had offered us initially. So what WWE did is they offered us a little bit more and they told us we didn’t have to move. I was fine with moving but, whatever, moving is expensive." (H/T Cageside Seats)
Maria added that there were plans for the duo to appear on the RAW after Wrestlemania, but they fell through. Instead, Mike and Maria had to sit out for four months. It was at this point that they regretted their decision to sign with WWE.
"So they sat us," Maria continued. "They told us that we were possibly going to be on RAW after WrestleMania. It didn’t happen. They sat us at home. So here we are with all these promises being made and we’re sitting at home now for four months before they even decided to start talking to us. It was ridiculous. And so we’re already feeling very much like, ‘Why the hell did we make this decision to come to WWE?’"
You can watch the entire interview below:
Maria Kanellis' WWE career
Maria was introduced as a backstage interviewer in 2004. In 2005, she competed in her first match against Christy Hemme in a losing effort. She participated in a variety of battle royals for the Women's Championship, but she was unsuccessful. She then successfully teamed up with John Cena against Edge and Lita.
Maria later feuded and even gained a win against Santino Marella. Some of her other notable rivalries were against the likes of Melina, Layla, and Michelle McCool. She won the Slammy Award for Diva of the Year in 2009, but she was released a few months later.
She returned to the company eight years later in 2017 alongside her husband Mike at the Money In The Bank pay-per-view. Maria won the 24/7 Championship in 2019 during her second stint with WWE, but she was released in April 2020 as part of budget cuts linked to the COVID-19 pandemic.
What do you think about Maria's comments? Sound off below.
