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What’s the story?
WWE 205 Live superstar Mike Kanellis took to Twitter and potentially teased leaving the company for good. Maria and Mike Kanellis’ WWE contracts are rumoured to be coming to an end soon and the angle has also been prominently featured on WWE’s Cruiserweight show.
In case you didn’t know…
The 34-year-old Mike Kanellis, aka, Mike Bennett is a legit pro wrestling veteran who has been plying his trade for almost 17 years.
After wrestling for countless independent promotions around the world - some of which include New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), Ring of Honor (ROH), TNA/Impact Wrestling and Top Rope Promotions (TRP) - Benett finally realised his dream of competing in the WWE in 2017.
WWE re-signed Maria Kanellis - who was a part of the WWE from 2004 to 2010 - and got her real-life husband Mike as well into the company’s fold. He was rebranded as Mike Kanellis but underutilization on WWE Creative’s part and an untimely injury hindered his rise.
He would eventually get drafted to 205 Live, where he has been performing since October 2018. However, despite the change of brands, the frustrations continue to remain as Mike and Maria reportedly asked for their WWE releases in January earlier this year, as revealed by Ryan Satin.
Maria would deny those claims but would continue to tease the expiration of their contracts via twitter. On May 27th, Maria put up a Tweet claiming that their contracts were up in three weeks, only to follow up with another tweet stating it was regarding a gym membership and not their WWE deals.
PWInsider would confirm that Maria was indeed alluding to their WWE contracts. The contract status has since been turned into the storyline arc on 205 Live.
The heart of the matter
Mike Kanellis posted the following tweet on his social media handle earlier today:
While it is true that his existing WWE contract coming to an end and the duo may be looking to leave, the tweet plays right into the current angle being portrayed on TV. 205 Live GM Drake Maverick has been on the receiving end of some heat on the show as most talents aren't pleased with his management decisions.
Mike and Maria have been at odds with Maverick over the past few weeks with their reported WWE departure being one of the major talking points of the feud.
What's the story?
WWE is blurring the lines between reality and kayfabe with this angle and it's tough to actually come to conclusion when it comes to Mike and Maria's WWE futures.
However, as reported by various backstage sources, their WWE contracts are coming to an end and as of his writing, there is no update on a potential extension.
Is this all a work or are the exponents of the Power of Love done with WWE? We'll have to wait and find out.
