The WWE’s time with Maria Kanellis, Mike Bennett, and Ric Flair was not an enjoyable one. Although Maria was featured alongside top stars such as John Cena, Ric Flair, and even won the spotlight during her second stint, Mike was not used much on television. Her second run was cut short by pregnancy and she never came back.
Maria Kanellis was pregnant again during her second stint. Mike Bennett struggled to find compelling storylines and matches. Kanellis spoke about her previous run with WWE, her pregnancy, and her experiences with Vince McMahon, former CEO and Chairman of WWE. In a recent interview, Maria Kanellis spoke openly with Steve Fall from NBC Sports Boston.
“When we were getting ready to sign with WWE again, we had long conversations with WWE, and I told them I wanted to have another baby right away, because I wanted the two kids to have each other, and I told WWE, ‘Hey, it’s fine, I could just not sign, and we can part ways. That’s fine. Mike can stay, and I’ll go and have a second baby.’”
Maria Kanellis also discussed the possibility of pitching a payper-view appearance or becoming a backstage producers during this time. The former WWE Diva feels that she could take care of her baby and also have the responsibility of a key backstage role in WWE.
“The final answer that we got was — it was Mark Carrano [who was Head of Talent Relations] at the time — and Mark said, ‘Vince loves kids, so if you were to get pregnant, no problem. No big deal,’” Kanellis continued. “So we were like, ‘Okay! Cool!’”
Maria and Mike signed the dotted line, without knowing Maria was pregnant. After being kept off TV, the couple were released in 2020. They began working with companies like Ring of Honor and IMPACT Wrestling after their WWE release. A few weeks ago, they signed with All Elite Wrestling.
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