Released WWE Star Refuses To Return Under Current Management
Unless there's a drastic overhaul in WWE's management/ownership, Maria Kanellis Bennett refuses to ever return to the company.
Kanellis made her feelings known while responding to a fan on Twitter, as seen below.
No. Not until it is under new management/ownership. https://t.co/h2IYWcsF5s
— MariaKanellisBennett (@MariaLKanellis) July 17, 2022
In the aftermath of Vince McMahon stepping down as CEO & Chairman of WWE last month, Kanellis said she was hoping to see an overhaul in the company culture, which, according to her would only be possible under new management.
"Let's hope the company is bought out by someone/company that will treat WWE like a business and not a boys club," Kanellis wrote on Twitter. Health insurance, retirement plans, parental leave."
Kanellis added, "Vacation days, child care, and a clear direction for the future. This is going to be an anxiety-filled time for a lot of people that work there. Hopefully, the COMPANY CULTURE will change. And people will still have jobs they love to feed their families."
Subsequently, Kanellis would comment on McMahon's brief promo segment on the 6/17 "SmackDown" which aired hours after the first WSJ story alleged that McMahon paid $3 million in "hush money" to a former paralegal with whom he and John Laurinaitis allegedly had sexual relations. Kanellis felt McMahon was being "disrespectful to the women hurt" by appearing on live television.
"Isn't this disrespectful to the women hurt in this situation? It's not a joke," she wrote on Twitter. "WWE's company culture of fear and abuse of power is not a joke."
Kanellis has yet to comment on the second WSJ story that dropped on 7/8, which alleged McMahon signed NDAs with three other women whom he had sexual relations with.
Kanellis had two stints working for the WWE - 2004-2010 and 2017-2020. The second stint ended as part of WWE's budget cuts amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2020.