WWE News: Mike Kanellis Shares Details Of Phone Call Informing Him Of His Release
Mike Kanellis was one of several WWE superstars and employees who got released from their contracts earlier this week. His wife, Maria, also got cut from the company, which wasn’t easy news to take for either former superstar. During a recent interview with WrestleTalk, Kanellis opened up about the experience.
According to the former Monday Night Raw superstar, every employee received a video from Vince McMahon at the start of the day. In the video, the WWE chairman said that some employees would be laid off throughout the day, and those who were being cut would receive phone calls when the time came.
Kanellis told WrestleTalk that he joked about packing his things as soon as the video ended. However, while he was expecting to be dropped from the roster, he admitted that he and his wife hoped things turned out differently for the couple.
“We both kinda knew it and then an hour later we got a call from Mark Corano who is Head of Talent relations, he was another guy who was super good to me, and I have nothing bad to say. It was one of the things I said to him on the phone, ‘I wish it went a little bit different than it did, but I’m not going to yell and scream at you because you guys gave me a fun three years and then they called my wife.'”
During the interview, Kanellis was also asked if he saw the releases coming. The former superstar said that he expected to be let go at some point, as Maria had been absent because of maternity leave and the company wasn’t doing anything with him. Kanellis also asked for his release in the past, but he told WrestleTalk that he’d worked those issues out and didn’t want to be fired during a pandemic.
.@MariaLKanellis & @RealMikeBennett aren't too happy about the competition tonight on #205Live. pic.twitter.com/LeSsaf2EYc
— WWE (@WWE) March 6, 2019
Kanellis revealed that he only asked to leave because he wanted to wrestle, and opportunities were hard to come by in WWE. However, he also claimed that his experience with the company was a happy one and that he enjoyed working there.
There doesn’t appear to be any bad blood between the Kanellis family and WWE, but fans are wondering what the pair’s future plans are. As documented by Ringside News, Kanellis recently teased a return to New Japan Pro Wrestling after sharing a throwback picture on social media. He also experienced some success in Ring of Honor before WWE, and the company will likely be keen on adding him to the roster again.
