• Maria Kanellis On If WWE Punished Mike Kanellis For Her Second Pregnancy
During a recent appearance on the Wrassingh Show, former WWE Diva Maria Kanellis was asked if WWE intentionally made her husband, Mike Kanellis, look like a loser in their storyline on TV because of her second pregnancy.
Here’s what Maria replied:
“There are several falsehoods with that. First and foremost, I didn’t know I was pregnant when I signed with WWE so I couldn’t have told them. When I came out with the fact that I was pregnant on live television, I was probably only about eight and a half to nine weeks pregnant, so like, I did not know when I signed. Also, I had talked to WWE about having another baby because when we were in contract negotiations, I gave them two different options.
I was like ‘okay, you guys can either sign me to like a legacy, paid per appearance deal, which is less money, less appearances and you can just keep me under contract and I will have a baby, and I’ll do less because I was gonna get pregnant.
Or you can sign me to the full time deal but I’m planning on having another baby and I’m getting to be almost 40 so it’s going to happen soon.’ So, they had options – they could have signed me either way.
There actually was a third option, which was bring me in as like a producer/writer and keep me backstage. Then even the farther along I was pregnant, I could keep coming until a certain time when my doctor said no more flights. But then I could have come back earlier too.
They didn’t accept that option. What they decided to do was to bring me in full-time full talent contract and that was their decision, not mine. I gave them the other options, so if it was a way of getting back at me, I’m sorry that talent relations didn’t inform WWE of what our family planning was but at the end of the day, it really is none of their business.
If anything, pregnancy is a disability in the United States, it’s considered disability so federally, it should be treated as an injury in an independent contract so that doesn’t matter at the end of the day.
I didn’t have to tell them what my family planning was, but I did! WWE could’ve chosen to fire me, they could have signed me to a paid per appearance deal, a lesser contract, a producer/writer deal or even working down in NXT, or they could have signed me to a full-time deal. They chose to sign me to a full-time deal.
So whether or not the information was relayed from talent relations to Vince McMahon or the management, I don’t know. Maybe it was a punishment but at the same time like that’s not my fault.”
Also Read: Mike & Maria Kanellis Shoot On WWE For Treating Them Poorly
WATCH: Fan Slaps Maria Kanellis’ Butt:
• ON THIS DAY IN WWF HISTORY (May 27, 1985) – WWF on A.M. Chicago
On this day in 1985, the World Wrestling Federation was featured on an episode of ‘A.M. Chicago’.
“A.M. Chicago” was a local talk and variety show in the Windy City starting in 1974. By 1983, the show was last in the ratings, which prompted the station manager to hire Oprah Winfrey.
Oprah had risen from an abused past in the Milwaukee ghettos into becoming a charismatic young newscaster.
The move created a sensation no one saw coming as Winfrey took “A.M. Chicago” to number 1 in the market, and by September 1986 the show was nationally syndicated.
This episode takes a look at the “A.M. Chicago” cameras following Oprah as she ventured into a WWF show at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago, Illinois on May 24, 1985, 3 days before this aired.
“Gentleman” Jerry Valiant calls the action at ringside with Oprah.
You can find the match-card below:
– JYD & Tito Santana vs. Greg Valentine & Brutus Beefcake
– Ivan Putski vs. Jesse “The Body” Ventura
– WWF Champion Hulk Hogan vs. Don Muraco
