Maria Kanellis announces AEW departure

Maria Kanellis is departing AEW with her contract expiring at the end of January.

Kanellis sent out a message on her social media accounts revealing that today (January 31) is her last day with AEW. Her husband Mike Bennett is still with the promotion despite Maria’s departure.

“This is my last day with AEW,” Kanellis wrote. “Mike still works there. We have kids.”

In 2024, Kanellis dealt with a months-long health scare after a mass was found on her adrenal gland. She underwent surgery to remove the mass in October and then shared a positive update in December, announcing that testing determined the tumor was not cancerous.

Kanellis’ AEW contract was originally set to expire at the end of October 2024.

Today and tomorrow, Kanellis is appearing at WrestleCon’s convention in Indianapolis. She has other appearances lined up as well.

“I have several other appearances coming up,” she wrote. “You can contact me for bookings at [email protected]

Kanellis added that, in March, she will be starting a master’s degree program at the University of Illinois.

After debuting for AEW in 2022, Kanellis was mostly featured as a manager in ROH.

Kanellis responded to a fan who asked if there is any chance of her remaining with AEW on a new contract: “No thank you.”

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Joseph Currier
Joseph Currier

Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.

In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.