WWE performer Mike Kanellis (Mike Bennett) issued a statement on Monday that he has requested his release from the company.
In the post, he confirmed signing a new deal back in June “because I thought it was what was best for my family, and maybe from a financial standpoint it was.”
Bennett said working one day a week doesn’t cut it for him and doesn’t see an opportunity for more presently. He added that he has been bringing his work frustrations home and isn’t good for his family.
Bennett, alongside wife Maria Kanellis, left Impact Wrestling in early 2017 and debuted with WWE in June that year. Last year, the couple was moved to 205 Live and had been primarily utilized on that show until a recent storyline was presented on Raw playing off Kanellis’ pregnancy and a mystery over whether Bennett was the father or not. The story had stalled with Bennett back on 205 Live last Friday night at the episode in Las Vegas.
Bennett is not the first talent to ask for their release as there have been varying outcomes for talent wanting out. Shawn Spears was an example of one who requested their release, stating it publicly, and was granted it. However, Luke Harper attempted the same strategy and was iced for months until being brought back in September and aligned with Erick Rowan for a program against Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan.
The deal Bennett signed back in June was reported by Fightful to be five-years in length.
POST Wrestling has reached out to WWE with a request regarding Bennett’s status with the company.
Zero respect for this guy. You were already unhappy and wanted to leave. What did you think was going to happen when you resigned? That they were suddenly going to do meaningful stuff with you?
He deserves to sit the rest of his contract for his stupidity.
It is one thing to use him as an “enhancement” talent on TV, but straight up embarrassing the guy the way they did in front of the entire world week after week, when the same guy just recently had such big problems in his personal life and barely managed to dig his head out is straight up malicious. Those segments with his actual wife chastising and castrating him verbally on live TV were brutal to watch and I can only imagine that this request is coming after another meeting with “creative”, where some new ideas in familiar direction were thrown at him.
I hope he gets his release, but at this time in the wrestling busyness I don’t think he will.
Also makes me wonder where is Maria standing in this F’d up situation.
One thing I’m sure of is WWE straight up bullying their talent on live TVall the time needs to be addressed a lot more and a lot harsher.
They probably don’t want others to do what he does if they are unhappy. Also they could easily humiliate him to pop Vince and let him get a few chuckles each week. They could also just have him sit at home and of course we don’t have a pay off to the baby daddy segment yet.
The only reason to release him is because you want to save the money (which they don’t really care about right now) or because you are a decent person and want to see him succeed elsewhere (I really couldn’t type that with a straight face).
I guess the only other reason is because you deem him to be so worthless that you hope AEW signs him and it hurts them. Sort of like WWE and WCW when they took jobbers like Neidhart and stuff. I’m not sure he’s that level
Though
Look at what Spears did - he realized a new company was forming and knows his current role. So he wanted to get in on the ground floor. AEW gave him a chance.
If Spears left today does he get that chance? Probably not - AEW has their storylines and don’t need to pickup ex WWE jobbers. But before they opened? They needed guys and an Ex WWE (even if a jobber) was valuable.
Has Kanellis left before AEW got going they probably take him like Spears.
At this point though WWE has damaged him so much and AEW has their storylines set and has enough ex WWE guys that unless you are a real player they probably going to focus on their roster.
Timing is everything. He had a chance and blew it. Good luck now getting anything close to what he would have a few months ago
Kind of harsh to shit on the guy. A lot of people work shitty jobs they don’t like to make good money for their family. It’s also total speculation to say AEW would have taken him and that he didn’t talk to other companies before resigning. Spears was low on the totem pole but Kanellis was at the bottom.
Yes perhaps that was harsh. Maybe he did reach out. It sounded like he resigned before contract ended and no word he reached out but perhaps more news will come to light soon.
Its not harsh at all. This guy knew his spot in the company. He chose to resign. Okay cool, you got more money for your family, good for you. But then the guy turns around and talks about how he wants to wrestle around the world and have 30 minute matches. What the hell did he expect was going to happen? They couldnt even prove before he resigned, that they were going to use him proper.
At least with The Revival, they had their issues and the WWE has given them some title reigns, even if they havent resigned yet. They have done something.
Yeah that’s the part I find the most bizzare. He sounds like Dean Ambrose who wants to have good matches, maybe enter G1 etc. Dean didn’t even listen to the WWE offer.
If Kanellis really wanted that then why resign? No way were they letting him wrestle 10 mins let alone 30. They always thought his wife was the bigger star.
Dan, they saw how misused they were for the past 3 years of their wwe contract. They (Maria) teased their contracts being up by counting it down on a weekly basis. They, unless forced by some outside entity, decided to sign 5 YEAR deals. This is on both of them. They could have left and chose not to sign, but they took the money. In 2019 when everyone is looking to fill positions on their rosters, they went back to the wwe that was misusing them. Who’s fault is that?
Their trashy storyline was dropped for a different trashy storyline and now they’re mad. Hope WWE grant them their release though. WWE can get them to sign something that says they won’t join AEW. Then they can go back to Impact.
I bet if this same scenario would have happened 10 years ago he would have been released no problem. Bruce Prichard has said multiple times on his podcast that Vince doesn’t like having unhappy people in his locker room and that he would usually let unhappy people go. That philosophy definitely seems to have changed recently.
I feel bad for Mike. He didn’t know he was going to be booked as a “beta cuck” when he renewed his deal. Also, AEW had run just one PPV show at the time of their re-signing. Not many thought AEW was going to be this successful with their weekly TNT show at that time. It’s also not a guarantee AEW found any value in him or even wanted him.
