Maria Kanellis Bennett Announces Upcoming Retirement From Pro Wrestling

Just hours after her husband, Mike Bennett, appeared to make it clear what he thinks of today’s TNA news, Maria Kanellis Bennett tweeted a multi-part message on Monday night not long after Raw started:

https://twitter.com/MariaLKanellis/status/793242751961862145

https://twitter.com/MariaLKanellis/status/793243837074374656

https://twitter.com/MariaLKanellis/status/793244585803804672

Granted, she’s not retiring right away. Still, it’s not like retirement tours are new in the wrestling business, either.

Analysis: As noted earlier in the post about Mike Bennett’s tweet, the married couple came into TNA under the new type of contract that the company started offering this year. The idea was for TNA to be able to offset good guaranteed money by booking talent out to independent promotions, but it appears that the prices being charged by the promotion were not competitive enough to get most indies to bite.

With wrestler paychecks being late and/or bouncing at least twice over the court of the last three pay periods, you can see why someone in TNA would become disillusioned with the business, especially when both halves of a marriage are having the same pay issues. If you have options, and Maria clearly feels like she does, then maybe a way out sounds awfully good right now.

While she never turned into  great mechanical pro wrestler, Maria absolutely doesn’t get enough credit for how good a performer she has become in all other facets.. In one sense, it will be a shame to see her go, but I hope she does great in the next stage of her life and we should all respect her decision, especially under the current circumstances for TNA roster members.