Former WWE Diva Maria Kanellis is crossing over the world of mixed martial arts as she will joining the “King of the Cage” broadcast team for Mark Cuban’s HDNet.

It was announced on tonight’s episode of Inside MMA that she would debut at this month’s event in Reno, Nevada on the 26th, airing live on HDNet.

A press release regarding Kanellis joining HDNet is set to be issued Monday.

Kanellis was released from WWE on Feb. 26. She will be one of the featured stars on Celebrity Apprentice premiering this Sunday night on NBC.

In an interview with Al Norton of 411Mania.com, former WWE Diva Maria Kanellis discusses her surprising departure from World Wrestling Entertainment, her new album, her stint on The Celebrity Apprentice, and much more.

Kanellis says she had been in negotiations with WWE regarding her contract for approximately three weeks when they decided to terminate their partnership. She notes being caught off guard by their decision to release her.

“I think I was pretty surprised (laughing),” she said. “It was very shocking. It was the day after my birthday, I had just got done with my taxes, I knew that I was going to go home to pack and get ready for the road that weekend. I had been in talks about my contract for probably three weeks, trying to change a few things just like any human being who holds any job for any amount of time, I wanted things to get better. I was asking for things I thought were very reasonable and apparently negotiations ended and they decided they no longer wanted me.”

Kanellis also discloses her mother’s reaction to her release from WWE, saying she “freaked out” upon learning the news.

“It was a shock at first. I didn’t have time to call my Mom. My Mom called me freaking out because it went up on the internet within a half hour and that’s just common courtesy; you let employees call their friends and family rather than a mass press release that goes out to the entire world and you can’t even call your Mom and tell her, “I’m ok, it’s ok. I’m not freaking out.” She’s worried, saying “oh my God, what are you going to do? How are you going to pay for your house?” If I could have called my Mom I would have been so happy but I didn’t even have time to do that.”

Kanellis then says she found it strange WWE would terminate her contract when she’s about to go on The Celebrity Apprentice to support the Make-A-Wish-Foundation. She then repeatedly asks why WWE would “burn a bridge” with her.

“I think what’s even more strange for WWE and I worked very hard for the Make-A-Wish-Foundation, which is the foundation I am supporting throughout the Celebrity Apprentice, so why would they burn that bridge with me,” Maria asked. “I’m not going to burn any bridge with WWE but why would they burn that bridge with me? Maybe they just look at me like they can always make another one but I don’t like to be looked at like a number. I don’t think that anyone should be looked at like a number. Everybody has the right to be an individual and express their needs and I think it’s horrible to send somebody away that has made so many Make A Wish kids happy, done so many things for their reading program. I’ve been to burn units, I’ve been to Iraq five times. Why would they burn that bridge with me?

“I know, they think they’re a big company but I’m a strong spirit and I didn’t like getting my bridge burned.”

Kanellis also reveals whether she’s interested in resuming her career in the squared circle.

“I am still trying to decide. It’s a tough choice for me because I am such a loyal person but beyond that, I have so many dreams and unfortunately I don’t know if I can complete those dreams if I stay on the road wresting. We’ll see. I have my album coming out in April,” Kanellis said. “When it comes to TNA or anyone else, I’m not closing the door. I’m leaving it open for right now and maybe when the dust settles and the whole non-compete thing runs out I’ll be closer to making a decision.”

Recently released WWE Diva Maria has re-launched her official website, www.MariaKanellis.net.

On her overhauled site, she comments on her departure from World Wrestling Entertainment in a blog post:

“Am I mad at WWE? No, I am not. I get it. I understand. They gave me my start and I am thankful. I will however miss the Divas. They will forever be a part of my story. Mickie giving wrestling her heart, soul and a real teacher in the ring. Michelle with her dedication to the divas division is making it grow. Nattie with all the history and excitement. Layla giving it fire, humor, and is a great friend. Kelly the girl that is the beauty that has that same desire as me to prove herself in the ring. Eve is a fighter and can choke you out! (Eve I can’t wait to come train with you now that I have some time on my hands.) Beth, the foundation, sweet, strong, and a great listener. These girls and all the Divas are my inspiration. I admire them. I will keep watching you succeed. Thank you Ladies.

“Will I be back? I don’t know. Life throws so much at you. Maybe this chapter is over and maybe we will revisit it later. Only the universe knows. Celebrity Apprentice! Hmmmmm… You will have to wait and see how I did. But, I can say that WWE helped me meet Mr. Trump. Make a Wish Foundation was the charity I worked for. I love that Foundation. Giving wishes to kids! Wow! So important. The Make a Wish kids are the best motivation I could ever have to work my butt off on Celebrity Apprentice.”

The website heavily promotes her forthcoming music album.

Former WWE Diva Maria Kanellis was interviewed by Eric Cohen of About.com this week to promote her role on the upcoming “Celebrity Apprentice” NBC show and reveals that Donald Trump himself invited her to participate. “I actually met Donald Trump when he came to the show to do some work with Vince McMahon. He asked me if I wanted to do it and I said that I would love to and it all started from there.”

Maria was also asked whether she’d be open to joining TNA, or if she’s fully moved on from the wrestling business.  “I’m not sure yet to be honest,” she said. “I probably had seven different phone calls from companies across the country asking me to come here or go there. I haven’t decided. It’s such an exciting adventure to be on. It’s like I’ve been born again or something. I’m really trying to figure out what’s best for me, what’s best for my future, and then go from there.”

Maria Kanellis’ release from World Wrestling Entertainment is being seen as a surprise considering that the fans voted her Diva of the Year in an online poll last December not to mention that she will be appearing as a contestant on Celebrity Apprentice, which debuts in two weeks on NBC. She herself has told friends she was blindsided by the release and that she had no reason to believe it was coming.

Her departure was said to be due to management’s negative reaction to an interview she did with The Sun this past January where she said she wasn’t sure how much longer she’d stay with WWE because she had outside interests and would like to start a family at some point.

“I’m starting to do other things and it’s partially because one day I want to be a mom and I want to get married and you can’t really do that when you’re on the road,” Kanellis told The Sun. “So I’ve got to find a job that will allow me to do that.”

When the interview drew a bad reaction, she did a follow-up interview to clarify that it was long way away and that she had no plans on leaving anytime soon. In the day following her release, she did a third interview to say it was not her decision to leave WWE, nor did she ask for a release. However, she did note that “when a bad relationship is over, you move on.” She also said WWE was holding her back from expanding her career. WWE officials were not high on her asking to take deals outside of the company.

One company source said Vince McMahon had been negative on her in meetings in recent few weeks, with one person claiming she came back with an change in attitude after returning from Celebrity Apprentice.

“She always made my honor roll of talent to deal with on the Divas end of the roster. Super easy going and actually played a role well as the bubbly ditz,” said one former WWE writer of Maria. “However, Vince knows all too well about how the ego swells when the performers get some mainstream traction and it never benefits the company.”

Some of the wrestlers have an idea on how she performed on Celebrity Apprentice, with one person close to the matter saying he expects her to come out of the season looking like a star and could not understand why WWE would cut ties with her. Another wrestler said this was likely the situation because WWE figures if you find success outside of wrestling, you’re going to receive outside offers and end up leaving wrestling anyway, noting what happened with Stacy Keibler.

While Maria weighs her future, she will be pursuing a career in music in the meantime as she is expected to release her debut album Seven Sins on Apr. 13 on iTunes.

(sources: Wrestling Observer Newsletter, www.pwtorch.com)

– Former WWE Diva Maria Kanellis made her first public appearance since being released from WWE last week at TheWrap.com’s 2010 Awards Season Nominee Celebration over the weekend in Beverly Hills. Paul Heyman covered the event on his website and posted pictures of Maria from the event, which you can see at HeymanHustle.com.

– Contrary to speculation that WWE would be ending the RAW Guest Host angle after Steve Austin hosts on March 15th, WWE.com has announced that MLB great and WWE Hall of Famer Pete Rose will be the guest host of the March 22 edition of Raw. The show will take place from San Jose, California and will be the final RAW before WrestleMania XXVI.

Maria Kanellis, who was released on Friday by World Wrestling Entertainment, commented on her departure at Twitter.com/MariaLKannelis. She wrote:

“Alright guys let’s talk. I did not ask for my release. I was released. I am still going to kick ass in other areas!! I am excited about the future! But I am sad about never getting the Championship. I am sad about not getting the chance to go to Wrestlemania again. Passion is my Motivation! Time to Sing! Time to work for Charity! Time to Dance! Time to be Alive again! Much love to my FANS, my FAMILY, the DIVAS, and my FRIENDS! There is a bright new future when one door closes another opens! Bring on the Doors! Spanks and Kisses”

Here are some recent pictures of the former WWE Diva promoting her music career:

— WWE diva Maria Kanellis has been released. Maria had been with WWE since competing in the 2004 Diva Search competition (she placed 5th) and was voted the 2009 Diva of the Year.

– Daniel Bryan wrote the following on Twitter regarding the NXT premiere:

“Finally saw the NXT debut. I was proud of my performance but definitely saw areas I could improve. I need a better mentor!”

Follow Daniel Bryan & 80+ Wrestlers & Divas at PWTweets.com.

— ECW champion Christian made a surprise appearance during tonight’s Raw broadcast to announce that the entire ECW roster will become “free agents” after ECW goes off the air next week.

As the storyline goes, each wrestler on the roster can choose to join either Raw or SmackDown with the new NXT show filling ECW‘s timeslot on Syfy.

— While promoting WrestleMania during an appearance on an Arizona radio station, Maria Kanellis discussed her involvement with Celebrity Apprentice and said she got along with all of the celebrities with the exception of Cyndi Lauper. Maria had this to say regarding the recording artist: “It was more like, girls just wanna be mean, than girls just wanna have fun… I still like [Cyndi], I just don’t want to work with her again… EVER!”

— Speaking of Maria, she will be appearing at the World of Wheels Auto Show this Friday, beginning at 7:00 p.m. The show is located at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Center in Birmingham, Alabama.

WWE Diva Maria has been working on her first pop music album, “Seven Sins,” which is set to hit iTunes on April 13th.

The first single from Seven Sins, “Fantasy” will be available on iTunes February 23rd.

The WWE has released a 30-second preview of the first single, which you can check out here:

LISTEN: Fantasy by Maria Kannelis (MP3)

WWE.com also posted a new music-themed photo shoot of Maria this week, which you can view here.

Do you think Maria’s got what it takes to be a pop music star? Tell us below

— It was recently reported that Maria Kanellis would not be appearing on WWE programming while the new season of Celebrity Apprentice airs due to a clause in her contract with NBC prohibiting her from appearing on other television shows during the first run of the reality series. A fan mentioned this to Maria on Twitter with the SmackDown Diva responding, “I am not going anywhere.”

— For those curious, you can keep tabs on what the one and only Vickie Guerrero is up to on Facebook. To visit her page, click here.

— William Shatner discusses his experience guest hosting Monday’s Raw at the following link.

— Maria is being taken off Friday Night SmackDown for the next few months as Celebrity Apprentice has a clause preventing her from appearing elsewhere on television during the period in which the show is on the air.

The third season of Celebrity Apprentice premieres on Sunday, March 14th, 2010. As WWE would say, check your local listings for time and channel.

— Chris Jericho’s fourth Fozzy album, Chasing the Grail, is not expected to sell particularly well as its sales didn’t show up in the hits radar screen for its first day of release. The radar screen charts albums expected to sell 10,000 in the first week and Chasing the Grail is not expected to reach that mark. It is presently ranked at No. 321 in overall music sales on amazon.com and No. 16,867 on barnesandnoble.com.

— WWE Champion Sheamus has several scenes in The Escapist, including a major fight scene. The movie stars famous UK actor Bran Cox and was recently released on DVD.

source: www.f4wonline.com

– WWE Diva Maria said on her Twitter that her first album will come out on April 13th and is titled Sevin Sins. Apparently it will be released through Sony.

– Former WCW champion Diamond Dallas Page noted in a recent interview with Bryan Alvarez that Shawn Michaels has been using his “Yoga for Real Guys” fitness program for some time now.

– WWE Diva Mickie James is featured in the new issue of Country Weekly magazine.

– There was no dark match before last night’s RAW.

– The following matches and segments were taped before RAW for Thursday’s WWE Superstars on WGN America show:

• The Bellas vs. Katie Lea & Jillian Hall
• Chris Masters vs. Chavo Guerrero vs. Primo in a Royal Rumble qualifying match
• A segment with Chris Jericho and R-Truth

— Continuing their promotional push of WWE’s upcoming Royal Rumble pay-per-view to UK fans last week, Kelly Kelly and Maria appeared as guests on BBC Radio’s 1Xtra show. In an interesting note, both Divas said that they disliked their theme music and would change it if they could. They were also asked about dating fellow wrestlers, but the subject was promptly changed as the WWE public relations representative outside the studio door was reportedly going nuts.

WWE often has a rep listening in during media interviews with talent in order to prevent taboo subjects such as dating, wrestler deaths and steroid use from being discussed. (source: Mike Aldren of the Wrestling Globe Newsletter)

— An apparently unphotoshopped Chris Jericho is featured on the cover of latest issue of Men’s Fitness, which hits newsstands this Tuesday. Included is a six-page pictorial and interview in which the SmackDown Superstar shares his exercise tips. (Get fit with Chris Jericho)

— WWE Diva Maria tells the U.K. Sun that he’s already looking to pursue otheropportunities beyond WWE so she can settle down and start a family. “I’m starting to do other things and it’s partially because one day I want to be a mom and I want to get married and you can’t really do that when you’re on the road,” Maria told Sky Sports News on a U.K. promotional tour this week. “So I’ve got to find a job that will allow me to do that.” Maria, who will appear with former WWE & WCW champion Bill Goldberg on the upcoming “Celebrity Apprentice” show hosted by Donald Trump, is following in the footsteps of Mickie James and is also releasing an album this spring. “I’ve been with WWE for five years, so I don’t know when is going to be the end,” she said. “But I am looking at outside projects right now and doing other things..”

– Former WWE star Ken “Kenny Dykstra” Doannwill be will a cast member of the Seducing Cindy reality series that debuts on 1/30 on FOX Reality. The premise of the series:

She set world records, made hearts race with her Playboy cover at age 40, and now American icon Cindy Margolis is making the ultimate fantasy come true for her most devoted fans in the steamiest reality dating show ever.

Over the course of eight, one-hour episodes, Cindy will open herself up to romance with men of all ages and from all walks of life in an effort to find her ultimate soul mate. Cindy’s suitors will offer her true variety and tough choices as they battle through competitive tasks and fight for her affection and a coveted garter belt off of her leg, signifying a chance to stay on Cindy’s list of potential mates.

Looks like  winner.

— Kelly Kelly and Maria — presently on a media blitz in the UK — will be appearing on Evening Report tonight on Sky Sports and the show’s “presenters” will be reading out the best questions sent in by fans to the Diva duo. You can send in questions for Kelly and Maria at the following link.

— Former WWE performer Mark Copani (a/k/a Muhammad Hassan) will be making his first wrestling-related appearance since parting ways with World Wrestling Entertainment just over four years ago this April at the “Wrestlefest” wrestling convention in Carteret, New Jersey. Furthermore, his former partner in crime, Shawn Daivari will be on hand for the event as well. For more information on “Wrestlefest,” visit www.kandswrestlefest.com.

Other talent advertised to appear include Sim Snuka, Mae Young, Steve Lombardi, Harvey Wippleman, Tony Mamaluke, Mortis, Shark Boy, Bobby Jaggers, Dutch Mantel, Hamada and Scott Casey.

— Chris Jericho and Fozzy guitarist Rich Ward will be appearing and signing autographs tomorrow at the National Association of Music Merchants conference in Anaheim, California. (Chris Jericho at this weekend’s NAMM conference)

— While Vince McMahon was no-selling Jeff Hardy appearing on TNA’s three-hour iMPACT! broadcast last week backstage, it’s been said that he was “privately seething” over the former WWE Champion’s decision to jump ship to the competition. As noted earlier, WWE promptly removed Hardy from its opening video montage. WWE officials were hoping his legal issues would be settled in time for a match with CM Punk at WrestleMania, but with those plans now out the window, they’ll likely go with Punk vs. Rey Mysterio in a Hair vs. Mask Match.

— WWE has released the trailer for its Best of Raw 2009 DVD, which hits stores two weeks from now. The video segment highlights Raw’s most notable moments from the past year — many of which courtesy of DX. You can view the trailer at the following link.

— Former WWE Women’s Champion Molly Holly was backstage visiting friends last night at the Target Center. The former WWE Diva lives in Minnesota and typically visits friends when WWE tours the area.

— The new media blurb NBC put out regarding the upcoming season of Celebrity Apprentice makes zero mention of Maria Kanellis and Bill Goldberg.

(Credit to PWTorch.com and F4WOnline.com for some of the information used in this report)

Credit: WrestlingObserver.com

— Maria and Mark Henry will be at 225 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, New York City from noon to 2pm tomorrow for a meet and greet. Meanwhile, also from noon to 2pm, Bill Goldberg will be taking photos with fans tomorrow at 155 Fifth Avenue to promote The Celebrity Apprentice. Goldberg will apparently be wearing his full wrestling gear for the pictures.

— ESPN remains the frontrunner in the weekly cable ratings race with a 2.9 prime time average last week. USA followed in second with a 2.2 average, and the two hours of RAW were the #6 and #8 top rated cable shows for the week. SyFy was at #8 among the cable networks with a 1.0 average and Spike was at #16 with a 0.8 average. While The Ultimate Fighter on Spike finished behind Monday Night Football, it beat RAW and every baseball playoff game of the week in the Males 18-34 demographic.

— The upcoming Smackdown/ECW house show in Ft. Myers, Florida is being promoted by local radio station 1055 The Beat as an evening of “Blood, sweat, and bad acting.” (Thanks to reader Bianca)

— In the UK for the week ending October 11: RAW did 37,000 viewers, SmackDown did 83,000 viewers, and TNA iMPACT drew somewhere less than 38,000.

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