Maria Kanellis says AEW extended her contract for three months while she recovered from tumor surgery
While speaking to Wrestling Life Online, former WWE and AEW star Maria Kanellis talked about her recent health issues. Here is what Maria had to say…
“I had the tumor removed and that was in October. And they [AEW] extended my contract out for three months when I was still in the hospital.
I get a call while I’m in the hospital. They want to extend the contract. You know, thank you for the blessing of having three months of recovery to kind of get back on my feet after that.
Luckily Mike still had a contract at the time, I had three months to recover after my surgery, and I was still under contract. So, yeah, it was just really hard. It was really hard.
And because of the tumor, too, the type of tumor I had, it’s pheochromocytoma. It’s a one-in-a-million tumor.
They don’t usually find it until you’re dead.
So, it changes your personality. It affects your heart. It makes your blood pressure do this. So, you’re just angry all the time.
I think a lot of me lost my fight for, really fighting backstage for what I wanted, really kind of going after what I wanted. I gained weight through it because it also affects your hormones. So, it was just a really dark time.
You realize what’s really important. I had a tremendous career. And so, even though it didn’t end the way that I wanted, I still, I was given a lot through it.
I met my husband through wrestling. I had both of my children—I mean, my older children—when I was with WWE. I was able to be the first pregnant champion.”