As previously noted, Maria Kanellis has publicly denied that she asked for her release from WWE.

ProWrestlingSheet.com's Ryan Satin, who initially broke the story, gave the following response:

"Just so it's known ... I reached out to the couple for comment BEFORE publishing and was told there'd be no comment. This could've been EASILY avoided had they just said the part about Maria wasn't true. Reporters who reach out to verify information with you aren't the enemy.

It's just frustrating to see wrestlers who don't like how wrestling news sites have typically operated denying help to those of us trying to do it differently. I get ZERO joy out of spreading false information. You all have no idea how much it gets to me when that happens."

Satin provided additional comments and also has others backing him up:


This couldn’t be further from the truth. I have all the incentive in the world to care. Not only is my career and the trustworthiness of my site on the line with every story I publish, but I also have respect for other humans & have zero interest in spreading false information. https://t.co/ywb50igPf8
— Ryan Satin (@ryansatin) January 19, 2019



Hmm I wonder who is more trustworthy in this situation: the person who broke countless major entertainment and wrestling news stories for the past decade or the scammer who went on leave almost immediately after getting signed? 🤷*♀️🤷*♀️🤷*♀️🤷*♀️🤷*♀️
— Erica Steiner (@SendARavenPlz) January 19, 2019



At this point we may be doubling up on sources, but I was told the same thing by two people in WWE, both wrestlers.
— Mike Killam of ProWrestling.com (@MikeKillam) January 18, 2019