Over a year after Mickie James revealed a garbage bag of belongings following her WWE release, another former WWE Superstar has come forward to reveal the same treatment.
WWE’s 15 April 2021 releases were shocking enough in themselves, with the likes of Samoa Joe, The IIconics, and Mickie James among those cut. The actual fact of these talents being released was, however, quickly overshadowed when news surfaced of Mickie James’ belongings being sent to her in a garbage bag.
On the latest episodes of Interviews With James, Maria Kanellis revealed that she also suffered the same treatment when John Laurinaitis was serving in WWE’s talent relations department. The one-time 24/7 Champion noted that WWE ought to hire external PR departments to deal with such matters:
“I received my first garbage bag…underneath John Laurinaitis. This situation has been going on for a bit and they really should hire outside HR departments to come in and do some audits on what’s going on within the company. Hire therapists if people need mental help. I just think they need to take a look within and start dealing with some of these real-life adult problems.”
Dear @VinceMcMahon Im not sure if you’re aware, I did receive my @WWE care package today. Thank you. #AlwaysBlessedandGrateful#WomensWrestlingMatters 💋 pic.twitter.com/PyDC7ZC9lG
— Mickie James~Aldis (@MickieJames) April 22, 2021
When Mickie James received her garbage bag of belongings, it was Mark Carrano who was in charge of talent relations. He was subsequently let go from WWE as a direct result of this. John Laurinaitis, meanwhile, was quietly dismissed from the company after his name came up in the Wall Street Journal accusations against Vince McMahon.
Maria Kanellis served two stints in WWE, first between 2004 and 2010, and then between 2017 and 2020. Upon her second release, she was brought back to Ring Of Honor for a short stint, and now resides in IMPACT Wrestling, where she manages the Honor No More faction.