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Mike Bennett and Maria Kanellis-Bennett have departed TNA, PWInsider.com has confirmed with multiple sources.
Their respective contracts expired in late 2016 and they had been working on per appearance deals over the last set of TNA TV tapings. TNA management had attempted to sign the pair to new contracts and according to one source, had agreed to terms with the company only to later inform TNA they would not be signing. So, the pair are already done and will not be working this week's TV tapings. The pair just appeared in the extremely entertaining Allie-Braxton Sutter wedding segment.
Maria Kanellis first broke into the business in 2004 as part of the WWE Diva Search. While she did not win, she impressed the company enough to be signed to a deal and by the end of the year, she was on the company's main roster. She left the company in 2010 and went on to record a musical project before making her way to Ring of Honor after becoming involved with her soon to be husband, Mike Bennett.
Bennett first broke into the business in the New England wrestling scene after being trained by Bob Evans. Bennett was hired by Ring of Honor in 2010. Bennett was initially rejected by the ROH audience but was able to take that rejection and use it to his advantage as he improved as a performer. Maria at his side only added to the heat and the pair soon became a very good act together, working for ROH and New Japan Pro Wrestling.
The couple left ROH at the end of 2015 when the company opted to let their deals lapse, leaving the door open for the pair to sign with TNA, where Mike was rechristened "Miracle Mike Bennett" and Maria became one of the central figures of the Knockouts division, doing some of her best mic work to date and being the impetus for the Allie character getting over with the audience.
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