10 Things WWE Wants You To Forget About Maria Kanellis

6. Her Beef With The Bella Twins

maria wwe
WWE.com

It took more than seven years for Maria to eventually return to WWE television, though her comeback was reportedly in the works as early as 2013. According to Kanellis herself, her and the company had been in talks about coming back in time for WrestleMania XXIX, but the plans were scrapped, with Maria pointing her finger at the Bella Twins.

Kanellis claimed that Brie and Nikki had deliberately gone out of their way to sabotage her comeback, and alleged they’d done the same for Kelly Kelly and Maryse. Maria stated that the beef started when Nikki became jealous of her close friendship with Dolph Ziggler, who Bella was dating at the time, and launched a scathing attack on the twins through social media, though said tweets have since been deleted.

Maria spent the rest of 2013 speaking out against the Bellas and their supposedly manipulative ways, but tweeted an apology in February 2014, stating that she’d like to move on from the feud. The Bellas have remained mostly silent since the allegations first broke, but with Nikki still listed as part of the SmackDown roster, there’s a chance she and Maria could bump into each other upon her return.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.