10 Things You Didn't Know About Maria Kanellis
6. She Was The Last WWE Superstar To Pose Nude For Playboy
Beginning in 1999, WWE and Playboy Magazine had a lucrative relationship. Sable was the first member of the company's roster to be featured in the magazine, and wrestling was so popular then (it was the height of the Attitude Era) that the issue sold in record amounts. Sable would do another pictorial with the magazine that same year, and Chyna followed up the next with another high-selling issue.
Over the course of the next several years, many women would follow in their footsteps, including Christy Hemme, Candace Michelle, Ashley Massaro, and Torrie Wilson (who also did a pictorial with Sable). In 2008, Maria was asked to be in the magazine and agreed, which became part of a storyline with Santino Marella as her jealous boyfriend.
Maria would ultimately be the last woman in WWE to pose for the magazine. Later in 2008, WWE switched to a TV-PG product, and having an employee pose nude publicly was something the company would no longer allow.