Maria Kanellis says AEW extended her contract by three months while she was hospitalized following surgery to remove a rare tumor in October 2024.
Speaking with Wrestling Life Online, Kanellis said she received the call about the extension while still in the hospital, saying, “Thank you for the blessing of having three months of recovery to kind of get back on my feet after that.”
Kanellis said the tumor, a pheochromocytoma on her adrenal gland, affected her heart, blood pressure, hormones and personality before it was found, adding, “They don’t usually find it until you’re dead.” She said the condition left her angry, caused her to gain weight and took away her drive to fight backstage for what she wanted, calling it “a really dark time.”
