Maria Kanellis Recalls 'Fight' With WWE Over 'Sexual' Playboy Shoot

Maria Kanellis has recalled fighting with WWE officials regarding her Playboy shoot, with the promotion telling her they wanted it 'to be more sexy'.

Kanellis became the final WWE superstar to pose for Playboy in 2008, following the like of Sable, Torrie Wilson, Christy Hemme and Chyna in appearing for the magazine.

WWE began to move their product towards a more family friendly show later that year but, at the time, female WWE stars were treated vastly different to how they are now, with a greater emphasis on sexualising the individuals.

Kanellis has opened up on how WWE wanted her cross-over with Playboy to be 'more sexy', despite her pushing for a more fashion-based shoot.

Speaking to Oral Sessions with Renee Paquette, Kanellis recalled: "I remember even having long conversations on what my Playboy was going to be. And I wanted it to be more fashion forward. I was a big Cindy Crawford (fan), I loved her style and I wanted to bring more of that vibe to wrestling and make it more fashion forward and make it more pop culture.

"That was a fight. It was a fight even to get that, even something so sexualized at the time as a Playboy cover. It was like ‘we want it to be more sexy.’ I tried to get it black and white and they were like ‘no, we want it full colour.’

"So there were those conversations, even about something as sexual as that."

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