Kanellis, Taven, and Bennett reportedly nearly signed with WWE

The Kingdom (Matt Taven, Mike Bennett, and Maria Kanellis) recently debuted in AEW and have reportedly signed full-time contracts with the company. However, according to a report by Fightful Select, AEW may not have been the only party interested in signing them.

According to The Report, The Kingdom did have contact with WWE before debuting in AEW. After the group parted ways with Impact Wrestling, WWE sources informed Fightful that there were conversations with all three members of The Kingdom about joining the company. Previously, there were reports that WWE had interest in Matt Taven, but it appears there were talks with all three members after they departed from Impact.

While there were talks, no firm offer from WWE was ever in place to bring in The Kingdom. It was described more as a “feeling out process” between both sides.

Additionally, sources close to the situation said that Triple H and Gabe Sapolsky acted as the main points of contact with the three talents.

Sources familiar with the situation claimed that Triple H and Gabe Sapolsky were the points of contact among the three.

Maria Kanellis had returned to WWE, bringing along her husband Mike Bennett (aka Mike Kanellis) back in 2017. They were latest released from the company as part of pandemic-related budget cuts in April 2020.

The Kingdom debuted in AEW last month.