Former WWE Official Told Maria Kanellis There Would Never Be a Second WWE Evolution Event

WWE still hasn’t hosted an all-women Evolution event since the first show back in late 2018. And while fans and current wrestlers have remained optimistic about the event’s return, yet another former WWE star has come forward stating WWE officials have no interest in an Evolution 2. Maria Kanellis, who had two stints with WWE between 2004-2020, recapped a conversation she had with former Senior Director of Talent Relations Mark Carrano while on the Women’s Talk Wrestling Podcast this week.

“I was told it’s never happening again,” Kanellis said (h/t Wrestling Inc.). “That was from Mark Carrano, that it will never happen again. And I mean, now I’m sure because there is such a buzz about it, I’m sure they’re gonna try and find a way of doing it again. But as far as I knew, when I left the company, Evolution was never happening again. And I think the reason why they did it the first time was more of a PR stunt than it was a real action. A real statement about women in wrestling.”

Mickie James, who was released by WWE back on April 15, described a similar situation while on the Grown-Ass Women Podcast. James did not specify whether or not Carrano was the one who told her.

“This one person… he says to me, ‘they’re never going to do it. Ever. Women’s wrestling doesn’t really make money. The Women’s Evolution pay-per-view, lowest-rated pay-per-view ever in the history of WWE pay-per-views. I get what you’re trying to do, but I don’t understand why you’re fighting so hard for it,’” James said.

Carrano wound up getting fired by the company after James revealed she had all of her belongings sent back to her via trash bag. Now known as “TrashBag Gate,” multiple former women have also stepped forward saying they received the same treatment.

Kanellis, now working in Ring of Honor again, also talked in the interview about what she wants to see out of women’s wrestling going forward.

“I want them to have more well-rounded characters,” Kanellis said. “I want to know more than just one thing. I want to know about what your family is like or what motivates you and I don’t want to just see one thing all the time on screen and that’s that. I’m really tough. Like, I want more well rounded characters. I want there to be some internal conflict sometimes when it comes to these all these different storylines that are going on with women’s wrestlers.

Do you think WWE should still move forward with another Evolution event? Let us know in the comments below!