Maria Kanellis is now joining the conversation about wrestlers dealing with catfishing, and her story is seriously disturbing.
After Shayna Baszler and Deonna Purrazzo opened up about people being tricked into fake online relationships with wrestlers, Kanellis revealed that one situation actually brought police to her home. Maria took to Twitter and revealed that a man had been sending money to someone pretending to be her. Things got even worse when that same person contacted police and falsely claimed her husband was abusing her.
“I had one send the police to my house saying my husband was abusing me. He had been sending someone money that was pretending to be me. Luckily, when I called the police to tell them about the catfishing they called him and told him it wasn’t me. It ended the behavior but it was scary.”
Kanellis’ story came after Shayna Baszler said this kind of thing is unfortunately common. Baszler explained that several people have been catfished into believing they were in a relationship with her, and she said those people often refuse to believe the truth.
“(Unfortunately common story incoming…) I have had SEVERAL people get catfished into thinking they are in a relationship w/me. They never listen when you try to tell them the truth. And going to police does NOTHING. Document everything and get some sort of security/self defense.”
Deonna Purrazzo also shared her own terrifying experience, saying a man once drove two hours from Connecticut to meet her at WrestleCon because he believed they were dating.
“Last August, a man drove 2 hrs from CT to meet me at WrestleCon, thinking we were in a relationship. I had let him down gently that he had been catfished. The next day, he drove back to CT to watch me wrestle at a local show.”
Purrazzo said she later tried to document the situation with police, but was told Orlando Police could not file a report because the incident did not happen in Florida. That is why she takes personal safety seriously now.
“I called the Orlando Police to file a report when I got home bc I wanted it documented this man already traveled across state lines TWICE to see me. They told me since the incident didn’t happen in FL, they couldn’t file a report. This is why I train with firearms. This is why I carry pepper spray. This is why I have an alarm on my keychain.”
The whole discussion started after Jordynne Grace pushed back at a fan commenting about wrestlers showing their homes online. Grace made it clear she is not playing around when it comes to people showing up where they should not. She later added that public figures need some kind of security because personal addresses are almost impossible to fully hide.
“Anyone in the public eye should have some type of security. There are too many people with evil intentions and it’s virtually impossible to scrub your address from the internet.”
The scary part is how quickly these situations jump from online lies to real-world danger. Purrazzo had someone cross state lines. Baszler said multiple people believed fake relationships were real. Kanellis had police sent to her house over a lie.
That is why this whole conversation is bigger than wrestling gossip. Catfishing can put talent and their families in unsafe situations, and Maria’s story shows just how far things can go when someone believes a fake account.
What do you think? Should wrestling companies do more to help talent deal with catfishing, stalking, and fan safety issues? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
