Former TNA Knockout Shelly Martinez has revealed that her departure from the company had nothing to do with losing her passion for professional wrestling.
Instead, she says a serious financial crisis left her with no choice but to walk away, shedding light on the hardships some wrestlers faced behind the scenes.
Martinez shared the story on her Too Much Information podcast while reflecting on recent comments about pay within TNA’s Knockouts division.
Shelly Martinez details financial struggles behind her TNA exit
Martinez responded to Awesome Kong’s remarks on Dark Side of the Ring, where Kong discussed the low pay received by members of the Knockouts division. Martinez said the comments resonated because both women regularly spoke about their financial struggles while working together in TNA.
“Kong and I go way back… We would talk about these things. We were two broke-ass bitches just trying.”
She explained that the financial difficulties extended beyond just the two of them, recalling that she frequently had her utilities shut off.
“We weren’t the only ones. It was rough… The gas would be shut off a lot. So I had to take cold showers.”
Martinez said the turning point came when she was offered a role in an independent film. She planned to use the paycheck to cover her rent and pitched an idea to TNA official Terry Taylor that would temporarily write her off television.
“I told him, ‘Look, I’ve got this gig coming up. I need it to pay my rent so I don’t get kicked out. Can I just go through a table at the pay-per-view…?'”
When that proposal didn’t move forward, Martinez offered to stay if TNA gave her a planned $100 contract increase ahead of schedule.
“I said, ‘Look, I’ll flake on this gig if you give me my $100 bump now.'”
According to Martinez, the request was denied, leaving her with no workable solution.
“That’s when I said, ‘Well, then I’m going to have to quit… I was already getting an eviction notice.'”
She added that her survival played a key part in her decision rather than frustration.
“That’s why I quit. It was out of fear… I needed something that would buy me another month to figure it out.”
Martinez’s account offers a sobering reminder that life outside the ring isn’t always booked for a happy ending. While fans saw her performing on national television, she says she was simultaneously fighting a far more personal battle just to keep a roof over her head.
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