Former WWE superstar Ashley Massaro shared an Instagram post last week revealing that she had undergone kidney surgery. Massaro, 39, is a former wrestler and Playboy model, who also appeared on Survivor: China.
On Instagram, Massaro wrote, “Surgery went well! Finally felt like posting! Feeling a lot better today so it should be uphill from here! Thanks for all the love and well wishes! You guys are the best!”
She also thanked partner Max Dean, guitarist with indie group The Classic Kids, for bringing her flowers, balloons and candy. “So lucky he’s all mine! I wish every one of you finds a Max of your own! Cuz you ain’t gettin this one! No but for real, I hope you all find a love like this one day. I deserve it my loves, I’ve put in my time. And I’m the happiest queen on this earth now! Cuz I HAVE a REAL KING for a man! Luckiest couple on earth! #couplegoals,” she wrote.
Massaro, who debuted with WWE after winning the WWE Diva Search in 2005, fought Melina at WrestleMania 23 and in a Playboy Bunnymania Lumberjill match at WrestleMania XXIV. She retired in 2008, though she returned to the ring in September of 2017 with former WWE diva Jillian Hall in Zero1 Professional Wrestling USA.
The former wrestler, who grew up in Babylon, New York, watching her brother and father compete in amateur wrestling competitions, graduated with degree in communication from the State University of New York. She previously dated Matt Hardy, and has a daughter, Alexa, born on July 23, 2000. After her daughter became ill in 2008, Massaro requested an early release from WWE.
In November 2016, Massaro joined a class action lawsuit against WWE, alleging that the company had concealed information regarding risks of injury that could cause neurological damage. On March 28, 2018, Judge Bryant, who decided the case, ruled that “After careful consideration of the evidence in the light most favorable to the Plaintiffs, the Court has determined that the evidence does not support a finding that WWE knew of a risk that repeated head injuries incurred while performing as a professional wrestler could cause permanent degenerative neurological conditions prior to September 5, 2007.”
In the lawsuit, Massaro also alleged that she was sexually assaulted at a US military base during a WWE tour of Kuwait. According to court documents, after returning to the US, Massaro was seen by a doctor who reported the assault to WWE executives, who later met with the wrestler and apologized for their negligence but convinced her not to report the incident to the police.
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“This incredible situation derives from the WWE’s employment misclassification scheme wherein the WWE (deems itself) neither responsible for Massaro’s safety (despite being on a WWE tour in the Middle East) nor does the WWE deem itself responsible to report or collect data about incidents such as this. The WWE in order to protect its public image and insulate itself from paying for its injured workers prefers to remain silent,” the court document adds.