World Wrestling Entertainment news website, WWEPreview.com reports that WWE Diva and recent Playboy Magazine model, Ashley Massaro, was released by the WWE last Wednesday.

Massaro originally joined the WWE talent roster after winning the wrestling company’s “Diva Search” competition in 2005. Since then she has appeared on WWE television programming as a valet and in-ring wrestling performer. In April 2007 she was featured in a Playboy Magazine pictorial.

Rumors began circulating over the last couple of weeks that Ashley and the WWE would soon be parting ways. Last week she stated on her MySpace page that she had requested that she be released due to her 7-year-old daughter falling ill. However she had not appeared on WWE programming since a recent report in Rolling Stone Magazine claimed that Massaro had once been employed as an escort for a high-end Las Vegas agency.

Rolling Stone has chosen to stand by this claim, even though Massaro denied the story and even threatened to sue the magazine. This has led to speculation among wrestling fans that the scandal is the true reason Massaro asked for her release.