Though AEW hasn't officially announced the date of Forbidden Door IIaccording to Spectrum, it's June 24, 2023 – it looks like one of the top talents in New Japan Pro Wrestling already has a challenger for her IWGP Women's World Championship, as none other than Britt Baker is very, very interested in sharing the ring with the former WWE Superstar, as she mentioned in an interview with the New York Post in the lead-up to Revolution.

“It’s weird to see now that she’s out in the wild. She’s not completely inaccessible in a way. These are very realistic matchups that could happen and I think the world is ready to see Mercedes Moné let out of the cage. What is she gonna do now? I hope and pray that someday we see her in some capacity in AEW,” Baker said. “And if by chance I could be in the connection too, I would be very, very for that.”

Wow, now that is very interesting; while Baker didn't explicitly call out Moné for a match at Forbidden Door II, what with the show not being officially announced just yet, the prospects of the currently title-less star going at her NJPW counterpart makes a ton of sense, especially since she's going to be a fixture of the promotion's new show AEW: All Access.

When asked about the prospects of Moné coming over to AEW in one form or another during the media scrum for Revolution, Tony Khan also mentioned that she's a tremendous wrestler, but one who is a champion for one of AEW's partners.

“I have a ton of respect for the IWGP Women's World Champion, she's a tremendous wrestler,” Khan said via Fightful. “I wouldn't want to comment on discussions I've had with any wrestler who is a free agent, in particular, a wrestler who is a champion of one of our partners. A ton of respect for that great wrestler and somebody that any wrestling company would be very fortunate to have her wrestling for them.”

Assuming Moné retains her title heading into June, which seems incredibly likely, the prospect of the Boston, Massachusetts-billed superstar throwing down with Baker is incredibly intriguing, as even now, the Dr. remains AEW's biggest female draw and the face of the division with or without a title. Like her match with Saraya at All Out, even a loss to Moné could be a major boon for her future.

Mercedes Moné credits The Mandalorian for her best success in WWE.

Taking part in a panel at Emerald City Con alongside fellow The Mandalorian alumni Katee Sackhoff and Simon Kassianides, Mercedes Moné was asked about her time on the show and how it differed from her run in WWE.

“I never experienced anything where you had to repeat yourself over and over and over and over. I’m so used to just one take, live, and then go, and just be like, ‘Okay.’ That’s my anxiety and stress, but I know I can get it done. But to do it 20 times, maybe 40 times, great. Now we have to change angles. Now we have to do it 40 or 50 times on your left side, from the back, to the right, above you, behind you, underneath you. I never, ever experienced that.

“So to do 14-hour days I would just look at Katee [Sackhoff] and I would just be so blown away. I learned so much from you, and I grew from watching you. I was so empowered by everything you did on set. She knew Bo as a tea that she would go to Jon [Favreau] and Dave [Filoni] and be like, ‘I think Bo would do this or say this.’ I learned so much from Katee because I brought that back to wrestling. I’m like, you have to remember who you are and what you’re gonna bring to the table. You are the character. You’re gonna be this the rest of your life and bring it to people’s viewership. So she knew so much about being a strong woman that I brought that back to wrestling, and I felt like that was one of my best years in wrestling in 2019 and 2020 because of everything I learned from you and Bryce [Dallas Howard].”

2019 and 2020 were banner years for Moné in WWE, from re-teaming up with her long-time wrestling best friend Bayley to winning the SmackDown Women's Championship in a match against Bayley at Hell in a Cell 2020. Now free to tell whatever story she likes as the top female wrestler not signed to AEW or WWE, it'll be interesting to see what she has to say.