With AEW Big Bu$iness rapidly approaching, giving fans at the TD Garden a chance to see the *spoiler alert* AEW debut of Mercedes Mone as a contracted wrestler, fans from around the professional wrestling world weigh in on what the “CEO” will look like in Tony Khan's company.
Some believe the move is a certified home run, with Mone able to completely reinvigorate the women's division and add some legitimate star power to the top of the promotion's weakest division. And others? Well, they see it as a mid signing at best, as the women's division has never been a strength of AEW, and even if Mone becomes the division's top star, she won't be much more than a mid-carder in the grander AEW landscape.
Discussing Mone's potential debut at Big Bu$iness on Sunday Night's Main Event, Athena celebrated the hiring, as it may finally land her a dream match she's been looking to wrestle since all the way back in her WWE days.
“When it comes to Big Business, I am immensely curious, as you all are, because that is the most closed-lip thing in this entire locker room. If what I think is going to happen, and what we all think…we're hoping. I might finally get one of my dream matches,” Athena shared on Sunday Night's Main Event via Fightful.
“That is one of the coolest things because I've shared the ring with this person for many times, and whether we were on the same tag team at live events in WWE, to us getting to briefly touch at Money in the Bank, to us briefly touching in this awesome fatal four-way we had on RAW, I just wish the world for this person because she is someone that I think is one of the absolute best wrestlers in the world. Though I love to be immensely humble about myself, because I do have those self-esteem issues, I would love to see what I could really stack up against this person if she does come here. I would like to see if I am better than her. I would like to see what we could create because I'm a firm believer of, when you have two dedicated women to the cause, it's going to be money and it's going to be magic. This woman has had some of the best matches in women's wrestling history. I just have to (have a match). I don't care if I have to go to Japan for it. I just have to get it one time.”
Though Athena and Mone have shared the ring on 43 occasions during their shared time in WWE, it has never come in a straight-up singles match, with the closest thing coming in their shared time in the 2018 Money in the Bank match. If AEW finally decides to bring Athena over from Ring of Honor, she may have a perfect opponent to prove her abilities in the “CEO.”
Eric Bischoff wonders if Mercedes Mone will fix the women's division.
Speaking of the varied emotions surrounding Mercedes Mone's expected signing with AEW, one person who fell firmly into the “meh” category is WWE Hall of Famer Eric Bischoff, who has long been critical about how Tony Khan handles free agent signings.
Discussing her potential debut at Big Bu$iness on his Strictly Business podcast, Bischoff questions how much of an impact Bischoff will have on AEW, as he doesn't see her changing the way TK does business.
“There’s the problem, or there’s the issue, is — and I used to tell this to Dixie Carter all the time. She was just in one ear and out the other. But unless something changes in the perception of AEW, whatever that is. Something has to change in order to get fans excited about the product again. Because they’ve cultivated — they meaning AEW — has cultivated a significant amount of ill will amongst wrestling fans for a variety of reasons. So adding a talent is an interesting opportunity, but unless there is a strategic initiative to support the addition of a talent, it’s likely not going to matter in the midterm,” Eric Bischoff said via 411 Mania.
“You may get a short-term bump. Enthusiasm, chatter, maybe even a little blip in the ratings consistently for a couple — let’s say, three or four weeks. But unless there is a clearly articulated strategy that represents a shift in perception, or at least the potential for a shift in perception of the product. Adding any talent — it’s unfair to the talent to ascribe lack of AEW success to the talent. There is a tremendous amount of talent in AEW. None of which have had any significant impact on the overall health of the television program which drives the promotion. What does that tell you? Is it the talent’s fault? Or is it creative and management’s fault? I submit to you, Your Honor, that it’s management’s fault. And creative’s fault as a part of management. Because you have the talent, you’ve got the platform. You initially have the goodwill of the audience rooting for you, including me, and people like me. Even who were working in WWE at the time. But that’s different now. And that the shift in perception is one of the most critical things that Tony and company should be focusing on.”
Could Khan prove Bischoff wrong, taking advantage of Mone's starpower to completely change how he books the women's division moving forward? Sure, after Jay Briscoe's untimely passing, Khan made Athena the focal point of ROH television, and she headlines Pay-Per-Views for the promotion as a result. If Mone can match Athena's support from the crowd and incredible in-ring work, maybe the day will eventually come when she main event an AEW Pay-Per-View, too.
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