One of the great questions surrounding the final throes of Vince McMahon's last act in WWE involved what happened between Creative, Naomi, and Sasha Banks – now known as Mercedes Mone – that caused the then-Women's Tag Team Champions to walk out of RAW and leave the promotion for good.
Widely dubbed a creative dispute over the direction of their characters, Mone and Naomi were chastized on commentary by Michael Cole for letting the WWE Universe down, and from there, the duo took creative paths to remain relevant inside and out of the ring, with Mone signing with New Japan while pursuing acting roles and the latterlanding with TNA on the way to an eventual return at the Royal Rumble.
So naturally, with the Mone's expected AEW debut less than a week away, the “CEO” was asked about what went down on her way out the door in an appearance on the Kick Rocks podcast and let it be known that for her, the decision was anything but easy.
“That's a big question. That's a big, big question. I really believe in, not only the universe, but I believe in myself and a higher power of light that comes over me. Something inside of me told me that I needed to go do this and stand up for myself. It was a very hard decision because wrestling in WWE has been my whole life. People don't know, it's been my whole life. It's the hardest decision I've ever had to make in my whole life, but it's the proudest. It's crazy, because I would not be sitting here, living the best version of my life and getting to be everything I've ever dreamt of, and more,” Mercedes Mone told Kick Rocks via Fightful.
“It makes me so excited because that moment changed my whole life for the better. I'm so thankful for that moment. I'm so proud of myself. I'm so proud of Trinity, of just how strong we were. Everybody wanted to talk about it. Everybody wanted to act like they were in the room. Everybody acted like they were in the room, or worked there, or were backstage, or knew what happened, or knew what was said. All I know is that I handled it like a CEO, like the boss that I am, with my head held high. I can't say anything but amazing things to WWE. I'm so thankful to the career they gave me, the fans they gave me, the life they gave me. The dreams that they gave me. So many dreams. I got to chase and live them all. I get to do so much more. I have a lot of unfinished business in wrestling in a lot of places.”
Interesting stuff, right? Well, wait, it gets all the more interesting, as Mone didn't close the door on ever returning to WWE at some point in the future either, asserting in a since-edited out segment of the podcast that she will likely return to the promotion “one day,” even if she didn't elaborate on whether that means when she's inducted into the Hall of Fame – a virtual shoo-in considering her resume – or as an active performer a few years into the future. All in all, a perfectly 50-50 glass for fans of The Fed but a potentially concerning start to the 32-year-olds' AEW career.
Mercedes Moné response on WWE , that was Cut from the interview for obvious reason but for anyone that had any doubt . She said
“I know I’m gonna be back there one day” in regards to a WWE return pic.twitter.com/Wv3QeVXKQl
— ⚡️ ROB ⚡️ (@x_rob_) March 8, 2024
Mercedes Mone is ready to do Big Business (in AEW).
While fans are suddenly concerned with Mercedes Mone's since-edited comments on returning to WWE ahead of signing an extended contract with AEW, she did have some positive comments to say about her immediate wrestling future, to0, noting that after missing time in 2023 due to an injury, she's ready to do some “Big Business” for a certain promotion in the not-too-distant future.
“I've always been saying since I got hurt, ‘I'm healing every day,' and that has progressed my healing so much. What a crazy experience. Almost ten months now. From a freak accident… did Willow push me? Or did someone pay off the ref and make that top rope slippery? I don't know, but I've spent the last ten months thinking about how much-unfinished business I have in wrestling and how much I was on a hunger tour goal. I was so focused and so ready for my plans to succeed in 2023, and for that to happen to me, it taught me so much about life, and slow down even more, and to heal. Prior to that, a lot happened. A lot of hurt happened, a lot of healing needed to happen, but I was going so fast because I love wrestling so much, and I couldn't be away from it. I wasn't healed inside. It was a message, ‘You have to slow down and figure out what's next. What are your plans? Your plans are good, but you need to reevaluate them a little more,” Mercedes Mone said on Kick Rocks via Fightful.
“That whole time I was injured, I couldn't walk for three months. It's insane how your mind or body can overcome and heal something that is so traumatic. I feel more ready and better than ever. I can't wait to see all my prior plans from 2023 come to fruition in 2024. I've been making some really big moves. Big business moves, and big money moves. This whole time of healing, I got to work on so many other things I have a passion for. Fans are going to be really excited and be like, ‘Finally.' I'll be releasing music this year. I'm still acting and have some amazing things in the work. I got to audition for incredible roles and movies. I finally think I found a home in a wrestling place. It's really exciting, and I'm excited about these big money moves.”
What does the future hold for Mone? Will she revolutionize AEW's women's division and prove herself on par with the promotion's other recent hirings like Will Ospreay and Kazuchika Okada, aka two of the best wrestlers in the world? Only time will tell, but after quite literally years of anticipation, fans will soon get to see if all of the hype was worth it.
Follow Us
Subscribe