Money talks for Mercedes Moné.
On March 13th at the TD Garden in Boston, AEW presented the adequately titled ‘Big Business’, with the show seeing the highly anticipated debut of former IWGP Women’s Champion Mercedes Moné.
Speaking to ESPN, Moné had a chance to reflect on her first night with the company, revealing that the experience of walking out infront of 9,000 of her hometown fans who’d shown out for her was like a dream come true.
“I felt like ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin. I felt so cool. Like all the fans were on their feet, they threw up their signs. Fans were from all around. They came from all around the world. Just for this very moment, just to see me talk, just to see me debut. It was such a dream come true. It was unbelievable.”
-Mercedes Moné
Having reportedly signed a multi-year deal with the company, Moné joins recent signings Kazuchika Okada and Will Ospreay in bolstering what many already believed to be the most stacked roster in wrestling history.
AEW President Tony Khan shared his excitement at the signing of Moné, stating that it furthers the company’s goal of being the home for the industry’s best.
“Mercedes Moné is one of the best wrestlers on the planet, and signing Mercedes to AEW furthers our goal of being the premier destination for the world’s top talent,”
-Tony Khan
After walking out of WWE in May 2022, Moné made her way to New Japan Pro Wrestling and STARDOM in early 2023, where she captured the IWGP Women’s Championship from KAIRI before dropping the belt to Mayu Iwatani.
Moné would then enter a one-night tournament in May to crown an inaugural NJPW STRONG Women’s Champion. After defeating Stephanie Vaquer in the first round, Moné would meet AEW’s Willow Nightingale in the final, only to suffer a devastating ankle injury mid-match that resulted in the decision being made for Nightingale to take the victory.
After telling ESPN last week that she was initially told the injury was career-ending, Moné revealed that she struggles to even look back on the match, likely due to how close it came to preventing her from chasing her dreams.
“I can’t watch that video back. It scares me. It makes me nervous. I don’t know if I slipped. I don’t know if it was a freak accident. I don’t know if Willow pushed me on purpose. I really don’t know.”
-Mercedes Moné
The injury kept Moné out of the ring for 10 months, putting a stop to the momentum she’d built up following her controversial WWE exit. Reflecting on her absence, Moné shared that whilst the injury came at a devastating time for her, she also looked at it as a sign that she needed to slow down and assess her next moves.
“It was the hardest time of my life. When the injury first happened, I was so in shock. I was so confused. I was like, ‘Oh, wait, no,’ because I was on a mission. I had so many goals of going to Mexico, the [United Kingdom], Japan, all over the United States. We were preparing for so much. But I think maybe my body and the universe was just like, ‘Maybe you’re just going a little too fast. Maybe you need to slow down. You’re not done healing inside.'”
-Mercedes Moné
Last Wednesday’s Big Business wasn’t the first time Moné had appeared onscreen for AEW, as she was shown sitting in the crowd at AEW All In at the historic Wembley Stadium last August.
The event was a record-breaking and history-making night for AEW, and it appears as though that caught the attention of Moné, for whom making history has always been her main goal.
“I’m all about creating history. I’m all about creating magic, and I’m all about creating so much more. And that’s what AEW brings — so much more, more opportunity, more chances and more chances just to stand out and to be seen and noticed.”
-Mercedes Moné
On top of the chance to create history, Moné is also said to have been offered a formidable amount of money by AEW as they looked to beat WWE to her signature. For Mercedes, that was just another reason to make the jump to All Elite Wrestling at this stage in her career.
“I mean, I’m not Mercedes Moné for no reason. Money changes everything. I’m always about that bag. Absolutely.”
-Mercedes Moné
Above all, freedom has always been a driving factor in Mercedes’ career, and with AEW’s philosophies aligning with her own, the match was one made in heaven.
Whilst Moné will likely have plenty of creative freedom regarding her onscreen presentation and direction, AEW will also give her the chance to continue to pursue her acting endeavours, as well as her budding music career.
“You can do so much more in AEW — you can do everything. And for me, I want to do everything. So, this is the place for me to be, and this is the place that I call home.”
-Mercedes Moné
To close, Moné spoke on her love for professional wrestling, revealing that she refused to take no for an answer when doctors told her that her ankle injury could be career ending.
“I love wrestling so much that I could not let the doctor tell me [I won’t wrestle again], I couldn’t let them say that was going to happen. I didn’t take no for an answer. And I pushed hard every single day. Rehabbing, working out, getting my mind right, meditating. Because again, I wasn’t sure when I was going to come back. I just knew that I was going to come back someday.”
-Mercedes Moné
Moné is set to appear on next week’s episode of AEW Dynamite, where she’ll likely address the closing moments of Big Business that saw her make the save for Willow Nightingale after her main event with Riho.
As always, we’ll aim to provide any further updates on Mercedes Moné joining AEW as soon as we hear more.
