Thekla On Mercedes Moné’s Time In Japan: She Never Did The Grind Like That
Thekla says that her time in Japan can not be compared to that of Mercedes Moné.
Since joining All Elite Wrestling in May 2025 following her departure from STARDOM, Thekla’s rise has been meteoric. The ‘Toxic Spider’ currently holds the AEW Women’s World Championship, and with AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door taking place this weekend, a potential showdown with Mercedes Moné may be on the horizon.
Appearing on TMZ’s Inside The Ring ahead of Forbidden Door, Thekla was asked if she sees any similarities between the paths she and Mercedes Moné took in going to Japan, to which she gave a firm response.
“No. She’s done a couple of stunts over there, a couple of gigs. That’s about it. She never did the grind like that. I was over there for five years. I had years where I had 120 matches per year. You know what? Fair enough. When it comes to workhorse, Mercedes is definitely doing the thing, honestly. I do have to give her that, — Me and her, no. It’s not the same thing. The ups and downs of living in a foreign country for five years. You lose yourself, you find yourself, you get humbled. I’m sure she did go through her own stuff, but we’re not the same.”
-Thekla
Following her WWE departure in December 2022, Mercedes Moné made her debut for New Japan Pro-Wrestling at Wrestle Kingdom 17 on January 4, 2023. From there, she went on to capture the IWGP Women’s Championship, although she made only a handful of appearances in Japan before signing with All Elite Wrestling in March 2024.
Thekla’s path to the Land of the Rising Sun began in 2018 across several independent promotions before she joined Ice Ribbon in 2019. She moved to STARDOM in 2021, where she captured the Goddess of Stardom Championship, Artist of Stardom Championship, and SWA World Championship before being “fired” by Taro Okada in 2025 ahead of her move to AEW.
AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door is set to take place on Sunday, June 28 at the SAP Center in San Jose, California. Mercedes Moné will take on Maya World in the final of the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament at the show, with the winner going on to challenge for the AEW Women’s World Championship at AEW All In at Wembley Stadium, a title currently held by Thekla.
Meanwhile, Thekla is set to defend the AEW Women’s World Championship against STARDOM’s Starlight Kid after Thekla spat on her former home promotion’s logo before travelling to Japan to attack Taro Okada.
Elsewhere in the build-up to Forbidden Door, attention has centred on IWGP Heavyweight Champion Yota Tsuji’s decision to boycott the show, with Shota Umino subsequently weighing in on the situation. You can read more about that here.
As always, we’ll aim to provide any further updates on the possibility of Thekla facing off against Mercedes Moné in the future as soon as we hear more.
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