She’s getting ready to defend her TBS championship against AEW Original Dr. Britt Baker at All In tomorrow (Aug. 25) in Wembley Stadium, but Mercedes Moné had time to pen a “Comment” for The Independent promoting women’s wrestling, the role she had it getting it to where it is today, AEW, and her vision for their women’s division.
Entitled, “How I helped women’s wrestling get the respect it deserves”, Moné’s article retells how she got into the wrestling business as a young fan and how — as Sasha Banks — she and her fellow NXT Horsewomen (Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch & Bayley) were at the forefront of change in WWE. Mercedes then discusses her present. She heaps praise on both wrestlers who will fight for the AEW Women’s World title in London this weekend, and the one with whom she had her first feud in the company:
In 2022 I left WWE. It was something my heart told me I needed to do, and it ended up being the right choice – this year I signed with WWE’s biggest competitor All Elite Wrestling (AEW), and now I’m ready to disrupt the business all over again.
The women’s division here is something special, and I love seeing it progress and grow. I remember seeing the current women’s champion, Toni Storm, back when she was in WWE. Back then she was so shy and introverted – now every week I’m glued to my set like I’m 10 again, waiting to see what Timeless Toni does next. Or Mariah May, who came into this business a superfan like me, and is taking over (a little like me, too). Or Willow Nightingale, who I beat for my TBS Championship – she’s just starting out, but she’s going to be huge.
Mercedes then offers her take on the difference between working for WWE and working for AEW:
“The difference between the two companies is night and day. In WWE you have no idea what you’ll be doing week to week, but here I have space to be heard. Along with Tony Khan and with my friend and personal writer Jennifer Pepperman, there’s time to sit down and really plan out the kinds of stories we want to tell. I’m treated with genuine respect, and I really feel seen in a way I sometimes haven’t before. I love it so much here.”
The experiences Moné describes at her previous company match up with what we often heard about working there under Vince McMahon; if you’re a regular on the wrestle web, you know that everyone still with WWE says their current situation is much different under Chief Creative Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque. Still, it’s hard to imagine Mercedes doesn’t have more say in her booking and creative under Tony Khan then she would have at WWE, even in the so-called Triple H Era.
It’s also interesting to note that Moné confirms, or at least leans into, reports that former WWE writer/current AEW Vice-President of Content Development Jen Pepperman is her “personal writer”.
Moné closes out her piece by answering “what’s next?” with her own plans and a vow to continue elevating women’s wrestling:
I’m going to take every other industry by storm, the same way I did professional wrestling. Music, acting, clothing, make-up, podcasting – you name it, I’m going to take it over.
Alongside all that, I’m going to make sure that women’s wrestling keeps on growing. I’m here to tell the world that we cannot be ignored – we cannot be denied. I’ve helped make room not only for myself, but for every great woman who steps into that ring – and this Sunday at All In, we’re going to show them that we’re here to stay.
You can read “How I helped women’s wrestling get the respect it deserves” in full here.
