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ryan nixon
Mercedes Moné officially debuted for All Elite Wrestling (AEW) on Wednesday night and instantly changed the face of the company’s women’s division.
Moné, whose given name is Mercedes Varnado and is also known for her time in WWE as Sasha Banks, took to the ring in her hometown of Boston to a raucous reception from the fans in attendance.
“It was incredible,” Moné said. Variety. “I haven’t been able to take it all in yet, but my heart was pounding in my chest. Once I heard the beat of the music and the ‘CEO’ chants appeared on the screens, and then they revealed the name ‘Mercedes Moné’, that eruption was so electric. I felt so great. I felt like Stone Cold Steve Austin, when the fans just hold up all their signs and stand with their arms raised. I felt so great. “It was the best feeling in the world.”
Moné left WWE at the end of 2022 but by no means rested on her laurels. Since then, he has appeared in notable promotions such as New Japan Pro Wrestling and Stardom, while also training at the famous NJPW Dojo, the Pro Wrestling NOAH Dojo and in Mexico with the likes of Juventud Guerrera and Skayde.
“I’ve been in the wrestling business for 14 years and to be able to continue to learn and grow, to hone my tools, I think is really exciting,” Moné said. After suffering an injury last year, he also began training again with Tyler Breeze at Flatbacks Wrestling School in December in preparation for his AEW debut.
Now the question is who will be his first opponent in AEW? As Moné herself says, she has history with about half of AEW’s women’s roster, including stars like Willow Nightingale and Saraya (aka Paige in WWE). But she is also very open to relating to someone completely new.
“I always feel like it’s better to never have been in the ring with an opponent before, so we can feed off the natural chemistry and magic instantly. But facing Willow again when we only had half a match, facing Saraya again would be incredible. I’ve never been able to fight (AEW Women’s Champion) Toni Storm. I have never fought Skye Blue or Julia Hart. The talent is simply infinite. “I really want to face everyone.”