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AEW might be getting a boost in its women's division with the news that the artist formerly known as Sasha Banks has officially departed WWE after a decade with the sports entertainment giant. The former WWE Women's Tag Team Champion walked out on Monday Night RAW back in May 2022 after a creative difference with Vince McMahon.
Now repackaged as Mercedes Moné, she debuted for New Japan Pro Wrestling at the Wrestle Kingdom 17 event on January 4, marking her first wrestling-based appearance in more than half a year.
Squaring up against IWGP Women's Champion Kairi, she attacked the Japanese wrestler and made her intentions known that she would be challenging for her championship at NJPW Battle of the Valley on February 18th. Tickets for the event have been selling quickly since the reveal.
The CEO's latest wrestling venture has led to intense speculation that she might also turn up in All Elite Wrestling. Wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio has given a potential reason why that might not be the case:
“If she’s going to AEW, she’s going to have to sign for three years minimum. For AEW it would be really stupid to put her on TV if she’s going to go back [to WWE] in six months. I don’t know that she wants to make that commitment that she can’t go back.” (H/T WrestleTalk)
Meltzer went on to explain that the plan in Japan is for her to be exclusive to NJPW, possibly scuppering her chances of wrestling simultaneously in Tony Khan's promotion:
“With New Japan, for a short-term deal for just a couple of dates, yeah she can go back at the end of that deal. But when it comes to an AEW deal for a couple of years, she can’t go back for a couple of years. That’s the impression. What will happen? I just know that everyone was pretty… over in Japan and everything, everybody was pretty much saying this is just a New Japan deal and it’s not an AEW deal." (H/T WrestleTalk)
However, there is the small matter of a women's tag team match pitting AEW Women's Champion Jamie Hayter and Britt Baker against Saraya and a mystery partner that turned out to be Toni Storm.
Despite the announcement, the women involved in the match heavily teased Mercedes' potential debut by referencing her during a backstage segment with Renee Paquette at last week's Dynamite.
Could this all be just one big swerve or will The Blueprint somehow make her presence known on this week's Los Angeles show? Here are five ways Mercedes Moné could potentially become #AllElite.
#5. Mercedes replaces Toni Storm in the AEW Dynamite women's tag team match
AEW has made a big deal of teasing a mystery partner for Saraya over the last month, only for the former WWE Superstar to reveal that it would be Toni Storm. It felt somewhat anti-climatic.
According to Mike Johnson of PWInsider, owner Tony Khan could have decided to go in this direction as a way of respecting New Japan Pro Wrestling's current deal with Mercedes Moné, choosing not to take away the hype and momentum NJPW has been building up around Moné.
But this could also easily be a smokescreen to throw wrestling fans off the scent, which could lead to a good old switcheroo on the show itself. Imagine a scenario where Hikaru Shida was jilted from not being selected as Saraya's partner.
She could then attack Toni Storm at the start of the upcoming show, leaving Saraya to fend for herself in her tag team bout. This would be the perfect opportunity for Moné to make her debut in place of the injured Storm.
#4. Mercedes debuts and attacks Britt Baker after the match
Former AEW Women's Champion Britt Baker has made it known that she was a huge fan of Sasha Banks in WWE. In an interview with Forbes last year, Baker shared her thoughts on the former NXT Women's Champion:
"Since it’s a pretty hot topic right now, I’m going to say Sasha Banks.…I think she is one of the top draws in all of WWE. She’s such a superstar, she’s such a good wrestler. She’s definitely somebody that I would love to wrestle." (H/T - Fightful)
Fast forward to 2023, Britt Baker seemingly made a reference to Mercedes' WWE character Sasha Banks during Dynamite, calling herself 'The Boss'. It seems like the perfect call-out to ignite a feud with Mercedes Moné if she chooses to head to All Elite Wrestling.
Baker has been the standard bearer for the company's women's division and it seems like she has been tasked with becoming every former WWE Superstar's first feud since they joined Tony Khan's promotion. Just ask Ruby Riott, Toni Storm and most recently Saraya. Mercedes could very well be next on this list.
#3. Mercedes costs Saraya and the two renew their rivalry
Paige and Sasha Banks have a long history in WWE. The British wrestler had her last WWE match with The Boss back in 2017, in which she suffered a career-threatening injury that forced her into early retirement.
The 30-year-old departed WWE last year after the company chose not to renew her contract. It soon became clear that Saraya was ready to return to the ring and she made her intentions known when she signed for AEW soon afterwards.
Since then, Saraya has had her first match in almost five years at the Full Gear pay-per-view in New Jersey, defeating Britt Baker.
The former two-time WWE Divas Champion is now scheduled to team up with Toni Storm to battle AEW Women's Champion Jamie Hayter and Britt Baker this Wednesday night on Dynamite.
If Mercedes Moné wants to make a splash in All Elite Wrestling, what better way than to target the women who she put on the shelf all those years ago? They could easily renew their rivalry, this time in a new environment with a personal storyline that fans could immediately get invested in.
#2. Mercedes teams up with Hikaru Shida to attack Saraya
Remember our pitch to get Hikaru Shida involved in the tag team match? What if Shida isn't alone and has some backup to help her exact revenge on Saraya and Toni Storm?
Fans quickly noted Hikaru Shida's expressions during a backstage interview last week on Dynamite, as Saraya refused to pick her as her tag partner. The former AEW Women's World Champion didn't seem impressed by the decision at all.
Mercedes Moné could be the perfect partner in crime to wreak havoc on the women's division in All Elite Wrestling. Given her affinity for Japanese wrestling, it makes sense for Moné to find a Japanese ally in her cause to become an international star.
#1. Mercedes challenges Jamie Hayter for the AEW women’s title after the tag team match
Jamie Hayter is the current AEW Women's Champion and will need new challengers soon. Since winning the title from Toni Storm at Full Gear, she has proven to be a fighting champion.
Speaking on the Keepin' It 100 podcast, Konnan showered praise on the British wrestler:
" [Jamie] Hayter is super over, and I've been wanting her to be champion for a while. She can cut a promo. She can work. She's got charisma."
It's clear that the endgame for Jamie Hayter will be a program with Britt Baker, incorporating a tried and tested storyline of allies turned bitter enemies. But since Tony Khan is taking his time to pull the trigger on that storyline, Hayter needs another high-profile opponent to help enhance her title reign.
There's no bigger star with more buzz than Mercedes Moné. Defeating a former WWE Superstar with her mainstream appeal could help put Hayter on the map among casual fans.
The CEO could debut at Dynamite after Hayter's tag team match and immediately lay down the challenge for her Women's Championship. As Mercedes aims for world domination, it makes sense for her to not only go after Kairi's IWGP Women's Championship but also the top prize in the AEW women's division as well.
