"I dare you" - Mercedes Mone challenges 32-year-old champion trained by Rikishi

Mercedes Mone pulled off a huge win at AEW Grand Slam: Mexico this week, making history in the process. Now, she's teased a title match against a fellow belt collector.

Viva Van became a popular name on the independent circuit before signing with AEW in early 2025. The 32-year-old was trained by WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi and has won several titles throughout her wrestling journey. She was notably the longest-reigning BTW Women's Champion in history before dropping the belt in February this year, enjoying a reign of 1,218 days.

While Van doesn't hold all the titles she once did, she still stepped up to Mercedes Mone following the latter's CMLL World Women's Championship victory at Grand Slam: Mexico. The CEO has responded to the call-out on X/Twitter, daring Viva to put her belts on the line:

"I dare you to put all of them on the line! 💅🏽 🤑 ❤️‍🔥," she wrote.

WWE fired her, but she started earning more than ever - Check out!

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Mercedes Mone defended her newest title just two days after winning it

Mercedes Mone made history with her win at AEW Grand Slam: Mexico this week, becoming the first woman in history to wrestle at Madison Square Garden, the Tokyo Dome, Wembley Stadium, and Arena Mexico. However, her week in the Mexican capital didn't end there.

Just two days later, The CEO defended her newly-won CMLL World Women's Championship against La Catalina at Fantastica Mania Mexico. Following the match, she sent out a message on X/Twitter to celebrate.

"Larga vida a la Reyna del mundo! #cmll; #FantasticaMania2025," she wrote.

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Mone's message translates to "Long live the Queen of the World!" Now that she has six belts from promotions across the globe, it's hard to deny that she stands atop the professional wrestling industry. However, the former WWE Superstar's greatest challenge may lie ahead, as she still has "Timeless" Toni Storm to contend with at AEW All In: Texas next month.

About the author

Jacob is an AEW contributor and editor at Sportskeeda Wrestling. He has edited and published over 8,000 articles for Sportskeeda Wrestling in just over two years, and subsequently donned the hat of a contributor, demonstrating his commitment to continuous learning. His experience goes beyond wrestling, with five years as an editor for several independent publishing houses and three years as a captioning specialist.

Jacob's first memory of pro wrestling dates back to Sting vs. Ric Flair for the World Heavyweight Championship at Great American Bash 1990. He later began writing for a newsletter and blog at the University of North Texas, and his love of wrestling naturally led him to seek opportunities in the media.

His favorite wrestler is The Icon, as he feels Sting has evolved throughout his career on a parallel path with his own growth as a person. He was Jacob's childhood hero and teenage idol, and now he makes him less afraid of getting older.

Jacob ensures relevance and accuracy in his articles by working hard to maintain his ideals and objectivity without sacrificing his unique voice, inspiring other writers in the section to follow suit.

Jacob’s non-wrestling interests include Anime, video games, and fantasy novels.

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Edited by Sayantan Niyogi