Mercedes Mone responds to claims that she's the highest-paid woman in wrestling

Mercedes Mone made her AEW debut at the Dynamite: Big Business special on March 13. As she emerged from the tunnel at TD Garden in Boston, reports were already circulating that Tony Khan had made her the highest-paid woman in professional wrestling.

These are big claims, as WWE's Charlotte Flair reportedly became one of the highest-paid women in the history of WWE late last year. Mercedes Mone spent months fielding offers from both WWE and AEW before signing with Tony Khan's promotion, with AEW winning the bidding war for her services.

If Khan has indeed elevated Mone to the top of female talent in the industry, that seems just fine by the former Sasha Banks. In an interview with Stick to Wrestling's James Stewart on Boston's 98.5 The Sports Hub, the 32-year-old was asked how it felt to be called the highest-paid woman in wrestling:

"That sounds beautiful," said Mone. "My name is Mercedes Mone for a reason." [h/t Fightful]

Mercedes Mone will be returning to her stomping grounds as AEW visits Worcester, MA, this week for both Dynamite and Collision. While The CEO doesn't yet have a match for the upcoming Dynasty pay-per-view, she has her eye on a few All Elite women, especially TBS Champion Julia Hart.

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Mercedes Mone details her discussions with Tony Khan

Mercedes Mone was one of the hottest free agents in years before signing with All Elite Wrestling. Her negotiations with AEW President Tony Khan seemingly stretched back for months before her debut, and according to Mone herself, the two have been laying plans for her journey.

In the same interview, the former Sasha Banks claimed she was interested but wanted to see how the women's division evolved. As Khan put more emphasis on female talent and signed major free agents like Deonna Purrazzo and Mariah May, she began to see a lot of potential.

Mercedes confirmed to James Stewart that those plans are in place and that she's still all about business:

"I knew for a while, that's why it's all about Big Business. I am Big Business. I'm the CEO of AEW. Me and Tony have been planning things for a while and we're in the works to do so many more incredible things," she said.

Mone likely has a huge year ahead of her, with major events like Double or Nothing, Forbidden Door, and All In coming up this summer. Whether she works her way up to the AEW Women's World Championship picture remains to be seen.