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AEW reportedly had a big announcement to make this past Saturday, but news of Vince McMahon's latest scandal forced the company to postpone it.
The announcement was seemingly about Mercedes Mone signing with AEW. The Boss is famous for her tenure in WWE, where she performed under the Sasha Banks moniker. She left the promotion in 2022 and wrestled in NJPW last year. However, the former champion has been out of action since May 2023 due to an ankle injury.
Mone is rumored to make her in-ring comeback soon, and many expect her to ink a deal with All Elite Wrestling. However, nothing has been confirmed yet.
On the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer said Tony Khan was supposed to announce Mone's arrival in All Elite Wrestling this past Saturday.
“Him [Kazuchika Okada] and Mercedes [Mone], it's coming down to the wire. I mean, AEW always thought that they have had Mercedes for a while. They were originally going to announce [her arrival] on Saturday."
Meltzer, however, added that Khan chose to postpone the announcement to ensure Mone's AEW signing wasn't overshadowed by news of the Vince McMahon scandal:
"Then they realized that was not probably the best day to make the announcement because, with the Vince stuff, it’s like, no one's gonna be talking about this. So it's better to do the announcement at a time when people will be talking about the announcement rather than it get lost in the sleaziness of the Vince McMahon story that's all over everywhere.” [28:25 - 28:59]
Kazuchika Okada may also join AEW soon
Another big name who is rumored to join All Elite Wrestling soon is Kazuchika Okada. The Rainmaker's NJPW contract expired on January 31, 2024, and he is now a free agent. According to recent reports, Tony Khan is looking to hire the Japanese wrestling icon alongside Mercedes Mone.
Okada wrestled his last match in NJPW at Road To The New Beginning 2024 on January 24. The contest took place at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan. It was an emotional night for The Rainmaker as he bid farewell to the promotion and its fans.
Are you excited to see Mone and Okada possibly join All Elite Wrestling? Let us know in the comments section below.
