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Since her arrival in All Elite Wrestling, there are few championships Mercedes Moné hasn’t won. From the TBS Championship to the New Japan Strong Women’s Championship to the RevPro Unified Queen of Southside Title, the self-proclaimed CEO of wrestling has completely upended the landscape of the AEW women’s division, going undefeated in singles competition with a record of 21-0.
But while it may be easier to list titles Mercedes hasn’t held than the ones she has, there’s still one major belt in AEW that eludes her: the AEW Women’s Championship. This weekend at AEW Double or Nothing in Phoenix, the CEO has her sights set on winning the Owen Hart Foundation Cup — an annual tournament that grants the winner an automatic shot at the world champion.
Standing between Moné and victory in the Owen is former AEW Women’s World Champion Jamie Hayter, who took down the likes of Billie Starkz and Kris Statlander to qualify for the tournament finals.
“I haven’t faced Jamie in the ring one-on-one yet, but watching her stuff through the week and prepping for Double or Nothing, she really is one of the best in the game,” Moné says. “She is strong, she is fierce, she is feisty. But I’m Mercedes Moné. I’m a student of the game. I’ve been traveling all over the world, wrestling the best women, beating the best women. For me, it’s just another strong competitor to get through.”
If she can get through Hayter, Moné will claim the Owen Cup and secure herself a shot at the AEW Women’s Championship, currently held by “Timeless” Toni Storm. Though Moné and Storm have both wrestled for WWE, AEW, and Stardom, the two have never met one-on-one in the ring — a fact Moné is eager to rectify.
“For me, it’s getting to the next level, and that’s going to All In: Texas and facing the one, the only Timeless Toni Storm, which has been a goal of mine since I’ve joined AEW. She’s just so fascinating, and she’s been stealing the show every single week.”
But before Moné can get her long-awaited match against Storm at All: In Texas, Storm has a title defense at Double or Nothing against the newly-signed Mina Shirakawa.
“I definitely want to face Mina Shirakawa again one day, but my eyes are on Toni Storm first, just because we have such little history. I wrestled Mina at the Tokyo Dome at the beginning of the year, and I just had a three-way with her at the New Japan Show where I unfortunately lost my New Japan Strong Women’s Championship against AZM.”
“But Mina is another amazing competitor who just made her full-time debut with AEW, and I’m super excited for her to be here and join our women’s roster,” Moné says. “She brings so much charismatic energy to the ring. My eyes are on Toni Storm, but whether it’s Toni or Mina, I’m really excited for that match.”
In addition to Storm vs Shirakawa, Moné also has her eyes Anarchy in the Arena, an uber-violent, no-holds-barred six-on-six tag match that features wrestlers brawling outside the ring and through the stands. Bubbly former TBS Champion Willow Nightingale will face off opposite Marina Shafir in Anarchy in the Arena, marking the first time women have participated in the match.
“It’s pretty crazy. I’m such a big fan of Willow Nightingale — there’s just something about her, when she comes out, she makes you smile and just makes you so happy to watch,” Moné says. “It’s so crazy to see someone that’s so bubbly and charismatic throw it down like that and get into violence, but I’m super excited for that and for her to be the first woman to main event an AEW pay-per-view.”
As for which team she’s rooting for heading into Anarchy in the Arena? “I definitely have to vote for my EVPs,” says Moné, referring to AEW executive vice presidents Matt and Nicholas Jackson, who join Shafir and the Death Riders to take on Nightingale, The Opps, and Swerve Strickland. Though she isn’t interested in taking part in ultra-violent matches like Anarchy in the Arena, Moné says she’s eager to wrestler members of the AEW men’s roster.
“I definitely want to have an inter-gender match or a mixed tag match. I think people like [Speedball] Mike Bailey, Ricochet, Swerve [Strickland], Komander, The Beast Mortos, [Kazuchika] Okada, there’s just so many men that I would love to team up with and fight against. Dream matches are endless in AEW.”
Another frequent venue for dream matches in AEW is the annual Forbidden Door pay-per-view, which is held in partnership with New Japan Pro Wrestling. Having recently dropped one of her (many) titles to NJPW’s AZM, Moné is eager for a rematch at Forbidden Door this August.
“I definitely want to have a singles match with AZM — she stole my New Japan Strong Women’s Championship. Also at Stardom, I really love Starlight Kid, so a singles match with her would be a dream match. With Grand Slam just around the corner, AEW is making its way to Mexico, so I’m going to be scouting talent down there and see if there’s a potential Forbidden Door opponent for me from Mexico.”
As Moné looks to her future and the AEW Women’s World Championship, she also celebrates a significant milestone from her past: the 10th anniversary of her NXT Women’s Championship match against Bayley at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn. Though they may not be in the same wrestling promotion anymore, Moné says Bayley will always be an important part of her wrestling career.
“We started working together with the same dream and the same goals. She was the first person that I really looked at and was like ‘Oh my god, she reminds me so much of myself.’ She loves wrestling just as much as me, and we have the same dreams and the same drive in what we want for women’s wrestling in professional wrestling. For me to be able to say that I’ve had such an iconic match with her that we’re going to be celebrating 10 years, I can’t believe it’s been that long.”
“It’s crazy, because it feels like yesterday,” Moné says. “It was so amazing, it’s so incredible to this day how many people come up to me and talk to me about that match, or how that’s the match that inspired them to become a wrestler. Bayley’s always been there for me. It’s so important to have somebody that has your back like that, and someone that wants to share that dream with you.”
Reflecting on how she’s grown since her WWE main roster debut (less than a month removed from her Takeover Brooklyn match with Bayley), the now-15-year veteran says she’s learned how to play the game and grow within the system.
“Every single year I try to be better and try to leave a legacy that people can remember forever. I want to be here to help women’s wrestling and especially make it global, where people are known for how much passion and drive they have. I just want to keep getting better and elevating the game forever.”
English (US) ·