Last year Sasha Banks parted ways with WWE and there was a lot of talk about what was next for her. Back in January she made her NJPW debut at Wrestle Kingdom and she debuted under the name Mercedes Mone. Since then Mercedes has gone on to capture the IWGP Women’s Championship, but she hasn’t said much about her WWE run since leaving the company.
Recently she reflected on her time with WWE during an interview with Sports Illustrated, and she also explained why she decided to set out on a new path.
“The ultimate goal for a lot of professional wrestlers is to make it to WWE. That’s what I thought was the big time. But I did that. I wanted to make new history, and the place to do it is here in Japan. Japan has the highest standards for women’s wrestling, and I want to set the standard in New Japan.”
It seems that Mercedes is focused on forging her own path in wrestling as she noted that she wants to be talked about the same light as some of the greats when she added, “I’m not the greatest women’s wrestler—I am the greatest wrestler. When you think of John Cena, The Rock or Kenny Omega, I won’t stop until people are thinking of Mercedes Moné in that same light.”
Mercedes Mone is currently set to defend the IWGP Women’s Championship against Mayu Iwatani at Stardom’s All Star Grand Queendom on Sunday, April 23. Stay tuned for updates.
