For months now the wrestling world has been talking about Mercedes Mone and what her next move would be. Last week during AEW Big Business, Mercedes put all the rumors to rest when she finally made her debut with All Elite Wrestling.
PWInsider is reporting that Mercedes and Mone had been in talks for about 18 months, and WWE came into the picture later. It’s being said that top executives were involved in the discussions and WWE absolutely wanted her “back in the family.”
Mercedes Mone’s final decision had to do with which company would allow stronger potential not just for her, but for the future of women’s wrestling as well.
A major factor when it came to choosing AEW over WWE was that other projects would immediately become secondary to WWE. The feeling was that although there’s a lot of potential for her to do things in WWE she doesn’t have to go back immediately as she’s also pursuing things outside of wrestling.
Mercedes Mone’s role as Koska Reeves in The Mandalorian opened doors for her and if she returned to WWE her responsibilities with the company would be a factor regarding how far those doors could potentially open in the future. Mone saw more opportunity with AEW as she could arrive as a top tier player and become a female star that the company could build around. Signing with AEW also gives Mercedes an opportunity to build a relationship with Warner Bros. Discovery which could lead to potential access to their TV and film franchises.
The belief was that AEW would be far more open to Mercedes working on acting projects and potentially taking time off to do so. In addition to acting Mercedes Mone has had the chance to develop fashion and music projects that she wants to continue working on and AEW will provide her with more of a balance.
Mercedes Mone’s hope is that she can help AEW grow, evolve, and become stronger overall. People close to the situation say Mercedes Mone wants to shake up the system and create new financial opportunities for women in the industry as well as future generations of women who end up pursuing professional wrestling. She’s said to be approaching this run as someone who can help expand things for everyone. The belief is that Mercedes is locked in to a multi-year deal with AEW.
