AEW star Mercedes Mone breaks down in tears: "I just want fans to know"
AEW star Mercedes Mone is undoubtedly one of the most prominent female stars of the modern era. The CEO recently discussed her love for the sport in an emotionally-charged statement.
Mone established herself as a pro-wrestling superstar during her tenure in WWE, where she competed as Sasha Banks. Her work as one of the now-legendary Four Horsewomen, and the work of their peers at the time, played a key role in revolutionizing mainstream women's wrestling in North America, especially in the sports entertainment juggernaut.
Mone left WWE in 2022 and is now signed with AEW, having debuted in the company last year. The 33-year-old currently holds the TBS Championship, which she defended successfully against Harley Cameron at Grand Slam Australia, sustaining her perfect record. She also holds the NJPW Strong Women's Title and the RevPro Undisputed British Women's Title.
During an interview with Katee Sackhoff on February 25, Mercedes Mone was asked if there was something that she wished pro wrestling fans knew about her. The Boss had a rather simple answer, as she emotionally talked about her passion for and dedication to the squared circle.
"I don't know, I wish they would know how much I love this, and how much - it's gonna make my cry, how much I legit love this. I don't know if people will ever know how much I love wrestling, you know, I give it everything, it's my whole life. It's my world. I just want fans to know, it's legit my everything, it's why I'm here. To really make a difference in this sport, especially for women, but I just wish fans would know how much I love wrestling and how much passion I have for this," said Mone. [56:43 - 57:22]
Mone has a title defense next month at AEW's upcoming pay-per-view, Revolution 2025.
AEW's Mercedes Mone talks about her WWE departure
Elsewhere during the same interview, Mercedes Mone opened up on her shocking WWE exit alongside Naomi. She discussed how the whole ordeal, and the circumstances surrounding it, caused her a lot of mental distress, which she needed time to heal from.
“I did, I did. Because of how hurt I was by it and how much it drove me into a place of, um, darkness. I couldn’t believe that something that brought me so much light in my life—something that saved me so many times when I was a kid—could also bring me so much darkness. I was just like, ‘I don’t want to feel like this. I don’t want to have so much stress that I’m legitimately killing myself because of it, or drowning in sadness from the negative thoughts constantly running through my head.’"
It remains to be seen what lies next for Mercedes in AEW and in its partner promotions.
Please credit The Sackhoff Show and add H/T to Sportskeeda for quotations from the article.