"Did it fool people?" - Jim Cornette explains why former RAW Superstar received dead reaction from fans upon debut outside WWE
WWE legend Jim Cornette has weighed in with his thoughts on Mercedes Mone's debut in New Japan Pro-Wrestling. He also discussed a potential reason why Mone didn't get the reaction many expected.
Mone made her grand return to wrestling at the NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17 event on January 4 at the legendary Tokyo Dome. It marked the first time she had done anything related to wrestling since walking out of WWE in 2022. Despite a lot of feedback online from her western fans, the initial reaction from inside the arena didn't seem as loud as most had imagined.
On his Jim Cornette Experience podcast, the veteran manager noted that the COVID-19 restrictions in Japan are a lot stricter, meaning crowds can't cheer as much as western crowds. Cornette thought maybe it was Mone's different look that 'fooled' people.
“Was this a case of people not reacting—because they were screaming in Kenny [Omega] and Will's [Ospreay] match—but did the people, did the name change and the completely different outfit and the different look and the different hair, did it fool people? Did the general population there know that was Sasha Banks or what the f**k? This seemed a little ehh.” [6:20 - 6:52]
IT’S MERCEDES MONÉ!
@mercedesvarnado is in the Tokyo Dome!!!
#wk17 #njpw https://t.co/PD54lqLr1L
Cornette elaborated on this point by stating that the Tokyo crowd may not have recognized Banks due to her new outfit and presentation:
“I was just wondering if people were confused because even if they heard that Sasha Banks was going to be there, would they recognize this person with different hair, different name on the screen, different music, different clothing top to bottom? Or did they think ‘here comes somebody we’ve not ever heard or seen before? So they just didn’t care.” [7:48 - 8:14]
Will Mercedes Mone trade WWE for AEW?
When any wrestler leaves WWE, the initial reaction from fans is that they will eventually end up in All Elite Wrestling at some point. The scenario is no different for Mercedes Mone, who has been linked with a move to AEW since she walked out of WWE.
While she is confirmed to compete for New Japan Pro-Wrestling at the upcoming Battle in the Valley event on February 18, there is nothing set in stone about her joining Tony Khan's promotion.
"You guys are so lucky to have me first."
What could Mercedes possibly mean by this? WHO'S NEXT? 👀
https://t.co/YOsB1ld4oY
Mone commented at the NJPW Wrestle Kingdom press conference that the Japanese promotion is the first company to have her since leaving WWE. She teased the idea that more companies may be lined up for her in the future.
The Boss was heavily rumored to be Saraya's mystery tag team partner for the January 11 edition of Dynamite in Los Angeles, California. However, Toni Storm was chosen to be her partner instead.
Do you think Mercedes Mone will show up on AEW Dynamite? Let us know in the comments section down below.
Please credit the Jim Cornette Experience and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling when using quotes from this article.