"I was so depressed by it" - Mercedes Moné on major accusations after injury to former WWE champion
A few years ago, Mercedes Moné accidentally forced former WWE Divas Champion Saraya (fka Paige) to retire from the ring. Due to the incident, she faced much criticism from fans, who accused her of being an unsafe wrestler. During a recent interview, the AEW star explained how she dealt with the accusations.
The Anti-Diva suffered a serious neck injury in 2016 and therefore had to go on a hiatus for around a year. She returned to action in November 2017 but couldn't continue her in-ring journey as she sustained another injury in December.
In a Live Event held in December 2017, she participated in a six-woman tag team match alongside Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville against Bayley, Mickie James, and Sasha Banks.
During the match, Mercedes Moné hit Saraya's neck pretty hard, resulting in the latter retiring from in-ring competition. She returned to the squared circle only after joining AEW in 2022.
Mercedes Moné was a guest on the latest edition of HOT 97. During her interview, the erstwhile Sasha Banks was asked to comment on how she dealt with the criticism and accusations she faced after accidentally hurting Saraya in WWE.
“I was so depressed by it. That definitely sent me on a spiral of depression because wrestling has always been my biggest goal and dream, and I've always wanted to be the greatest at it. So to hear any kinda noise that people might not think you’re safe, it wasn’t even the boys in the back; it’s just the fans thinking you’re not safe. It’s scary sometimes, but that's the business that we’re in," she said.
She added:
"You never know when you’re gonna get hurt or when you’re gonna sprain something, break a neck, break a knee—it's just the business. You have to go out there knowing that you’re gonna put your life on the line, but we do everything we can to protect each other, and unfortunately, that happened.” [H/T: WrestlePurists on X]
Mercedes Moné is happy with her decision to leave WWE
In May 2022, Mercedes Moné surprisingly walked out of WWE along with Naomi. In a recent interview on WFAN, she discussed her unexpected departure from the Sports Entertainment juggernaut.
The CEO revealed that her soul dictated to her that she should ''grow,'' which she thought wasn't possible in the Stamford-based promotion. The reigning AEW TBS Champion and NJPW Strong Women's Champion added she was satisfied with her decision.
Mercedes Moné won the AEW TBS Title in her debut match for Tony Khan's promotion this past May. She defeated Willow Nightingale at the Double or Nothing PPV. The former WWE Superstar recently defeated NJPW's Stephanie Vaquer in a Winner Takes All Match (AEW TBS Title and NJPW Strong Women's Championship) at Forbidden Door 2024 to become a dual champion.