Mercedes Moné’s former rival tipped to sign with AEW or WWE by veteran journalist
A rival of Mercedes Mone's could be signed by AEW or WWE at some point in the future, according to a veteran journalist. The talent in question is none other than Stephanie Vaquer.
The third edition of AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door provided a platform to stars from the Jacksonville-based promotion, along with competitors from NJPW, Stardom, and CMLL. In one of the most anticipated bouts on the card, AEW TBS Champion Mercedes Mone squared off against NJPW Strong Women's Champion Stephanie Vaquer in a title-for-title match.
Although The CEO succeeded at picking up the win over Vaquer, the audience in the UBS Arena could be heard audibly rooting for the latter, having gained their respect through her undeniable in-ring prowess. On Wrestling Observer Radio, veteran journalist Dave Meltzer praised La Primera, acknowledging her growth as a performer over the past year and asserting that Vaquer looked better in the squared circle than Mone.
"I thought Stephanie looked better than Mercedes ... as far as just wrestling," Meltzer said. "Mercedes looked good, but I thought Stephanie looked better of the two. ... This Stephanie Vaquer is a lot more confident and a lot better [of] a wrestler than ... she was a year ago."
Meltzer speculated that the reigning CMLL World Women's Champion will likely receive interest from several wrestling promotions owing to her incredible performance at Forbidden Door 2024. He brought up AEW and WWE as potential entities that may want to sign Vaquer. However, he also noted the possible difficulties the Chilean star could face in the Triple H-led company due to its English-speaking requirements, even though Vaquer can speak the language.
"Whether it's AEW or WWE, I think that that's happening," Meltzer continued. "For WWE, the negative is — I don't know that her English is good enough. I know she can speak English, but I don't know if it's good enough, and they grade you on that." [H/T Wrestling Inc]
What transpired after Mercedes Mone's victory over Stephanie Vaquer at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door 2024?
Mercedes Mone defeated Stephanie Vaquer in May last year at NJPW Resurgence in a tournament to crown the inaugural NJPW Strong Women's Champion. Although Vaquer had failed to win the title in 2023, she captured the championship earlier this year by defeating Giulia. The 31-year-old star confronted Mone on the May 29, 2024, episode of Dynamite, and the duo were later booked in a title-for-title match at Forbidden Door 2024.
This past Sunday, they gave their all in a hard-hitting contest. Ultimately, the Boss delivered a Mone Maker on her opponent and then applied a cross-face, forcing the latter to submit, and she became a double champion.
To the fans' surprise, the 32-year-old former WWE superstar was confronted after the match by a returning Britt Baker.
Both Mone and Baker are scheduled to appear on the upcoming Beach Break edition of Dynamite. It remains to be seen if the two women will cross paths on the show.