Allegedly upset a lot of people at AEW before she even debuted
Mercedes Moné is here!
Watch #AEWDynamite #AEWBigBusiness LIVE on TBS!@MercedesVarnado pic.twitter.com/qhX8MqPmpa
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) March 14, 2024
In the build-up to her debut at “Big Business” this past Wednesday (Mar. 13), Mercedes Moné interviewed Evan Mack’s The Kick Rocks Wrestling Podcast, which generated a lot of headlines, Sean Rueter reports for Cageside Seat.
When the former Sasha Banks spoke to Mack, she was still playing it coy about her next move as AEW employed the same “open secret” promotional approach they’d used for CM Punk’s arrival in 2021 for Moné’s first appearance. That could help explain why Mercedes told the Kick Rocks host she was sure she’ll return to WWE someday:
“I know I’m going to be back there [WWE] one day. It’s not over. I have a lot of unfinished business in wrestling in many places.”
Mercedes Moné shows her appreciation for her hometown crowd in Bo$$ton!
Watch #AEWDynamite #AEWBigBusiness LIVE on TBS!@MercedesVarnado pic.twitter.com/WwMXtm9gkA
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) March 14, 2024
But whether that was designed to create doubt about her next move or is a real indication of her future plans*, it apparently didn’t play well at AEW.
In the newest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer wrote about Moné, saying she knows she’ll eventually return to WWE…
Boy, did this one rub a lot of people the wrong way. Time will tell, and quite frankly, she should always consider the possibility of going to WWE but saying so days before she starts in AEW wouldn’t be the right time politically.
It's official: @MercedesVarnado is ALL ELITE!
Welcome to @AEW, Mercedes Moné!#AEWDynamite on @TBSNetwork#AEWBigBusiness pic.twitter.com/Jf1XQ7J8PE
— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) March 14, 2024
Within AEW, Meltzer says there are those who really want to be with the company and those who see it as a place to get paid until they get another opportunity with WWE. The latter group is seen as responsible for many of AEW’s behind-the-scenes problems, which is why Moné’s quote upset those in the former.
Meltzer hypothetically asks what the response at WWE would have been if Cody Rhodes or Jade Cargill had said they were sure they’d eventually be back in AEW before WWE announced their signings. He then closes out the item by writing:
This will play out as it does in time, but the skeptical people are now more skeptical. In the end, nobody will remember this statement if she’s a long-term valuable asset to the company. And if not, everyone will remember this statement.
