Mercedes Moné, formerly known as Sasha Banks in WWE, recently shared a deeply personal account of the pivotal moment she decided to redefine her wrestling career after her departure from World Wrestling Entertainment a few years ago.
The significant turning point occurred in May 2022 when, following a disagreement with Vince McMahon regarding creative direction, Moné and Naomi made the impactful decision to walk out of WWE. The WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships were stripped from them and they eventually left the company. Subsequently, Mercedes Moné embarked on a new chapter, debuting in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) at Wrestle Kingdom 17 in January 2023. The following year she signed a contract with All Elite Wrestling, committing herself to her new career.
Moné had previously expressed in her Mone Mag newsletter her initial vision of participating in WrestleMania 39 in Los Angeles. These plans changed when AEW president Tony Khan invited her to take part in AEW All In, which will be held at Wembley Stadium London. This invitation resonated deeply with Moné, and she realized this opportunity would be career defining.
During a revealing interview with Katee Sackhoff, Mercedes Moné disclosed that she seriously contemplated retiring from professional wrestling altogether in the immediate aftermath of her departure from WWE.
“I did,” Moné confessed. The darkness and hurt that I experienced made me consider leaving. I found it difficult to accept that something which had brought me so much joy and comfort throughout my entire life, could now bring such negativity. The feelings I was experiencing were not something that I wanted to continue. It was obvious that the constant stress had a major impact on my mental health. I also felt I was causing myself to create a bad space. After a period of healing and re-awareness, I realized that my passion for wrestling was still intact. “My childhood dream still exists, and I will not let anyone steal it.”
Moné elaborated, “At that time, I felt like maybe some wanted me gone forever, perhaps some people wanted to witness my disappearance from the wrestling scene. They didn’t get that satisfaction from me. My aspirations and I could not abandon ourselves. Still, I have a passion for wrestlers and a never-ending drive. I trusted my inner voice, which told me that I had to persist. It was this inner voice that led me into New Japan. I took the opportunity to live out a lifelong dream of mine in Japan. Then, more and more dream came true and AEW began to open up discussions. It felt as if the connection was realigned and I made the right decision by signing the All Elite Wrestling deal. “I felt I could make so many new memories and dreams for women’s wrestlers.”
Looking ahead, Mercedes Moné is scheduled to defend her TBS Championship against Momo Watanabe at the highly anticipated AEW Revolution pay-per-view event. The event will take place at Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena on March 9th, 2025.
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