Mercedes Moné: “I get to go out and live my dream”
Days away from wrestling Jamie Hayter in the finals of the Owen Cup, Moné is living out her dream in AEW
The Week in Wrestling is published every week and provides beneath the surface coverage of the business of pro wrestling.
Contents for The Week in Wrestling:
Mercedes Moné takes one step closer to AEW women’s world title with a win on Sunday
An inside look at the past week in wrestling
Saturday Night’s Main Event will provide clarity ahead of Money in the Bank
Tweet of the Week
Mercedes Moné wrestles Jamie Hayter in Owen Cup finals
Mercedes Moné found a home in AEW.
“Once I’m in the ring, I feel alive,” said Moné, who is brought to life by Mercedes Varnado. “This is exactly where I’m supposed to be.”
Best known for her run as Sasha Banks in WWE, Varnado is writing an entirely new chapter in AEW. This time, however, there is a major difference: she is doing it her way.
A month ago, Varnado wrestled on Dynamite in Boston, defeating Athena. Three nights later, she was in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England, headlining RevPro’s High Stakes event with a bout against Kanji. A couple weeks later, Varnado returned to the main event, this time closing New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s Resurgence card in California.
“I wanted to explore Japanese women’s wrestling and UK women’s wrestling for so long,” said Varnado. “I’m not dreaming about it anymore–I’m doing it.
“Before, there were so many times when I was getting four-minute matches–or we’d get to the building and something would change. You’d spend weeks planning for it all to change at the last minute. Now, it’s not changing. I get to go out and do it. It’s mine to claim, it’s mine to carry, it’s mine to do. I get to go out and live my dream.”
The victory against Athena was a semi-final match for the Owen Hart Cup. It extended Moné’s undefeated streak in AEW to 20, as well as ended Athena’s wildly impressive streak of 64 straight victories. Their 20-minute affair stands as one of the most captivating matches of the year thus far, and it exemplified Varnado’s passion for wrestling and her constant desire to evolve in the ring.
“That match, it was so fucking cool,” said Varnado. “Athena gave me hell. I’ve never experienced anyone like her in the ring.
“Athena has been doing it for so long. I was watching her before I was even signed to WWE. I want to see her on AEW television more. She’s too good not to be seen. She’s explosive–one of the best, innovative wrestlers in the world. She is that fucking good.”
The Moné-Athena bout served as a celebratory moment for AEW. When it opened the show on April 16, the match was the first to air on the record-setting 289th episode of Dynamite–which was one more than World Championship Wrestling’s flagship Nitro show.
“Isn’t that crazy?” marveled Varnado. “I felt like Nitro was on forever. Maybe it’s the internet, maybe it was the pandemic. Nitro seemed to be on for a long time, but it feels like life moves so much faster now.”
Ever since she debuted last year in AEW, Varnado has been crafting a deeply layered run. She is currently the TBS Champion, a title she won during her AEW in-ring debut a year ago at Double or Nothing, and she is moving closer to the world title. She’ll wrestle Jamie Hayter in the finals of the Owen Hart Cup this Sunday at Double or Nothing, with the winner of the bout getting a title shot against reigning champ “Timeless” Toni Storm this July at All In.
“I’ve never wrestled Jamie,” said Varnado. “I’m so excited. First Athena, now Jamie–the Owen Cup is going to be one of the best tournaments in the world.
“And I’ve never got to wrestle Toni Storm before, except for a little three-way. Wrestling Toni Storm, that’s a match I’ve been waiting to wrestle for a very, very long time.”
When Varnado signed with AEW, there were many wrestling fans who preferred she stay with WWE. But instead of returning to a company where she had already played a starring role, Varnado opted to expand her wrestling portfolio.
Moné will have screen time with Hayter on tonight’s Dynamite, which will add to the intrigue of their match. At the pay-per-view, she will receive the time requisite to put together a classic–further reinforcing that the right move for her was to explore new terrain in AEW.
“This is where the best wrestle,” said Varnado. “These women have so much drive to be the best, and that makes my passion even stronger, too.
“I’ve been doing this for 15 years, and I’ve gained this whole new fan base in AEW. I love that. It’s opening the doors for a whole new audience to see me. And I love my fans so much. I get to live out my dream with them every single week.”
This past week…
Darby Allin–literally–carried the AEW banner atop Mount Everest.
New Japan’s Gabe Kidd interfered in last week’s cage on Dynamite, handing Jon Moxley the briefcase that knocked out Samoa Joe. If this leads to a program with Joe, that would be big for Kidd.
Gunther is an incredible professional wrestler, but the way he has mastered the art of the promo is truly remarkable.
Who could have predicted an NBA Eastern Conference Final featuring the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers–and that there would be WWE questions during the press conference before the series started?
Rhea Ripley and Roxanne Perez both qualified for the women’s Money in the Bank ladder match this past Monday on Raw.
It’s official: MJF is now part of The Hurt Syndicate.1
Bray Wyatt’s son wants to be just like his dad, which is a reminder that as much as he is missed in wrestling, he’s mourned a great deal more by his loved ones.
Saturday Night’s Main Event should bring clarity ahead of Money in the Bank
WWE presents Saturday Night’s Main Event this weekend, and it is a four-match card that is packed with reasons to watch.
In the match that I anticipate opening the show, Jey Uso will defend the World Heavyweight Championship against Logan Paul. There is R-Truth getting his first televised singles match against Bob Backlund John Cena since 20112, and a cage match that hopefully puts an end to the Drew McIntyre-Damian Priest feud. And in what is hopefully the main event, we’ll see CM Punk and Sami Zayn tag up against Seth Rollins and Bron Breakker.
Let’s stay in order: Uso should win the opener. Somewhat surprisingly, I don’t think it will be clean–instead offering some sort of finish that prolongs this feud. Paul is far from my favorite wrestler in the world, but WWE understands his mainstream value. He still isn’t the right choice for Uso3, so it will be interesting to see if this program helps advance Uso as champ.
Truth needs a dash of offense, but otherwise, Cena should dominate and win cleanly. If he must extend his streak of using the low blow/belt to the head combo, then it should be saved for after the match. Then Cena can continue to cry that he cannot find any competition, until his next opponent arrives.
The cage match needs to put a bow on the Priest/McIntyre feud. Though a victory would benefit McIntyre, a loss won’t crush him–and Priest could use the momentum boost. Plus, if the card ends the way I think it’s going to, then you’ll need the babyface to get this win.
And that takes us to the main event. If Zayn turns and joins Paul Heyman’s new alliance, then Breakker can close out the show by getting the winning pin fall on Punk. It is necessary for the Heyman alliance to grow, especially considering they have been outnumbered. Gaining Zayn would also solidify Heyman’s faction as the most dominant group in WWE.
It’s a big weekend for wrestling, beginning with SNME.
Tweet of the Week
Who knew Giannis had such refined taste?
I hope this story develops, with MVP leading MJF to the world title… before Bobby Lashley.
This was a Raw Roulette Tables Match.
I would have had AJ Styles be the first feud, doing for Uso what he did for Cody Rhodes a year ago.
Sami Zayn siding with Heyman and company? I dunno, man.
There's more juice if Seth becomes world champion and Sami chases him until WM where he finally gets his just due.
Part of it is that I want to see Heyman and Sami working together again, but it also makes sense -- the biggest match Jey Uso can have as champion is against Sami (at SummerSlam?). I'd also love to see him get a run as World Heavyweight Champion