AEW star Mercedes Mone recently revealed that she had intended to return to WWE in 2023. In May 2022, Naomi and Mercedes Mone left WWE, citing dissatisfaction with Vince McMahon’s booking decisions. While Naomi achieved success in TNA Wrestling, Mone found her own success in NJPW. She made her debut with New Japan Pro Wrestling at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17.
However, Naomi returned to WWE earlier this year, making her comeback in the Women’s Royal Rumble. Meanwhile, Mercedes Mone, who enjoyed success in NJPW, chose to join AEW instead of returning to WWE. Recently, Mone revealed that she had planned to return to WWE for WrestleMania 39.
In her newsletter, Mercedes Mone revealed that she had planned to return to WWE at WrestleMania 39 in Los Angeles. She stated, “The funny thing is that before last year’s All In, I attended an LA Rams game at the new Sofi stadium in LA. Kev and I were, of course, on the field for it – that’s just how we roll. It was fun, but in the back of my head, I kept thinking, ‘This is where WrestleMania is going to be.’ It’s an enormous, beautiful stadium in the tinsel town, the city of Angels. How could Snoop’s first cousin and a member of the Mandalorian cast NOT be here? Thus, at the end of the game, I leaned over to Kev and said, “I need to be here for Mania.” And at that time, that’s truly how I felt and what my plan was.”
Although Mercedes Mone had planned to return to WWE at WrestleMania 39 in Los Angeles, her plans changed due to the success of AEW.
The real reason Mercedes Mone’s WWE return never materialized
Last year, AEW hosted its first-ever stadium show in London, called AEW All In, at Wembley Stadium, where over 80,000 fans attended. It marked the first major show outside WWE in decades to draw such large crowds. Mercedes Mone made her first appearance at the show, although she was present in the crowd.
In her newsletter, Mone revealed that Tony Khan’s invitation to attend AEW All In changed her perspective on returning to WWE. She stated, “I had planned on returning to WWE for WrestleMania in LA. That was, of course, before Tony invited us to see the show. Mind you, there were no discussions of signing with AEW. Zero. Tony, Kev. and I had texted as friends, but it was just a casual invite. I wanted to go not out of curiosity or to kick the tires but honestly because I love wrestling. To this day, when I have the time, I still watch the Indy shows. I really continue to have that much passion for it.”
Mone made her AEW debut earlier this year in her hometown of Boston. She quickly found success, capturing the TBS Championship from Nyla Rose. After making her first appearance at AEW All-In last year, she is now set to compete at this year’s All-In. The show will take place this weekend at Wembley Stadium in London, where Mone will defend her TBS title against Britt Baker.
