Mercedes Moné explains her decision to sign with AEW over returning to WWE.
TBS Champion Mercedes Moné was a recent guest on WFAN. When asked about all the offers she had before choosing All Elite Wrestling, Moné revealed her mindset about why she decided not to return to WWE.
“In a sense, I enjoyed it because I was like, I can’t believe how many companies want me so bad and how many lucrative deals that were just put on the table,” Mercedes Moné admitted. “I was like, which one do I choose and which one do I want? But it was also scary at the same time because WWE is WWE, and I was like, do I go back? But my heart was saying, don’t go back. Go forward. Don’t go back, go forward.
“I just kept hearing that voice in my head, keep going forward. Keep going forward. I’m like, but they keep offering me things and they keep asking me to come back. I’m like, Mercedes, go forward. And New Japan came about, CMLL, AEW, and just having the conversation with Tony [Khan] took about two years of just having conversations back and forth of, will this work? Is this what I want? Is this what my heart wants?
“And finally, I think last year, I went to All In in Wembley and being out there in the crowd and just seeing how 80,000 fans that weren’t — it wasn’t Wrestlemania, it was AEW All In. I was like, this is where I want to be. I want to be here. And this company just feels so aligned with my soul. So we just kept talking, and then I got the most amazing contract in wrestling history.”
Experiencing AEW All In live
When asked if witnessing All In in person last year factored into her final decision, Moné confirmed that it did.
“Yeah. I mean, I can watch it on TV all day every week, but I had to be there in person just to get a sense of the talent, get a sense of the audience, and just get a sense of how they all operated. And out there, I was just like, wow, this is so amazing to have 80,000 fans in the UK,” Mercedes Moné said. “That just let me know that wrestling is just so special, and that doesn’t have to be one place for wrestling.”
READ MORE: Mercedes Moné: Getting Time Off From WWE To Film The Mandalorian Was Like Pulling Teeth
What do you make of Mercedes Moné’s overall comments? Do you understand her reasoning for not returning to WWE at this time? Let us know your thoughts by sounding off in the comments section below.
If you use any of these quotes, please credit WFAN with a link to this article for the transcription.