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AEW/Lee South
It was announced in February by New York based promotion House of Glory at current AEW TBS Champion Mercedes Moné would be taking a short break from dominating the women's division in All Elite Wrestling on March 15, as she will compete in her first independent match in more than a decade. HOG's "City of Dreamz" event at the NYC Arena will be the location of "The CEO's" first match outside of a major promotion since 2012, and her opponent for the event has now been confirmed to be former WWE Superstar Indi Hartwell.
🔥BREAKING🔥@MercedesVarnado opponent in her first ever HOG match This Saturday at #CityOfDreamz will be @indi_hartwell !!!
Join us LIVE ⬇️https://t.co/lP9MjPc1xM
Watch on #TrillerTV+ https://t.co/3ULdDVNMnE pic.twitter.com/AMCM59JoZ6
— House Of Glory Wrestling (@HOGwrestling) March 14, 2025
The two ladies never crossed paths during their shared time in WWE, but Moné and Hartwell have since gotten to know each other very well out of the ring, and are now very good friends. They have been spotted training together on a regular basis, with Moné praising the former WWE Superstar for her work ethic as she brought her in to help her train for her first of two AEW TBS Championship matches against Kris Statlander in late 2024. Moné was even an inspiration to Hartwell, who reportedly told "The CEO" herself that the match between Moné, then known as Sasha Banks, and Bayley at WWE NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn in 2015 inspired her to be a wrestler in the first place.
Hartwell has only just gotten back into the world of independent wrestling, winning the Renegades of Wrestling Women's Championship in her native Australia on March 9, in what was her first match since being released by WWE in late 2024. However, despite the tough test ahead of her given that Moné currently holds titles in AEW, RevPro and New Japan Pro Wrestling, "The CEO" is not currently 100% as she suffered a bruised larynx during her recent match with Momo Watanabe at AEW Revolution.

