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Mercedes Moné will make her AEW in-ring debut at AEW Double or Nothing. There, she will challenge Willow Nightingale for the TBS Championship. This will mark her first match since NJPW Resurgence in May 2023, where she suffered a career-threatening ankle injury.
Speaking with Joseph Staszewski of the New York Post, Mercedes Moné discussed her comeback.
“This was almost all taken away from me. I couldn’t imagine where I would be if I didn’t have wrestling. I would be so, so lost,” Mercedes Moné said. “So for me, it’s really putting my heart, my soul, my body all out there all over again and not being afraid of getting hurt. That’s the biggest thing about having an injury is not being afraid of hitting these moves you hit before. You don’t want to get hurt again. I’m ready to put my body on the line. I’m ready to put my heart out there.”
Mercedes Moné On Training To Wrestle Again
Moné went on to note that she felt more pain than she ever had before the first week after the surgery. Mercedes said she could not walk on her injured foot for months. She also detailed training with former WWE star Tyler Breeze.
“When I first started to train, just running ropes hurt and that scared me,” Moné said. “I’m like, ‘No way I’m going the path to feel this pain my whole life.’ Finally, it got better and little things stopped hurting and finally Breeze pushed me to do some of my moves that I was gonna do like double knees and going off the top rope. I hit them, so the fear was gone. Everything felt back to normal and I’m ready.”
Moné noted that she worked out with SCRYPTS, Lince Dorado, and Sumie Sakai, among others, as she prepared for her return. She also stated that she was cleared to wrestle in December 2023, and she feels that she is in better shape than ever.
As for her delayed in-ring debut, “The CEO” noted that Tony Khan wanted to “make sure that everything was lined up perfectly” for her, as she was one of his big three signings alongside Kazuchika Okada and Will Ospreay.
Mercedes Moné On Returning To The Ring
Mercedes Moné then discussed her return match at AEW Double or Nothing. She emphasized her desire to show the fans the work that she has put in to get here and remind them that she’s the best.
“For me, it’s just knowing. It’s not proving, it’s knowing that I’m the best,” she said. “It’s knowing that I’m the greatest, it’s knowing all of the hard work I’ve been through to get here, it’s showing the fans this Sunday all of that.”
“[And] It’s gonna mean everything to me to be back in the spotlight I deserve, the face of AEW and the face of TBS and to just give back wrestling,” Mone said. “I want to wrestle. I’m so excited for this next chapter because it’s not what it used to be. It’s something brand new and different and something I can really help control.”
WrestleZone will have coverage of AEW Double or Nothing as it airs on May 26.
