Ever since Mercedes Mone suffered an ankle injury the next stop in her wrestling journey has been in question.
Following her WWE exit and reemergence as Mone, the former Sasha Banks appeared for Japanese promotions NJPW and STARDOM.
In her first match outside of WWE since 2012, she defeated KAIRI for the newly formed IWGP Women’s Championship at Battle in the Valley before successfully defending it against AZM and Hazuki at Sakura Genesis. Her run came to an end when she lost to Mayu Iwatani at STARDOM’s All-Star Grand Queendom.
Her appearances in the promotions were part of a deal with New Japan, which saw her face Willow Nightingale at Resurgence to crown the inaugural STRONG Women’s Champion. However, during the match, Mone suffered a severe ankle injury and was taken out of action for a lengthy time.
The injury resulted in long-term plans involving Mone and the title to be changed. One such plan would have undoubtedly led to a match against one of Japan’s biggest stars, Giulia, but the injury put those plans on hold.
After months on the shelf, Mone recently returned to training, which led to speculation surrounding her status with NJPW and the potential match with the former World of STARDOM Champiom.
Will Mercedes Mone wrestle for NJPW again?
According to the Wrestling Observer, Mone is currently one of professional wrestling’s top free agents as there are no matches left on her deal. This means that while there were initial reports of a possible match with Giulia for the STRONG Women’s Championship, it appears that those plans have been scrapped not only because of Mone’s deal but because the Japanese star is in demand from WWE.
In November, PW Insider reported that WWE were in talks with the STARDOM star hoping to sign her to the company.
Giulia is a highly decorated performer with multiple title reigns to her name. A leader of the faction Donna Del Mondo, has been a mainstay of the Joshi promotion for years and thus a highly sought-after commodity.