Tony Khan, the president of AEW, addressed the presence of former WWE Superstar Mercedes Mone, formerly known as Sasha Banks, at AEW All In.
Khan revealed during the All In post-show media scrum that Mone is currently not cleared for in-ring action due to an ankle injury she sustained during the NJPW Strong Women’s Championship tournament finals in May.
Despite her inability to compete, Khan expressed his excitement about having Mone in attendance at the event. He believed it would be great for her to witness all the matches, including the AEW Women’s World Championship bout.
It was great to have her here. She last competed for New Japan Pro-Wrestling, so I thought it would be excellent to have one of the top international stars in all of pro wrestling here.
Khan acknowledged the potential for future collaborations between AEW and NJPW, stating that the latter organization has had positive experiences working with Mone.
Definitely, a lot of potential things could happen there, and I know New Japan Pro Wrestling has had great experiences working with her and I thought it would be great, given that she’s not cleared, but wanted to take in the biggest paid pro wrestling crowd of all time and see what AEW is all about.
AEW Women’s Champion Saraya, who won the title in a four-way match against Hikaru Shida, Toni Storm, and Britt Baker during the pay-per-view event, expressed her happiness about winning the championship in front of Mercedes Mone. She also expressed her desire for Mone to eventually join AEW, highlighting the potential for exciting opportunities in the future.
Will Mercedes Mone Join AEW?
According to Sports Illustrated, multiple sources confirmed that Tony Khan had significant discussions with Mercedes Mone about joining AEW. However, the ankle injury she sustained at NJPW Resurgence in May put a halt to the speculation of Mone’s AEW debut.
H/t to Figtful.com