Mercedes Moné has revealed that she was still in talks with WWE about potentially returning to the company when she attended AEW All In at Wembley Stadium in 2023.
Mercedes Moné, who performed as Sasha Banks during her WWE career, left the company in 2022 before becoming a free agent. Writing in the latest edition of her Moné Mag, she explained that negotiations with WWE remained ongoing when she received an invitation to attend AEW’s first Wembley Stadium show.
“Let me take you all the way back to 2023,” Moné wrote. “At the time, I was still going back and forth in talks with WWE when I got an invitation to go to All In London.”
Despite the uncertainty surrounding her future, Moné said she had no intention of passing up the opportunity to attend.
“Now, you guys know me. I LOVE professional wrestling,” she continued. “So there was absolutely NO WAY I was going to miss the opportunity to witness something this big, a wrestling show of this magnitude, outside of WWE, at Wembley Stadium.”
While backstage, Moné met AEW President Tony Khan, who was enthusiastic about her presence at the show. According to Moné, Khan even wanted her to participate in a backstage segment involving Willow Nightingale.
“Then I saw Tony backstage, and he was SO excited to have me there,” Moné wrote. “So excited, in fact, that he wanted me to do a backstage segment with… WILLOW!”
Moné was interested in the idea but pointed out that she remained a free agent and had not signed with AEW.
“WAIT!” she recalled. “I am NOT signed. I do NOT work here. I’m just here to enjoy the show!”
Instead, Mercedes Moné spent time backstage with several familiar faces, including Amanda Huber, Renee Paquette and Miro, before taking her seat in the crowd. The experience allowed her to watch a major wrestling event purely as a fan, something she said she had rarely been able to do during her career.
“This time, I could actually sit there. No match to prepare for. No entrance to think about. No pressure. Just Moné and more than 80,000 screaming wrestling fans celebrating the thing I love most in this entire world.”
Mercedes Moné Said Attending All In Made Her Want To Sign With AEW
Mercedes Moné said attending All In ultimately played a significant role in convincing her that AEW was where she wanted to continue her career.
“I was in awe,” she wrote. “I wanted to cry. And somewhere inside of me, I think I already knew.”
After returning home, Moné said there was one thought she could not shake:
“AEW WAS THE PLACE FOR ME.”
Mercedes Moné eventually signed with AEW and made her official debut for the promotion in 2024. Three years after attending All In as a free agent, Moné will return to Wembley Stadium on August 30. After winning the Owen Hart Tournament, she is set to challenge Willow Nightingale for the AEW Women’s World Championship at All In 2026.
