Why Mercedes Mone Had To Leave Sasha Banks Behind

Mercedes Mone has opened up about trying to find herself after leaving WWE.

In May 2022, Mercedes Mone walked out of WWE alongside Naomi, leaving her Sasha Banks persona behind.

Although the exact reasons for the walkout haven’t been made public, it’s been widely reported that the pair left following a disagreement over creative. The duo were the Women’s Tag Team Champions at the time.

Speaking back in June, Mercedes Mone said that leaving WWE had changed her life for the better, as it pushed her in a new direction.

Mercedes Mone Wasn’t Sure How To Move On

During an appearance on the Marking Out podcast, Mone explained how and why she reinvented her wrestling persona. She also candidly admitted that when she debuted with AEW, she was still trying to work out who she was.

“I feel like my first couple of months with AEW, I was just still trying to figure out who Mercedes Moné was and make sure it wasn’t Sasha Banks. I wanted her to be very, very different so people didn’t want to compare.”

Mone went on to reveal that her current ring name came to her in a moment of despair.

“I was just sitting in my closet actually, crying, being like, ‘Oh God, what do I do next? Who am I going to be? Just like a vision came to my mind of being like, ‘Okay, Mercedes, what is it going to take for you to get back to WWE?’ Well, they got to give me money… Money… I just kept hearing money, and I just said Mercedes Money.”

It’s been announced that Mercedes Mone will defend the TBS Championship in a four-way match at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door. Her three challengers will be made up of stars from AEW, CMLL, and Stardom. To date, only the newly-All Elite Alex Windsor has been confirmed for the match.

Elsewhere, “Timeless” Toni Storm will defend the AEW Women’s Championship against Athena, and Kazuchika Okada will put the Unified Championship on the line against Swerve Strickland.

H/t to WrestlingNews.Co