Mercedes Mone Names Star That Got Her Interested In AEW Dynamite

Mercedes Mone has paid tribute to a fellow AEW star.

It was recently announced that Toni Storm had topped Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s Women’s 250 list. Jordynne Grace landed in second place while 2023 winner Rhea Ripley rounded out the top three.

The award was another cherry on top of an incredible run for Storm who has established herself as one of the biggest stars in the industry since creating her “timeless” character. This included a third reign with the AEW Women’s Title that lasted over 280 days.

In the latest edition of her Mone Mag, Mercedes Mone praised Storm’s work, revealing she’s the star who made her want to watch Dynamite before she joined AEW.

“I want to give Toni Storm a standing ovation. To see Toni Storm on the Cover of PWI was incredible. She has been killing it these past couple of years, transforming into this incredible character,” Mone wrote.

“I’m not afraid to admit it, but before I even signed with AEW, the main reason I watched AEW Dynamite every single week was largely to see Toni. Her recognition as #1 in the PWI 250 is SO well deserved.”

Mone went on to discuss her omission from the list on a technicality, before explaining why these kinds of awards still matter.

“Four of the top ten talent in the PWI 250 are AEW Superstars. Toni Storm, Willow Nightingale, Mariah May and Athena. I whole heartedly agree with their picks. And I’ll say this is yet another reason why I chose to come to AEW,

Unfortunately, I didn’t make the list this year, as I was one match short of being eligible! Don’t get me wrong. It totally sucks to be one match short, but I’m definitely coming for that title next year.

We all know by now that wrestling match outcomes are predetermined. That being the case, you’d think rankings of this kind would mean less. They don’t make or break me, or a wrestler, in my opinion, but it does feel nice to be recognized.”

Jim Ross Wants More From Mercedes Mone

Meanwhile, on a recent episode of his podcast, Jim Ross praised Mercedes Mone but admitted he’s struggled to connect with her since she joined AEW. Ross said that while she’s incredibly popular with fans, he feels there’s more to come.

Mone was most recently in action on the October 16th episode of Dynamite where she successfully defended her TBS Title against Queen Aminata.