Mercedes Moné says the creative freedom she’s found in AEW is something she spent years searching for in pro wrestling. The environment within the company, she said, has allowed her to work with a different mindset and take a more active role in shaping her performances.
In a recent interview with the Daily Star, Moné explained that the ability to experiment with new ideas, including putting her matches together, has been the driving force behind what she considers the best stretch of her career.
“It’s been amazing. It’s been so rewarding for me, and just kind of freeing. I’ve always wanted that feeling of feeling free, and I feel like this has been the best I’ve ever been able to perform because I have that capability and that ability to have that freedom.
Whether that’s putting matches together and performing differently, or having a different mindset, or not having people tell you ‘no,’ or being scared to tell something and then you will be told no. It’s just a freedom.
I’m very happy to be here, and I hope that shows in my work. But yeah, I think it shows in my matches how free I feel and how great I feel in AEW.”
The comments come just days after Moné revealed she was still in talks about a potential return to WWE in 2023, around the time she attended the first AEW All In at Wembley Stadium. According to Moné, that experience played a major role in her eventual decision to sign with Tony Khan’s promotion.
Moné made her official AEW debut on March 13, 2024, during Dynamite: Big Business in Boston. Just over two months later, she won the TBS Championship in her first match with the company, defeating Willow Nightingale at Double or Nothing.
Now the two are back at the center of the women’s division. Moné won the 2026 Owen Hart Foundation Tournament and will challenge Nightingale for the AEW Women’s World Championship at All In on August 30 at Wembley Stadium.