Recent speculation suggested that AEW had to scrap a planned match between Mercedes Moné and Athena for its All In event due to Mariah May’s departure for WWE. A report from Fightful, however, has refuted this claim after consulting with multiple sources inside the promotion.
According to the report, May informed AEW in February of her intention to leave the company. By that point, the creative direction for a match between Mercedes Moné and “Timeless” Toni Storm was already firmly established, with some sources indicating the plan had been in place for as long as a year.
The departure of May reportedly had no impact on the main event creative for All In. Instead, her exit only affected preliminary discussions about a potential non-title program for her had she chosen to remain with the company.
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May, a former AEW Women’s World Champion, has since transitioned to WWE’s NXT brand under the new ring name Blake Monroe. Her official introduction to the brand occurred on the June 17 episode of NXT, where she signed her contract in the ring. The segment concluded with an attack from NXT Women’s Champion Jazmyn Nyx and Fallon Henley, who slammed Monroe through a table.
The high expectations for Monroe in her new environment were highlighted in a social media clip showing her meeting with WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H, WWE President Nick Khan, and NXT’s head of creative Shawn Michaels at the WWE Performance Center.
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