Mercedes Mone Contemplated Retirement After WWE Departure

AEW TBS Champion Mercedes Mone shared that she nearly walked away from wrestling after leaving WWE. Formerly known as Sasha Banks, she exited WWE in May 2022, expressing her dissatisfaction with how Vince McMahon treated her.

Mone, who signed with AEW in February 2024, discussed her emotional turmoil on The Sackhoff Show. She revealed that she felt overwhelmed by darkness after her departure, saying: “I did. I did because of how hurt I was by it and how much it drove me into a place of darkness.”

She emphasized her need for healing, declaring, “I love wrestling and I still have the same goal of when I was 10 years old and no one’s going to take that away.” Mone defied doubts about her future, stating, “I can’t give up on myself and I can’t give up on my dream.”

Her journey led her to New Japan, where she realized more dreams, eventually aligning with AEW. Mone expressed excitement about creating new opportunities for women's wrestling after signing with AEW, stating, “it felt so right because I knew I could create so much more new dreams and memories for women’s wrestling.”

Additionally, Mone revealed aspirations to become a shareholder in a wrestling company and expressed interest in taking on a backstage role, potentially as a producer or coach.