Mercedes Moné wants to be regarded as one of the all time greats in wrestling.
The wrestler formerly known as Sasha Banks made a surprise debut for New Japan Pro Wrestling on January 4th, confronting and standing tall over IWGP Women’s Champion KAIRI at the event inside The Tokyo Dome.
“She [Mercedes Moné] Wanted To Be Looked At In The Same Light As Stone Cold Steve Austin.” Dax Harwood
Moné’s move to NJPW has been supported by many in the wrestling business, with stars from both WWE and AEW being backstage in Japan for the historic moment.
One wrestler pictured is FTR’s Dax Harwood, who has been an admirer of the former Sasha Bank’s work for some time. The former AEW Tag Team Champion believes that Moné is wrestling to make an impact on the industry, with the goal to be talked about the same way that legends of the industry are discussed, such as Steve Austin and The Rock.
Speaking on the FTR Podcast, Dax Harwood would describe the ambitious goals of Mercedes Moné:
Yes, she did take the Tag Team Titles very seriously, but she took wrestling very seriously too. And she didn’t get into wrestling just to get into wrestling. You know, she got into wrestling to make a difference. And not just for women’s wrestling, but for all of wrestling. She, you know, she wanted to be looked at in the same light as a Stone Cold Steve Austin, or a Hulk Hogan, or, you know, Rock. She wanted to be looked at that way, and she wanted to make a difference in wrestling that way.
Continuing to praise the new signee, Harwood would describe Mercedes Moné’s pride in her work, and how some people mistook that pride:
So she’s very prideful. And you know, sometimes, you know, speaking from experience, pride can rub people the wrong way. Because you do stand up for what you believe in and you don’t take no for an answer because you want the best for yourself, but you want the best for your craft and for your art, as corny as art sounds, like that words been taken, you know, it’s too cliche now. But when you take it so seriously, man, it’s, you know, it’s a recipe for success. But also, a lot of people aren’t gonna like you because of it. And I think that’s what kind of maybe happened to her.
If you use any of the quotes from this article please give a h/t and link back to Inside The Ropes.