A former WWE star has reached a new milestone in AEW.
In 2022, All Elite Wrestling star Mercedes Mone, fka Sasha Banks, parted ways with WWE. Bidding adieu to the promotion following creative disputes, Mone made her debut in NJPW the following year, and later found her way to Tony Khan’s promotion in 2024. Soon, she defeated Willow Nightingale on May 26 at Double or Nothing to win the TBS Championship. Now, holding it for over a year, Mone has reached the milestone of 400 days as champion.
She is currently ranked as the second-longest reigning TBS Champion, only behind ex-All Elite Wrestling star Jade Cargill, who held the championship for 508 days. In her entire title reign, the CEO has defended her gold 17 times, which is the second most defenses ever for a women’s champion over 400 days across a mainstream wrestling promotion.
She is next scheduled to face Mina Shirakawa on the upcoming 300th episode of Dynamite. Mone is also scheduled to face Toni Storm for the Women’s Championship at All In 2025 in Texas.
Mercedes Mone Reveals Her Role In Stephanie Vaquer’s WWE Signing
Last year at the Forbidden Door PPV, TBS Champion Mone faced off against NJPW Strong Women’s Champion Stephanie Vaquer with both titles on the line. The bout concluded with Mone winning and becoming a double champion. Soon, Vaquer parted ways with CMLL and the Jacksonville-based promotion to sign a completely new contract with World Wrestling Entertainment.
Later, writing in her Mone Mag, Mercedes Mone heaped praise on her match with Vaquer, and took credit for how their battle might have influenced the Stamford-based promotion’s decision to sign her:
Another time was with Stephanie Vaquer for AEW’s Forbidden Door. Stephanie flew in that day and got to the building maybe an hour before the doors opened. We just talked about the match a little where she speaks a whole different language [Spanish]. That was so hard. I’m like, my God, we don’t get time to walk over our moves, we speak two different languages, and we’re both tired, jet lagged, and hungry, too. Yet, that also turned out to be such a great match. She was signed by the WWE days later. I’d like to think our match had a say in that!”
In other news: Despite their past history, Ryback recently defended CM Punk.