After her release from WWE, Mercedes Martinez joined AEW in 2021 and worked under Tony Khan until early 2026. In an interview with A2theK Wrestling Show, Martinez reflected on her frustrations during her AEW run, admitting that she felt underutilized in her final years with the company.
“I think it happened last year when being contracted, especially with AEW, and not being utilized to my full potential kind of brought me into that weird headspace of like, ‘Can I still hang with the females? Can I still hang with the top tier? Do I still have a lot to prove? Do I have anything to prove left?’”
Martinez acknowledged the opportunity AEW provided, but explained how sitting on the sidelines affected her mindset.
“I’m blessed for the opportunity that Tony (Khan) gave me for the last four years. But it felt like the last year and a half, almost two years, I just sat on the shelf not doing anything for the company. And it kind of messes with your mind a lot. It kind of makes you think, ‘Am I worth it? Does he really want to utilize my talent and my expertise?’”
She also elaborated on her wrestling style, which she described as raw, rugged and old school.
“I know my style is not like a TV style. It’s very raw. It’s very rugged. It’s very old school in the sense of very power and strong style. And maybe the girls didn’t want to wrestle somebody like me with that style because it’s very raw. But I also look at Eddie Kingston and be like, ‘Well, if he can do it, I know I can do it. You need a female like that.’”
Martinez admitted that age and the new generation of talent weighed on her thoughts.
“It’s kind of one of those things where I’m just like, ‘Man, I’m hitting that age group, I’m 45, and can I still go with the new generation?’ Maybe that’s their thing. Maybe they didn’t want to put me into creative storylines or anything like that I’ve pitched.
So it’s just one of those things where I’m like, maybe if we don’t renew the contract, which I already knew wasn’t going to happen, that I’m gonna go out the way I want to go out.”
Earlier this year, Martinez confirmed that 2026 would be her final year in pro wrestling.
