Mercedes Mone isn’t holding back when it comes to comparing her current career to her past as Sasha Banks in WWE. In a new interview with CBS Sports, the AEW TBS Women’s Champion delivered a pointed statement about how far she’s come since leaving her former persona behind.
“She wanted it all, but she never got to hold it all,” Mone said, reflecting on her time as Sasha Banks. “Mercedes Mone, the CEO, is everything ‘The Legit Boss’ wanted to be. She controls her life, narrative and intellectual property.”
Mone walked out of WWE in May 2022 alongside then-tag team partner Naomi, frustrated with the company’s creative direction for its women’s division. Looking back now, she’s clear about how different her experience has been since signing with AEW.
“I feel the best I’ve ever felt in my professional wrestling career. It’s so crazy to say that,” Mone shared. “I thought maybe my 20s would be my highest point. Here I am going into my 15th year of professional wrestling feeling my greatest.”
For Mone, the freedom to shape her own character and career has been life-changing. No longer bound by what she calls WWE’s restrictive environment, she’s thriving creatively.
“Getting to have dreams when I go to sleep and waking up to achieve them,” she said. “Not being told I can’t. It’s getting to do more than just professional wrestling.”
Now a champion in multiple promotions, Mone credits her move to All Elite Wrestling with rekindling her passion for wrestling and giving her the platform to become the version of herself that Sasha Banks never could be.
Mercedes Mone will challenge “Timeless” Toni Storm for the AEW Women’s World Championship this Saturday at All In: Texas. Many fans are pushing for this match to be the main event. If that happens, then it’ll be the first women’s PPV main event in AEW history. Over 20,000 fans will be in attendance at All In.
Also Read: WWE Isn’t Done Going After AEW
