Mercedes Mone says she planned to return to WWE at WrestleMania 39

Mercedes Mone almost returned to WWE last year.

In her Mone Mag newsletter, Mone revealed that she planned on returning to WWE in 2023 at WrestleMania 39. However, she decided against doing so after she got an invite from Tony Khan to attend last year’s AEW All In at Wembley Stadium:

The funny thing is that before last year’s All In, I attended an LA Rams game at the new Sofi stadium in LA. Kev and I were, of course, on the field for it – that’s just how we roll. It was fun, but in the back of my head, I kept thinking, ‘This is where WrestleMania is going to be.’ It’s an enormous, beautiful stadium in the tinsel town, the city of Angels. How could Snoop’s first cousin and a member of the Mandalorian cast NOT be here? Thus, at the end of the game, I leaned over to Kev and said, “I need to be here for Mania.” And at that time, that’s truly how I felt and what my plan was.

I had planned on returning to WWE for WrestleMania in LA. That was, of course, before Tony invited us to see the show. Mind you, there were no discussions of signing with AEW. Zero. Tony, Kev. and I had texted as friends, but it was just a casual invite. I wanted to go not out of curiosity or to kick the tires but honestly because I love wrestling. To this day, when I have the time, I still watch the Indy shows. I really continue to have that much passion for it.

When she attended in All In, she said that her mind changed, and decided on joining AEW: 

So, loving wrestling as I do, I knew it would be fun to watch. Also, deep down, I knew going there would help to support my fellow workers and the rival organization. As talent, we really need additional outlets. Having only one ticket in town serves no one but that one ticket. And even still, that one ticket tends to do better when it’s got someone to compete with. The fans also lose out as much as the talent when there are no alternative promotions. It was about halfway through the show that my mind changed. When I knew AEW was the place to be. The fact that they got 80k rabid and passionate fans to attend an event that wasn’t Mania blew me away. It made me excited for wrestling in a way I had not felt in a long time. By the end of the show, getting way ahead of ourselves as my Advocate Kev admits to doing so often, we were planning the very entrance you’ll see this year!

Mone went on to debut for AEW in March, appearing at AEW Big Business. She has picked up two titles since then, winning the TBS title from Willow Nightingale at Double or Nothing and defeating Stephanie Vaquer to win the NJPW Strong Women’s title at Forbidden Door. She is set to defend the TBS Championship against Britt Baker at All In this Sunday.