Real Reason Mercedes Mone (Sasha Banks) Isn’t Saraya’s AEW Tag Team Partner?

Real Reason Mercedes Mone (Sasha Banks) Isn’t Saraya’s AEW Tag Team Partner? NJPW/AEW

Sources had claimed it was going to be true, but Mercedes Mone (WWE’s Sasha Banks) isn’t Saraya’s tag partner and a reason may have emerged.

The match, scheduled to take place at AEW Dynamite on January 11, was rumored to feature Mone with Saraya taking on Britt Baker and Jamie Hayter.

It was revealed, on the January 4 episode of AEW Dynamite that Saraya’s tag partner would actually be Toni Storm.

Dave Meltzer, on Wrestling Observer Radio, explained the decision, saying:

“I have heard denials from AEW, people in the match. They knew that it was really screwed because – that’s why they had to announce somebody this week. Because they knew it was really screwed because everyone was thinking it was her, and it wasn’t her.”

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Meltzer would also reveal the stance from WWE sources, stating:

“I also know from WWE that they, basically, they are very strongly under the impression that she will not wrestle for AEW. They think that she’s coming back at some point and she’ll get this out of her system, she’ll do her New Japan matches, because she’s only contracted for a couple of matches, and then come back.”

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With Mone proving to be a valuable asset to either company, Meltzer continued:

“But if she’s going to AEW, she’s going to have to sign for three years minimum. For AEW it would be really stupid to put her on TV if she’s going to go back in six months. I don’t know that she wants to make that commitment that she can’t go back.”

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He would conclude by comparing the longer-term expectations of AEW (and, potentially, WWE) with what she has with NJPW, saying:

“With New Japan, for a short-term deal for just a couple of dates, yeah she can go back at the end of that deal. But when it comes to an AEW deal for a couple of years, she can’t go back for a couple of years.

That’s the impression. What will happen? I just know that everyone was pretty… over in Japan and everything, everybody was pretty much saying this is just a New Japan deal and it’s not an AEW deal.”

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Mone would debut for NJPW at Wrestle Kingdom 17 on January 4.

She would appear in front of the live Tokyo Dome crowd to confront IWGP Women’s Champion Kairi.

After the match, she would address her reasons for doing so, highlighting the past between the pair.

Mone recently opened her own Pro Wrestling Tees store.

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1 year ago by Dave Adamson

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