AEW Star Opens Up About Stepping Away From WWE Character

An AEW star has opened up about abandoning their WWE character following their decision to leave the company in 2022.

Known as Sasha Banks in WWE, Mercedes Mone would walk out on the company in May 2022, pursuing a career in NJPW and Stardom before heading to AEW.

With the name Mercedes Mone being revealed in early 2023, the current TBS Champion has recently spoken about abandoning her WWE persona.

Speaking on the Marking Out podcast, Mone revealed how she wanted to be “very, very different” to Sasha Banks as she evolved into The CEO, saying:

“I feel like my first couple months with AEW, I was just still trying to figure out who was Mercedes Moné and make sure it wasn’t Sasha Banks.

“I wanted her to be very, very different so people didn’t want to compare.”

She would also reveal how an emotional period following her WWE departure led to the real-life Mercedes Varnado choosing her new name, explaining:

“I was just sitting in my closet actually, crying, being like, ‘Oh God, what do I do next? Who am I going to be?’

“Just like a vision came to my mind of being like, ‘Okay, Mercedes, what is it going to take for you to get back to WWE?’ Well, they got to give me money… Money… I just kept hearing money and I just said Mercedes Money.

“I wanted to manifest that money. So I wanted that last name as money.”

Debuting in AEW in March 2024, it was subsequently supported that Mone had, indeed, manifested money in the form of a high-figure contract.

Mone has gone on to hold multiple championships, alongside her TBS title, on the international independent wrestling scene.

Her TBS Championship will be on the line at AEW Forbidden Door, in a four-way match facing Alex Windsor, and a star from both CMLL and Stardom yet to be named.

Transcript from wrestlingnews.co.