Mercedes Moné Opens Up About AEW Absence & Return: ‘Can I Enjoy My Time Off Without Speculation And Rumors?’

AEW

After being absent since December 2025, Mercedes Moné has opened up about her recent AEW return that saw her back in action on Dynamite.

The June 3 episode of AEW Dynamite marked a return for Mercedes Moné as she took on and defeated Alex Windsor to progress in this year’s Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament.

In the recent edition of her Moné Mag, The CEO would address her absence and the rumors that emerged while she was away, writing:

“I’m back and I feel better than ever. Almost 6 months away. I’ve never had a break that long that wasn’t due to injury, and after 16 years, it was the first time I got to truly relax and have no worries.

“But one thing I realized during that time away? I missed wrestling so much. Especially that AEW.

“While I was gone, I saw all the rumors:

“Oh, she’s pregnant.”
“Oh, contract issues.”
“Oh, she’s leaving.”
“Oh, this.”
“Oh, that.”
“Oh… NOTHING.

“Can I enjoy my vacation in peace? Can a woman have a period and be bloated? Can I enjoy my time off without speculation and rumors?

“One thing I also learned is there’s nobody more impatient than wrestling fans. Y’all are the type of people who look up the ending of a movie before finishing it. You love not being surprised. You love not being present and fully in the moment because you’re so caught up in the fantasy. But now the wait is over.”

Having been absent since December 31 of last year, where she lost the TBS Championship to Willow Nightingale on the New Year’s Smash episode, Mone has since stated, “I return for what’s mine.”

Where Was Mercedes Moné?

Absent, she may have been, but Mercedes Moné wasn’t away from the wrestling ring during her AEW hiatus.

Having had quite the run on the international independent wrestling circuit, which saw a number of championship reigns, Moné would find herself losing title after title throughout the first quarter of 2026.

March saw Moné lose the CMLL World Women’s Championship to Persephone, followed by the Bestya Women’s Championship to Swan, the EWA Women’s Championship to Rixie Women’s Champion Mila Smidt, the BODYSLAM Women’s Championship & Discovery Wrestling DW Women’s Championship to Alexxis Falcon, the PTW Women’s Championship to Diana Strong, and the WPW Women’s Championship to Jody Threat.

The APAC Women’s Championship would be vacated in April, bringing an end to Moné’s 140-day title reign and leaving her with no titles to her name at the time of writing.

June 17 will see Moné face off against Stardom’s Hazuki, with both hoping to secure their place in the final of the Owen Hart Foundation Cup at Forbidden Door. The winner of the semifinals match on Dynamite will go on to face the victor of Athena and Maya World, with an AEW Women’s World Championship match against Thekla at All In up for grabs.

Having been dripping in gold for so long, it stands to reason that “what’s mine” in the case of Mercedes Mone will be more championships.

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• AEW
• Mercedes Mone

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