Update On Mercedes Moné NOT Appearing On Last Nights AEW Dynamite

What's going on with the former Sasha Banks and All Elite Wrestling?

by Michael Hamflett
Mercedes Mone
AEW

Mercedes Moné is not #AllElite.

This is the only story for now, even if many were assuming the opposite could be reported today following the January 11th edition of AEW Dynamite. Many were expectant and subsequently disappointed, with "No Mercedes" trending on Twitter and loud boos being heard from inside the building when fans misread the lights going down as the reveal of her arrival rather than the typical Rampage match rundown.

The former Sasha Banks was the source of much speculation for the episode following AEW's booking of Saraya and a mystery partner Vs Jamie Hayter and Britt Baker back on . Her status with WWE was still unknown at that point, but a separation between those two sides was confirmed when she appeared for the first time as Mercedes Moné at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17 on January 4th. On the very same night, Britt Baker referred to herself as 'The Boss' in a pre-taped promo on Dynamite, furthering chatter than wasn't halted by an awkward and unconvincing announcement of Toni Storm as Saraya's partner later that night.

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Conflicting reports confused things further during the week and ultimately the match went ahead as advertised, with no appearance from Moné. She's set to make her debut for NJPW against IWGP Women's Champion KAIRI on February 18th, in what will be her first match since a May 2022 tag team match alongside Naomi against Natalya & Shayna Baszler.

 
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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett