As noted before, Mercedes Mone made her official debut for AEW at Wednesday’s AEW Big Business show at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. During her debut appearance, Mone stated that she was “All Elite” and this was confirmed by AEW CEO Tony Khan on Twitter after her segment on the show.
Fightful Select reported that their sources stated that Mone’s contract with AEW for multiple years in length and had been signed months before her contract with New Japan Pro Wrestling had expired. Those spoken to reportedly stated that Mone had also been in talks with WWE during this time period. In regards to when Mone signed the contract, it was reported that while not exact date is currently known, it took place at some point this past January.
Prior to her signing, Mone reportedly had been in talks with AEW since this past December and a breakthrough took place this past January leading to her signing with the company. This breakthrough moment reportedly was around the same time she had filed for a trademark for her ring name.
In regards to Mone’s ankle injury she suffered in May of 2023, it was reported that she had required two surgeries to fix her ankle and seems to have recovered from it but the current status of her injury is uncertain beyond her being able to do in-ring stuff at Wednesday’s show.
In regards to her future in AEW, it was reported that while she will be working full-time for AEW, she would still be able to make appearances for NJPW’s big events. It was reported that there are current rumors of her working at NJPW events this year. It was also reported that while Mone valued AEW for her return over NJPW, she does have some unfinished business with the promotion.