Tag: Sasha Banks

Trinity on WWE exit: ‘Nobody understands the magnitude of what happened’

Posted on by Ian Carey

Trinity opened up about her friendship with Mercedes Mone and exit from WWE in a new interview.

The 35-year-old spoke to the NY Post ahead of her Knockouts title match at Slammiversary on Saturday. During the interview, she talked about the day she and Mone walked out on WWE and left a Raw taping on May 16, 2022. 

“There was a lot that happened,” she said. ‘There was a lot that was said that ultimately led to me being put in a position and feeling like that was the best for me and what I needed to do. I still believe that. I still stand on that and that’s just what it is.”

“I just hope that through all of the drama and the rumors and the messiness that the one thing people do know about us is how much we care about women’s wrestling,” Fatu continued. 

Trinity continued to say that it felt like she and Mone only had each other during that time. 

“Me and her, we just had each other it felt like,” Fatu said. “Other than Tamina, Bayley checking in on us regularly, that was it. We just had each other going through that.

“Nobody understands the magnitude of what happened and what really went on and why we feel the way we feel and where we are but me and her and the people that were involved that day. It just goes to show how real our friendship is and how real all of this is.”

Since the pair left WWE, Mone has continued her wrestling career in NJPW and Stardom, while Trinity signed with Impact Wrestling. They’ve both traveled to watch the other perform but have not worked with each other in the ring since they were the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions. However, Trinity said she’d love to work with Mone again sometime down the road. 

“I wouldn’t want to do it with anyone else other than her, whatever that is,” she said. “I’ll always do what’s best for her, what’s best for me, and what’s best for the business. And if it’s something that comes up that makes sense for the both of us, hell yeah!”

The Impact tapings this weekend will be Trinity’s fifth with the company. She debuted in April when the promotion was in Chicago. In May, she wrestled twice during a set of Impact TV tapings in London, ON, Canada. She took part in Impact’s tapings from Columbus, Ohio on June 9 & 10 as well and also traveled to Atlanta for a show from Center Stage on June 24. Trinity is undefeated in the promotion thus far, with a 4-0 record in singles matches and a 2-0 record in tag matches. 

Bayley says she ‘begs’ Mercedes Mone to return to WWE

Posted on by Ian Carey

Bayley says she would love step back in the ring with Mercedes Mone again some day. 

The former Sasha Banks and Bayley haven’t performed together since an episode of SmackDown from the Thunderdome era on February 19, 2021.  

“I beg her every day,” Bayley recently responded when asked by The Gorilla Position about Mone possibly returning to WWE. 

Bayley continued: 

“It doesn’t matter where it is or it doesn’t matter how it happens, I would love to one day step back in the ring with her. Whether it’s teaming with her, whether it’s against her, but right now, I just want =-whatever she needs to accomplish her dreams, accomplish her goals. I’m just happy to see her happy.”

Bayley told Ariel Helwani in February that she will “never give up hope” that Mone returns to WWE as well. 

According to Cagematch, Bayley and Mone wrestled together 378 times from 2013 to 2021 in WWE, including 31 singles matches. They are two-time holders of the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships together as well. Their rivalry against each other in 2018 was voted Worst Feud that year in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards. 

Mone has been out of action since suffering a foot/ankle injury at NJPW Resurgence on May 21. Bayley will take part in the women’s Money in the Bank ladder match Saturday in London. She was advertised to wrestle Shotzi on SmackDown last week but the match never ended up happening. 

Mercedes Mone says she’s on ‘day six’ of recovery

Posted on by Ian Carey

Mercedes Mone posted an update to her Instagram Stories on Sunday. 

The 31-year-old injured her ankle in the main event of NJPW Resurgence on May 21. Details regarding the extent of the injury have been scarce but it resulted in the finish of her match against Willow Nightingale being changed last minute. 

Mone posted a photo of her foot in a cast to Instagram stories over the weekend. She also included the caption, “Day 6 recovery.” 

Some have taken her caption to mean Mone recently underwent surgery. However, this has not been confirmed. 

Mone’s injury occurred when she fell from the top turnbuckle to the outside and appeared to roll her ankle on the floor when she landed. She was unable to put weight on her foot after and Nightingale would win the match, and the Strong Women’s Championship, moments later. 

Prior to her injury, there had been rumors Mone would be at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door II in Toronto on June 25. Sports Illustrated would later provide an update on the potential for Mone and AEW to work together in the future, writing:

While Khan would not definitively comment on whether she would have been part of the card, any such plans were derailed last month when she broke her ankle in a match against Willow Nightingale to crown the first NJPW Strong women’s champion. 

Multiple sources close to Khan have confirmed that there were significant discussions with Moné, which bodes well for a potential appearance in the future. 

Mone’s next scheduled appearance is set for July 7 at the Fanboy Expo in Knoxville, TN. 

Wrestling Observer Live: Wrestler satisfaction, WWE & AEW, Superstar Billy Graham

Posted on by Jim Valley

Wrestling Observer Live Saturday with Jim Valley is back.

Whether it’s CM Punk, Sasha Banks, Trinity, or others, there’s a trend of modern pro wrestlers walking away if they are unhappy with an aspect of their career or their position in the company. How will wrestling companies adapt? 

Also, Smackdown, Rampage, AEW Collision, Superstar Billy Graham and more. 

Right click save as

Women’s Tag Team title match set for next week’s WWE Raw

Posted on by Ethan Renner

A Women’s Tag Team Championship match is set for the April 10 WWE Raw event. 

Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez defeated Damage CTRL’s Dakota Kai & IYO SKY on Monday’s Raw after WrestleMania to become number one contenders to Becky Lynch & Lita’s Women’s Tag Team titles. The title bout was then announced for next week. 

Lynch, Lita, and Trish Stratus defeated Bayley, Kai, and Sky on night one of WrestleMania 39 on Saturday. Damage CTRL’s Bayley was notably absent from Monday’s Raw after WrestleMania, while Stratus appeared in a backstage promo segment with Lynch & Lita. 

Morgan & Rodriguez competed in a four-way tag team Showcase match on WrestleMania Sunday, a match won by Ronda Rousey & Shayna Baszler, neither of whom appeared on the Raw after WrestleMania.

Also announced for next week, the returning Matt Riddle will face The Miz. 

Riddle made his return to WWE after a months-long absence on the Raw after WrestleMania, interrupting a Miz promo to set up the bout for next week. 

The April 10 Raw will be held at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. 

The announced lineup: 

  • WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship: Becky Lynch & Lita defend against Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez
  • Matt Riddle vs. The Miz

Bayley will ‘never give up hope’ Mercedes Mone returns to WWE

Posted on by Ian Carey

Bayley is hoping that Mercedes Mone returns to WWE. 

The 33-year-old spoke with Ariel Helwani for an interview released on Sunday. During the conversation, Bayley was asked about traveling to Japan to witness Mone’s appearance in the Tokyo Dome at Wrestle Kingdom. Bayley responded: 

I went there on my own. There was a few of us that flew out there just because she’s been there for all my big moments. Even as she hasn’t been part of the company and I’ve made my return and I’ve had my big matches, like, she’s there for me. So, of course, I want to be there for her. We’ve done so much together in WWE.

She means so much to me and so much to the wrestling world, like, I have to be there for this moment.

I literally flew out right after Raw, got to Japan two hours before the show started and raced over there and made it. Met everybody there and sat in the crowd, kind of, incognito. It was so magical to be there for her and I just knew how important it was to her. She just loves this. Everybody knows how much she loves this and how much wrestling means to her and how much WWE means to her and she wouldn’t be there without WWE. So, I think it meant a lot to her that I was able to go. 

Bayley was asked about the potential of Mone returning to WWE.  

I’ll never give up hope that she’ll come back. 

When asked if she believes that will happen, Bayley responded:

I’ll say yes because this is her home, this is her dream. I love to see what she’s doing and what’s she going to be doing over the next few months. She’s going to literally take over the world, take the world by storm but I know this is her home and where her heart is. And by her heart, I mean me, she needs to come back to me. I need her, I need my travel partner. 

Earlier in the conversation, Bayley spoke about the creation of Damage CTRL. She said her original idea was a group with four or five members. She also commented on conversations she’s had with Paul “Triple H” Levesque about the faction.

Bayley said of Damage CTRL:

That is something that I thought about for a couple of years before it actually happened.

It had a different group of people as the time went on. Peyton Royce was someone that I really wanted in there and Tegan Nox was someone that I wanted in there. There was a lot of people that it kind of changed throughout time as people left the company and things like that. But Dakota was always, she’s one of the OGs who I always envisioned in this group. 

I just thought, there’s no women’s factions. There’s been trios and to me, if it were up to me right now, there would be more of us but we’ll see. There’s been trios but there’s never been like a big faction where there is four or five of us and that’s what I wanted.

I talked to Hunter about this a couple of WrestleManias ago and he told me, ‘Well, you need to know why are you guys together. Oh yeah, you guys are cool together but find the reason why. Me and DX for this, me and Evolution were this, and explain those things.’ Then I was like, ‘Maybe I need to think about it more.’ So, when I was injured I thought about it more and shot stuff at the Performance Center while I was there with a group of girls that I really wanted. 

She would continue to say that many of the wrestlers she originally wanted in the faction were released or called up. 

Later in the conversation, Bayley said she wanted five wrestlers in the group. She has people in mind but didn’t “want to give it away” in case they are added in the future.  

Bayley continued to talk about names she envisioned for the faction. 

My first original one, I wanted to be called The Now cause to me, I didn’t care about the championships I won in the past, I don’t care about what happens next, these girls right here and what were about to do, the present is all that matters. 

When asked why the group was given the name, Bayley responded, “There’s a show called The Now or something like that.” 

Bayley and Damage CTRL are currently involved in a program with Becky Lynch and Lita on WWE Raw. Lynch and Lita invaded a Ding Dong Hello segment on the show last week. 

Mercedes Mone releases mini-documentary on NJPW debut

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Mercedes Mone has unveiled her new mini-documentary chronicling her NJPW debut, “Mercedes Mone embarks on her next chapter at Wrestle Kingdom 17.”

Posted on her YouTube channel, the video follows Mone on her trip to Japan for Wrestle Kingdom 17, where she made her NJPW debut in the Tokyo Dome on January 4 following an eight-month hiatus from pro wrestling that saw her leave WWE after nine years with the company. 

The video was released late Friday, less than 24 hours before Mone makes her in-ring NJPW debut at Battle in the Valley, facing KAIRI for the IWGP Women’s Championship.

In the documentary, Mone reveals that she received “very nice” text messages from WWE’s chief content officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque, as well as WWE vice president of global talent development William Regal on the day of her debut in NJPW. Regal was instrumental in her WWE signing in 2012, and Mone became a star as Sasha Banks in WWE NXT under Triple H’s leadership. 

Trinity Fatu, formerly known as WWE’s Naomi, also makes an appearance in the video, as she traveled to Japan to support Mone. 

The documentary also shows Mone meeting Kenny Omega, Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi, as well as reuniting with friends and colleagues FTR and TJP from her time with WWE. 

The full documentary can be seen below: 

Mercedes Mone trained in Mexico for a month in advance of NJPW debut

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Mercedes Mone says that she went to Mexico for a month to train in advance of her NJPW debut. 

Speaking to NJPW’s English language website for a long-form interview, the former Sasha Banks revealed that she spent October 2022 living and training in Mexico prior to making her NJPW debut at Wrestle Kingdom 17 in January.

“I went to Mexico for a month in October and lived there.”

“I went to all different wrestling schools to learn from trainers that I had grown up watching; from Skayde to Ricky Marvin to Bandido, there are so many legends there to learn from. To train at that altitude as well, it gets you ready from a conditioning perspective so much faster as well.”

Mone also says that she spent additional time in December training in Japan, and had already planned to do so regardless of whether or not her deal with NJPW came to fruition. 

“But yeah, I was ready in October, and I knew coming to Japan was exactly what I wanted. I was shooting a movie in between training in Mexico then, but I knew I was going to Japan to train in December whether it was doing something with New Japan or not. When it all came together with NJPW though for Wrestle Kingdom it was ‘wow, OK, this is really happening’. This has been a dream literally since I was a teenager.”

Mone also calls wrestling “her first love” and says she never doubted that she would return to the business after leaving WWE. 

“I’ve been working every single day since I left there. I’ve been making movies, making TV shows, magazines, modeling, I haven’t stopped. But wrestling has always been my number one love, and there was no soul searching involved in coming back to wrestling.”

Mone also says that she is “ready to f—ing go” in NJPW and STARDOM, eager to “cement her legacy” with her fans. 

“I’ve been saying ‘Mone makes the world go round’, and I mean that. I’m thrilled to start this in Japan, and with NJPW and STARDOM. STARDOM, to me, has the best women’s wrestlers in the world, and I really want to cement my legacy with my wrestling fans, to cement my name with the greatest of all time. I’m ready to f**king go.”

The full interview can be found here.

Mone is set to challenge KAIRI for the IWGP Women’s Championship at NJPW Battle in the Valley on Saturday, February 18. The show will air on FITE TV pay-per-view.

The lineup: 

NJPW Battle in the Valley, Saturday, February 18, 10 p.m. Eastern time on FITE TV PPV —

  • IWGP Women’s Championship: KAIRI (c) vs. Mercedes Mone
  • IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: Kazuchika Okada or Shingo Takagi will defend the title
  • Strong Tag Team titles: Motor City Machine Guns (c) vs. World Class Wrecking Crew
  • Eddie Kingston vs. Jay White
  • Filthy Rules: “Filthy” Tom Lawlor vs. Homicide
  • Mascara Dorada, Josh Alexander, Adrian Quest, and Rocky Romero vs. KUSHIDA, Kevin Knight, Volador Jr., and The DKC

NJPW Battle in the Valley pre-show, Saturday, February 18, 9:20 p.m. Eastern time, free on YouTube and FITE TV —

  • David Finlay vs. Bobby Fish
  • JR Kratos vs. Alex Coughlin

Mercedes Mone files trademark for ‘The CEO’

Posted on by Joseph Currier

The former Sasha Banks has filed a trademark for one of her nicknames.

On January 11, Mercedes Mone (real name Mercedes Varnado) applied to trademark the term “The CEO.” The filing was made through Mone’s Soulnado company.

The full filing can be seen below:

THE CEO

Goods and Services IC 041. US 100 101 107. G & S: Entertainment in the nature of wrestling contests; Entertainment services, namely, wrestling exhibits and performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer; Entertainment services, namely, live appearances by a a professional wrestler and sports entertainer; Entertainment services, namely, personal appearances by a professional wrestler and sports entertainment personality; Entertainment services, namely, televised appearances by a professional wrestling and sports entertainment personality; Providing wrestling news and information via a global computer network; Providing online interviews featuring a professional wrestling and sports entertainment personality in the field of professional wrestling and sports entertainment for entertainment purposes

Mone was introduced as “The CEO Mercedes Mone” when she made her NJPW debut at Wrestle Kingdom 17 earlier this month. It was Mone’s first pro wrestling appearance since walking out of WWE last May.

Following Wrestle Kingdom, it was confirmed that Mone will challenge KAIRI for the IWGP Women’s Championship at NJPW Battle in the Valley on Saturday, February 18. The show is taking place in San Jose, California and will be available live as a Fite TV pay-per-view with English commentary.

It was announced last week that Mone will have a role in an upcoming action-thriller film titled “The Collective.” The movie has already wrapped filming.

Mercedes Mone cast in ‘The Collective’ action-thriller film

Posted on by Joseph Currier

The former Sasha Banks has booked a new acting role.

It was announced via Deadline today that Mercedes Mone (real name Mercedes Varnado) has a role in the upcoming action-thriller film “The Collective.” The movie has already wrapped filming.

“The Collective” is a movie from Yale Entertainment. Lucas Till, Ruby Rose, Tyrese Gibson, Don Johnson, and Paul Ben-Victor are also part of the cast.

Deadline wrote about the film:

In the recently-wrapped film from director Tom DeNucci, a group of righteous assassins called The Collective take aim at a highly sophisticated human trafficking ring backed by a network of untouchable billionaires. With their backs against the wall, The Collective has no choice but to put their most important mission in the hands of rookie assassin, Sam Alexander (Till). What he lacks in experience he makes up for in savvy, grit, and a keen ability to improvise in the most dangerous situations. He is aided on his journey by Hugo (Gibson) and Liam (Johnson), former CIA operatives turned rogue vigilantes. They face off against Daisy (Rose), the cunning general manager of this evil, clandestine organization. Sam must prove to himself, Liam and Hugo that he’s Collective material on this life-or-death, take-no-prisoners mission.

Ben-Victor will play Miro Lindell, who serves as auctioneer to a seedy underground cabal of billionaires bidding on human lives. Watching his back at all times is the blade wielding company pit-bull and chief of security, Nikita (Varnado).

Mone has previously appeared in two episodes of “The Mandalorian,” playing the character Koska Reeves in the Star Wars series. She’s represented by Sugar23, Buchwald, and Felker Toczek Suddleson.

Nearly eight months after walking out of WWE, Mone returned to pro wrestling when she appeared at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17 earlier this month. Mone will challenge KAIRI for the IWGP Women’s Championship at NJPW Battle in the Valley on Saturday, February 18. The show is taking place at the San Jose Civic in San Jose, California and will be available as a live Fite TV pay-per-view with English commentary.

WWE ‘very strongly under the impression’ Mercedes Mone won’t wrestle for AEW

Posted on by Ian Carey

WWE does not believe the former Sasha Banks is headed to AEW. 

Banks debuted as Mercedes Mone for NJPW at Wrestle Kingdom 17 on Wednesday and was rumored to be Saraya’s partner on AEW Dynamite next week in Los Angeles. However, on this week’s Dynamite, it was revealed that Toni Storm will be Saraya’s partner. 

Our own Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez addressed Mercedes’ situation on Wednesday’s edition of Wrestling Observer Radio. Meltzer said that AEW felt they had to announce Saraya’s partner this week because fans believed it would be Mercedes. 

Meltzer said: 

That’s why they had to announce somebody this week because they knew it was really screwed because everybody was thinking it was her and it’s not her.

Alvarez later asked Meltzer if it’s possible that Mercedes won’t be in the match on Dynamite next week but is still on her way to AEW.

Meltzer responded: 

Anything is possible. I also know from WWE that they, basically, that they are very strongly under the impression that she will not wrestle for AEW. They think she is coming back [to WWE] at some point, 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. But if she’s going to AEW, she’s got to sign for three years minimum because why even bother if she’s going to go right back? For AEW, it would be really stupid to put her on TV if she’s going to go back in six months.

He would later add that “over in Japan, everybody was pretty much saying that this is just a New Japan deal and it’s not an AEW deal.”

KAIRI vs. Mercedes Mone title match official for NJPW Battle in the Valley

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Mercedes Mone’s first NJPW match has now been made official.

NJPW has confirmed that the former Sasha Banks will challenge KAIRI for the IWGP Women’s Championship at Battle in the Valley on Saturday, February 18. The show will be available as a Fite TV pay-per-view with English commentary.

The title match was set up when Mone made her NJPW debut at Wrestle Kingdom 17. Following KAIRI’s IWGP Women’s Championship defense against Tam Nakano, Mone confronted KAIRI and laid her out. Mone announced that she’s coming to both NJPW and Stardom, declaring herself as “the standard, the conversation, the blueprint, and the CEO” of the women’s division.

Mone told KAIRI to enjoy the IWGP Women’s Championship while she still has it — because Mone is going to leave her bankrupt at Battle in the Valley.

In her post-show comments after Wrestle Kingdom, Mone said this is just her first stop — because she’s on a “world domination tour.”

Wrestle Kingdom was Mone’s first pro wrestling appearance since walking out of WWE last May.

KAIRI, who was formerly known as Kairi Sane in WWE, was crowned as the inaugural IWGP Women’s Champion this past November.

Battle in the Valley is taking place at the San Jose Civic in San Jose, California. KAIRI vs. Mone is the first match that’s been announced for the event.

Mercedes Mone launches Pro Wrestling Tees store after NJPW Wrestle Kingdom debut

Posted on by Ian Carey

Mercedes Mone has new merchandise up for sale. 

The former Sasha Banks debuted for NJPW at WrestleKingdom 17 on Wednesday and confronted IWGP Women’s Champion KAIRI on the show. Shortly after, a ProWrestlingTees store with t-shirts and other merchandise was launched online. 

The store is available here. It features four new t-shirt designs, two hats, a mug, stickers, and a micro-brawler. 

Mone challenged KAIRI for NJPW Battle in the Valley on February 18. During the post-Wrestle Kingdom press conference, she stated that she and the champion “have a past” together.  

“I’m interested in many wrestlers, but the reason I decided to fight KAIRI-san in the first place is because we have a ‘past.’ February 18th, San Jose, New Japan I think it will be the best match in Stardom history, so please look forward to it.” (transcriptions via Fightful)

Mone and KAIRI have wrestled each other once in singles competition. KAIRI defeated Sasha Banks via DQ on the July 3, 2020, edition of WWE Raw. Bayley and Banks also had multiple tag matches against KAIRI and Asuka in 2019 and 2020 as well. 

Sasha Banks makes NJPW debut at Wrestle Kingdom 17, confronts KAIRI

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Sasha Banks made her debut at NJPW’s Wrestle Kingdom 17 event Wednesday morning, laying out KAIRI and challenging her to a match for next month in San Jose.

After KAIRI defeated Tam Nakano to retain the IWGP Women’s Championship, Banks came out, using the name Mercedes Mone. She at first congratulated KAIRI and offered to shake her hand. It was a trap, however, as Banks laid her out. Banks then took a microphone and said that she is here in New Japan and Stardom to make more history, and called herself the CEO of the women’s division. She promised to take the title from KAIRI at NJPW Battle in the Valley, which takes place in San Jose on February 18.

It was reported in recent weeks that Banks would become a free agent at the start of 2023. She was indefinitely suspended by WWE last May after she and Naomi walked out prior to an episode of WWE Raw. As a result, Naomi and Banks were suspended and stripped of the WWE Women’s Tag Team titles.

Negotiations between Banks and WWE for a return began after Vince McMahon left WWE in July. However, it was reported that WWE and Banks were “very far apart” on money.

Sasha Banks thanks WWE, Vince McMahon, Triple H ahead of NJPW Wrestle Kingdom

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Sasha Banks took to Twitter Tuesday afternoon to thank WWE, Vince McMahon, and more.

“Thank you, WWE” Banks wrote on Twitter. She went on to thank William Regal, Triple H, the WWE Universe, “#Krew”, Vince McMahon, and Sasha Banks.

Banks is in Japan ahead of Wednesday morning’s Wrestle Kingdom 17 event. It has been reported that Banks has signed an agreement with New Japan Pro Wrestling for multiple dates, which also includes one Stardom date. Banks was expected to become a free agent at the start of 2023.

Along with Naomi, Banks was suspended indefinitely by WWE back in May after both walked out prior to a live edition of WWE Raw. They were stripped of the WWE Women’s Tag Team titles as a result. Following the regime change in July, Banks reportedly negotiated with WWE for a return but were far apart on money.

Banks has filed trademarks for ‘Mone’ Banks’, ‘Bank Mone’, ‘Mercedes Mone’’, ‘Mone’ Talks’, and ‘Statement Maker’ in recent months.