I like Sasha Banks.
Of course, her most memorable feud was with Bayley down in NXT, but she’s had other great ones on the main roster as well. Still, Banks’ WWE career left a lot to be desired. She may have headlined night one of WrestleMania 37 with Bianca Belair, but that build was terrible and that wasn’t her or Belair’s fault at all. I always thought she could’ve been more if WWE got behind her properly as she showed flashes of brilliance both from a character and wrestling stand point.
But Mercedes Mone? I’m just not feeling it. I hate to add more negativity to her AEW run, but the CEO isn’t clicking for me. The blame this time is on both Tony Khan and Mercedes. Her AEW run started terribly. And the weeks of this mystery attacker angle only exposed even further why she should never be a babyface. But when AEW shifted gears by finally embracing the former WWE superstar as a heel then her career started turning for the better.
That contract-signing segment with Willow Nightingale was awesome. In fact, it’s still my favorite Mercedes Mone moment in AEW thus far. Unfortunately, it started going downhill when Mercedes beat Willow for the TBS Championship at Double or Nothing.
My issues with Mercedes aren’t too much from an in-ring perspective. Sure, she’s had several disappointing matches, but sometimes great performers don’t always gel together. More often than not, she’s had good to excellent matches, with her bouts against Statlander and Nightingale being my favorites thus far.
It's Time For A New Character
Part of my gripe with the TBS Champion is with her character. It’s extremely bland. She’s been playing this “Boss” character for ten years at this point. I was hoping that AEW would be bold enough to have her lose at Double or Nothing. The former TBS Champion was getting hot and Willow deserved to have a reign that wasn’t transitional.
More importantly, I wanted Mone’s character to evolve. Her loss could’ve challenged who she is in AEW; the journey of Mercedes getting her first win over Willow Nightingale could’ve been fun. It would've allowed us to see a different side of Mercedes Mone.
But this CEO gimmick has a "been there/done that" feel. Everything is surface level. Bringing in Kamille as her new bodyguard? We’ve seen that a million times before. She’s arrogant, conceited, and selfish; Mercedes Mone is a two-dimensional character, but there hasn't been one segment that got me invested into her character. Even the contract segment is a winner because of Willow Nightingale, not Mercedes herself.
Of course, it doesn’t help when the stories with Mercedes are so lackluster that it doesn’t allow character growth that gives her CEO gimmick a chance to shine.
The Lack of An Interesting Character Isn’t All On Mercedes
Mercedes Mone has had plenty of great matches. But there’s not a great feud in AEW that I can name. Take out the contract segment and her rivalry with Willow would’ve easily been in one of the worst-written feuds of 2024.
And Kris Statlander? Excellent matches. The substance of the feud is paint-by-numbers storytelling. AEW rushed into their rematch at World’s End. I get that arrogance played a part in Mone accepting the challenge, but it would’ve been better if she rejected the request because deep down she knows that Kris Statlander is a huge threat.
Her other title matches mainly consisted of the challenger winning a number one contender’s match, which has become lazy booking 101 in modern wrestling. Relying on these contender’s matches strips the chance of really exploring something new and interesting. Not every feud needs to be some personal blood rivalry, but it would be great if a deeper layer was added to the story beyond, “I want to be TBS Champion.”
For example, the story of Anna Jay trying to win her first AEW title could’ve been told better. This is something AEW could’ve started at the beginning of the year. The story is nothing new, but adding that context could’ve given more dimension to Anna Jay. What is her motivation for wanting to be a champion?
Does she want to prove to her family that wrestling isn’t a waste of time by winning one of the most prestigious belts in the business? Or is she frustrated that four years have gone by and she has nothing to show for her hard work? Little nuggets like these add depth to characters. All I know about Anna Jay is that she used to be in the Dark Order. And she’s blonde...I think.
Or even Dr. Britt Baker. The strange saga of the former AEW Women’s World Champion and her booking continues. I liked what they were doing at first with Mone and Baker, but since there wasn’t much juice within their rivalry, it never went past first gear. Don't even get me started on the flip flopping of Kris Statlander's character.
I’m sorry, but AEW has severely let down Mone when it comes to booking. The thing is, I would be okay with Mercedes keeping her “CEO/Boss” persona if she was given some meaty material that brought out the best of it. I want her to be evil. Give me a reason to truly hate this woman. You would think that trying to run over one of your challengers is a good reason, but when the story is so flimsy and lifeless then you could care less about either character.
Wrestling Isn't Just About Great Matches
Tony Khan knows this. Or else stuff like Chris Jericho/Cody Rhodes, Kenny Omega/Hangman Page, Punk/MJF, Swerve/Hangman Page, or even the current Moxley stuff wouldn’t exist. I know that their product is more sports-based than WWE (even though they’ve been getting WWE-esque lately) and that’s perfectly fine. I don’t want AEW to change to their style. But they have to find a way to still tell great stories.
That’s the glue that keeps people interested. This lazy booking of her title reign isn’t doing Mercedes any favors. One of my favorite women’s feuds ever is Mickie/Trish from 2006. You had defined characters, a well-crafted story, and some great wrestling. Was it perfect? No, but I can pinpoint so many great moments from that incredible feud. Mone’s character is defined, so it doesn’t have to be drastically changed.
Granted, it would be great to see what she can do with something new. But she does need great stories that bring out the best of it. Mone’s run is far from one of the worst title runs in history, but it pales in comparison to what she’s done in the past. It’s not too late to steer her in the right direction, but as of now, Mercedes Mone just isn’t working in AEW.