Mercedes Mone, better known as "The Boss" Sasha Banks during her time in WWE, will almost certainly make her AEW debut on the March 13 episode of Dynamite (which has been dubbed "Big Business" in an obvious nod to her former persona).
The hope among many fans was that Mone might return to WWE; unfortunately, it appears the two sides couldn't agree on money and with Tony Khan willing to throw as much cash as possible at talent he's keen to bring into the fold, The Mandalorian star heading to AEW was inevitable.
Mone walked out of WWE alongside Naomi in 2022 due to creative differences over the Women's Tag Team Championships with disgraced former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon. She's since performed in New Japan Wrestling but was sidelined last year with an ankle injury.
That was sustained during a match with Willow Nightingale at NJPW Resurgence. Despite being sidelined for the better part of a year, though, Mone is determined to get back in the ring and to do her thing.
"I was told that this is a career-ending injury," she said in an interview with The Kick Rocks Wrestling Podcast. "And I screamed at my doctor and surgeon. I said, 'No, it's not.' I'm going to come back really soon and I'm going to have just the greatest time, the greatest matches, the greatest career that I've had yet, because I see it and I feel it, I know it."
"I've spent the past 10 months thinking about how much unfinished business I have in wrestling and how much I was on a hunger tour goal," Mone continued. "I was so focused and just so ready for my plans to succeed in 2023 and for that to happen to me, it taught me so much about life and it just taught me that I needed to even, I guess, slow down even more and to heal."
Despite being lined up as a top star in AEW, it appears the former WWE Superstar intends to eventually return to the company where she made a name for herself. As a result, her "All Elite" stint may be little more than a stepping stone to make some easy cash on her way back to the big time!
"I know I'm going to be back there [in WWE] one day, okay? So it's not over," Mone said. "Like I said, I have a lot of unfinished business in wrestling, in a lot of places."
Well, that settles that then. As always, stay tuned for updates as we have them.