Further Details On Why Mercedes Moné Chose AEW Over WWE

After reportedly being under contract with All Elite Wrestling for at least the past couple of months, Mercedes Moné made her debut in the promotion at Big Business on Wednesday, March 14 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.

Moné has since stated that she signed with AEW because of the promotion's women's division but further details about why exactly the former Sasha Banks decided to join All Elite Wrestling instead of going back to WWE have been revealed. 

According to Mike Johnson of PWInsider, the final factor in Moné's decision came down to which promotion had stronger potential, both for herself and the future of women within professional wrestling. A major element of Moné's choice was she believed a WWE comeback would be beneficial but it would ultimately be a return to where she had already been. Moné is also working on a number of projects outside of pro wrestling but if she had signed with WWE, performing for the company would be the priority and other projects would automatically be secondary. 

The belief from Moné was that AEW would be more open to her continuing acting, especially if she needed to take time away from the promotion for her role as Koska Reeves in the 'Star Wars' franchise, or for other projects. AEW's close relationship with Warner Bros. Discovery was also seen as a benefit as Moné has the opportunity to build her own relationship with the media conglomerate that may provide access to future film & TV roles. 

Furthermore, Moné has developed fashion and music projects while she has been out of WWE since 2022 and those interests have only grown during Mone's time out of action from May 2023 until her AEW debut in March. AEW noted too that they would work in conjunction with a team Moné has constructed to assist her in maintaining her physical, mental, and emotional health.

PWInsider added: "At the end of the day, the belief from those close to Mone is that the best way she could keep developing and working on her passions beyond performing in the ring was to be in a place that would allow her to still develop her projects, not just sign up to return to WWE, where all her energy would be targeted on WWE 90% of the time. AEW provided more of a balance."

Within pro wrestling, Moné reportedly believed she could debut in AEW as a top-tier player and give the promotion a talent to build around. She is also hoping to help AEW continue growing and Moné "wants to shake up the overall system for pro wrestling and create new opportunities for women to get a higher premium financially as well as more opportunities down the line as new generations of women pursue professional wrestling." 

Moné also reportedly recognised she would be able to own her trademarks and theme song if she joined AEW, something that simply does not happen in WWE unless you are Dwayne Johnson. 

Within All Elite Wrestling, the belief is that Moné could use her outside success and bring more eyes to the company, while Moné herself is hoping to elevate the company to the point the women's roster overall becomes more mainstream.

Following her signing with AEW, Moné is likely the highest-paid female performer in the history of pro wrestling. Both AEW and WWE were reportedly willing to commit to deals that would have totalled eight figures over their full length. Discussions between AEW and Moné stretched back 18 months while WWE opened up talks at a later date and absolutely wanted Moné back "in the family." 

Moné addressed her AEW contract with ESPN, saying: "I'm not Mercedes Moné for no reason. Money changes everything. I'm always about that bag. Absolutely."