Tony Khan Definitively Reveals If Mercedes Moné Has AEW Creative Control

Mercedes Moné has a 23-0 record within All Elite Wrestling since making her in-ring debut for the company at Double or Nothing 2024, which has only fuelled rumours that Moné, like Hulk Hogan in WCW, must have creative control.

Moné herself, in an in-character interview, even said she had creative control in the summer of 2024, but Tony Khan has definitively revealed that the former Sasha Banks does not have creative control in All Elite Wrestling, and he is the only person who has creative control.

Khan stated to Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp during the pre-AEW All In media call:

"That's definitely not true at all. I would love to talk about that. Mercedes Moné is an incredible talent. I have wanted Mercedes Moné in AEW and she is a big star on the show. I really enjoy working with her backstage as a talent and she has done great things for the company doing media. She's a great person. Mercedes is a great addition to AEW. I also think it's ridiculous, the idea that people would think because she's a strong wrestler on the show that she must be the one dictating that. That is the complete opposite of what happens here.

"We've done a really great job, this year in particular, with a really focused build and we're on the best run of television we've ever had through the past six months in 2025. It's been a great year for the company. I'm the only person with creative control over the show. At the end of the day, I'm responsible for what you see. I'm really proud this year because this has been one of the best years, six months into the year so far, we've ever done of television."

Tony Khan later addressed taking further control over AEW creative at the beginning of 2025, similar to what he did at the start of 2020.

"In 2024, we're having so much success, yet I am finding at times that I'm having so many great people with ideas and I'm listening to so many ideas and I found there was a lot of input that I would take from people and I would listen to a lot of suggestions. I made a resolution, five years later, around the holidays of 2024, that I made in 2019, which was that AEW is going to have a great year and I believe 2025 was going to be that great year, and I wanted to take a similar mindset and approach. This year, you're seeing the most focused AEW in many years and the best AEW in many years in part because there are less voices. I'm taking less input," Khan added.

"I'm still listening to ideas, but if I don't feel 100% about it, I'm not going to do it. That's been a really positive change for the company and the shows in 2025, the way things have come together, reflect that positively. I have such a high opinion of Mercedes in particular, I also have a high opinion of her opponent Toni Storm. They are two of the best wrestlers on the planet. They are two people I meet with every single week. At least once a week, but usually multiple times a week and hear out ideas they might have and they hear out ideas I have. For both of them, I'm very involved in the direction of their character personally. They have people they work with. In Mercedes' case, someone she worked with for a long time which is Jen [Pepperman], and I work well with Jen and Mercedes. In Toni's case, I found somebody to help me work on it, which is RJ [City]. In the case of Toni or Mercedes or so many of the other great talents that I work with closely, I have the final say on what they do," he continued.

Tony Khan then noted that Mercedes Moné is simply pushed in All Elite Wrestling because she is a big star and a positive force behind the scenes in the promotion.

"Mercedes is a great wrestler. She's a focus on the show. She's the TBS Champion because she's hugely followed and a hugely talented star who brings so much to the table. I've seen people infer she must have some kind of creative card because she's such a feature on the show, but that's ridiculous to me because when you have somebody of that stature, you would want to feature them and push them strongly. That's why, frankly, in the case of Mercedes Moné, she is not only one of the biggest stars in AEW, but backstage she is a great person to work with," Khan stated.

"I found her to be very receptive and even if she comes in with an idea that points in one direction, I might have an idea that takes it 180 degrees in the total opposite direction. If I really feel strongly about it, I found that she is somebody that is going to do what I believe and is very trusting of AEW. She is somebody that likes working at AEW and likes being here. One of the great things we've done in 2025 was try to focus AEW, this entire year, around the people that want to be here and care about AEW and the people that work really hard for us every week. I think Mercedes is a great example of that. Somebody is really hard working and a very talented pro wrestler."

While she is yet to lose in All Elite Wrestling, Moné was reportedly open to losing to Athena in the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament, which would have led to a rematch. Plans had long been in place for Toni Storm vs. Mercedes Moné at All In, however.

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