IWGP Women’s Champion Mercedes Mone has revealed her contract details in the wake of her big win in NJPW. The former Sasha Banks made her NJPW debut at Battle In The Valley 2023, defeating KAIRI to become the second ever IWGP Women’s Champion.
The match was her first outside of the WWE and the first time she has wrestled since walking out of the WWE in May 2022. In her 8 months away from the ring her stock rose immensely and she signed a deal to appear at Wrestle Kingdom 17, to challenge KAIRI to a match.
She retured to the ring with a match of the night performance at the February 18 NJPW Battle in the Valley event. She pinned KAIRI to win the title and cement herself as the top women’s wrestler outside of the WWE. She is now set to wrestle for Stardom against all the top Joshi wrestlers.
However, Mercedes Mone’s contract does not lock her into New Japan. The former WWE Women’s Champion revealed in an interview with Alex McCartney that her contract does not lock her into wrestling just in Japan. She revealed she is “as free as a bird” to wrestle all around the world.
The former Sasha Banks notded a number of countries she wanted to perform in, such as the United States, Japan, Mexico and Germany. She is a huge fan of the late Eddie Guerrero, so going to Mexico to wrestle in front of the crowds there is an obvious next step for the star.
“I’m as free as a bird. I’ve got the choice to decide anything that I want to do. Especially tomorrow when I win the IWGP Women’s Championship, I plan to take that title all over the world, not just New Japan.
“It’s about to be a global championship. So wherever that championship ends up, whether it be on United States TV, Japan TV, Mexico TV, Germany TV, anywhere all over the world is wherever I choose to make it happen.
“So whoever has the best bag, whoever writes the best cheque for Mercedes Mone, that’s where I might end up.”
Mercedes Mone is set to take on AZM in her first title defence of her IWGP Women’s Champion. AZM is a member of the Queen’s Quest stable in Stardom and is likely to face off with Mone soon. The date of that match is yet to be announced.