AEW star Mercedes Moné has opened up about her headline-making 2022 WWE exit, making it clear she wasn’t fired, she chose to walk away.
Speaking on the Marking Out podcast, the former Sasha Banks revealed that with a year still left on her WWE contract, she was offered a lucrative five-year extension to stay.
“A lot of people thought that I got fired by WWE. I asked for my release,” Moné explained. “I had a year left on my deal. They were offering me a five-year deal, and at that point, I just… I wasn’t happy anymore.”
Moné said her decision was driven by a loss of passion for wrestling and a desire to wrestle in Japan, believing it would reignite her love for the business. “I had lost my passion for wrestling, and I wanted to wrestle again. I asked for my release so that I could go to New Japan, and it reinvigorated my love for wrestling again.”
Her departure came in May 2022 when she and then-partner Naomi walked out of a live Monday Night Raw taping in protest over creative differences, leading to their suspension and a public fallout with WWE.
After leaving, Moné reinvented herself in New Japan Pro-Wrestling before signing with AEW, where she is now one of the company’s top stars. She is the reigning AEW TBS Champion and recently faced AEW Women’s World Champion Toni Storm in a critically acclaimed match at All In: Texas.
Moné’s next title defense is set for AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door on August 24, where she will compete in a four-way match. The full interview is available now below.
