During a recent appearance on the “Breakfast Club,” AEW TBS Champion Mercedes Mone discussed the pivotal moment in her career when she parted ways with WWE.
Mone and Naomi left WWE in May 2022 after a disagreement with then-CEO Vince McMahon. As a result, both were stripped of the Women’s Tag Team Titles.
After she was granted her release, Mone joined NJPW in January 2023, making her debut at Wrestle Kingdom 17 on January 4, 2023. The following year, she signed with AEW.
Regarding her decision to leave, Mone said, “I left for many different reasons. A lot of personal stuff happened with myself and the Chairman [McMahon] at the time. I didn’t like how he talked to me and how I was talked down to. I was like, you know what, ‘It’s time to legit listen to your soul and your heart. There was a light that came to me one day, and I just left WWE.”
When asked about McMahon disrespecting her, Mone noted, “Yes, it was a bit crazy. That day, he spoke to me in a disrespectful manner. It was a moment that made me realize that if I stayed, it wouldn’t be okay. I thought to myself, ‘If I stay, this is not acceptable for the rest of my life. What kind of example would I be setting for my kids and for others if I allowed myself to feel this way after being here for 10 years? I have to stand up for myself.’ That’s exactly what I did. It was like a light came into me, the same light that guided me when I was 10 years old, telling me, ‘This is your purpose, this is what you will do.’ Another light came to me, guiding me to walk away and seek something better for myself.”
