Mercedes Monè has begun her world domination tour. The wrestler formerly known as Sasha Banks captured the IWGP Women’s Championship this past weekend at NJPW Battle in the Valley, besting KAIRI to become the second woman to hold the title. This victory culminated a storyline that began in January at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17, which saw Monè make her New Japan Pro Wrestling debut. Following her appearance before the live Tokyo Dome crowd, Monè spoke at a press conference where she revealed that the Far East was just the first stop of many in her post-WWE wrestling career.
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It’s currently unclear what other promotions are on Monè’s itinerary, but the former WWE WrestleMania main-eventer has teased what opponents could be on her upcoming schedule. Among those is current Impact Knockouts Champion Mickie James.
“I’m a free agent. It doesn’t matter with New Japan. I can go anywhere. I can go to New Japan, IMPACT, Mexico, Germany, Europe. The potential matchups are endless,” Monè said. I know there is a little woman in IMPACT I would love to face one day: Mickie James! We’ll see what is in the stars.”
It didn’t take long for Impact Wrestling Executive Vice President Scott D’Amore to get wind of Monè’s comments.
“We have to get you two in a ring somewhere and get this done,” D’Amore said on Busted Open Radio.
D’Amore added that he spoke with Monè following her victory at NJPW Battle in the Valley this past weekend, sharing that he had big praise for the IWGP Women’s Champion.
“Our paths had never crossed [before this],” D’Amore continued. “Obviously, I’m a huge fan of her and everything she’s done. It was a great opportunity to meet her and chat with her after an unbelievable match with her and Kairi. The wrestling was amazing, the emotion was fantastic. Talking to her afterward, Mercedes is obviously a very focused and passionate professional. Her wrestling is top notch, her attitude seemed great.”
If a Monè vs. James match is to go down, it could be under some very unique stipulations. James is currently in the midst of “The Last Rodeo,” the monicker she’s given to her final professional wrestling run. Last year, she announced that she would retire after she lost her next match but has been undefeated since. If these two top champions are to meet, it could be with both James’s career on the line as well as both the Impact Knockouts and IWGP Women’s Championships up for grabs.
