Mercedes Moné wrestled her third and fourth matches for New Japan Pro Wrestling this past weekend. The former Sasha Banks defeated Stephanie Vaquer to advance to the finals of the NJPW Strong Women’s Championship tournament and met AEW’s Willow Nightingale in the deciding round. Nightingale ultimately came away with the victory after just nine minutes, and some of that medium-length time might be attributed to an apparent ankle injury that Moné suffered late in the contest. Moné dropped from the top rope to the outside and appeared to have landed awkwardly. She would be carried to the back by NJPW personnel after the match ended.
Taking to Twitter, Moné shared an update from a hospital bed, seeming to be in good spirits despite the undisclosed injury.
Videos by ComicBook.com
“WRESTLING!!!!Phew,” Moné wrote. “Not how I dreamed for tonight to go.I’m so sorry and I love you guys so much.I’m gonna heal and be back better than ever.Moné.”
Moné’s language makes it sound like fans have not seen the last of her in NJPW, but it might be some time before that next match happens. It’s worth noting that most ankle injuries take at least six weeks to heal, so if Moné’s injury is indeed ankle-related she could be looking at July for a comeback.
The bad news is this would essentially disqualify her from two big NJPW shows in June: NJPW Dominion and AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door. Moné had not been announced for either show but being that she is one of New Japan’s biggest stars, it is likely that she would have at least been tapped for NJPW Dominion. Her AEW status has always been up in the air, as since she leapt to NJPW many within AEW have been asked about whether she could cross through the forbidden door to Tony Khan’s promotion. Khan himself has danced around the question multiple times, simply offering praise to Moné’s in-ring abilities.
“It’s a very encouraging thing to hear and I have so much respect for Mercedes. She is such a great pro wrestler and certainly, one of the best in the world,” Khan said earlier this year. “Any wrestling company in the world, including AEW, is very fortunate to have Mercedes.”
Stay tuned to ComicBook.com for updates on Mercedes Moné’s injury and recovery time table.
