At AEW Double or Nothing Mercedes Moné competed in her AEW in-ring debut which has been building since AEW Big Business in March. Prior to her AEW debut, Moné had gotten injured in the NJPW STRONG Women’s Championship tournament final. against Willow Nightingale The ankle injury would keep her out of the ring for nearly a year but it didn’t stop her from teasing her eventually return to wrestling.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Last August, she popped up in London for AEW All In which was her first appearance in the company. She’d begun posting footage of herself training to get back into the ring late last year and word of her possible return to WWE made headlines. Those talks eventually dissolved, as she’d essentially be advertised for Big Business without it being directly stated.
The 2023 Owen Hart Cup winner Nightingale won the TBS Championship back at AEW Dynasty from Julia Hart, her first singles championship in AEW. Though she’s only held the title a month, it’s been a long-time coming for the star who has spent the last few years building a strong relationship with the AEW audience. The match starts out incredibly competitive between the two, but after giving chase, Moné stomps her ankle, perhaps getting a little revenge for her injury! Willow stands strong and even gains control with a shinbreaker followed by an inverted cloverleaf swing.
Kris Statlander and Stokely Hathaway, who came to the ring with Nightingale, run interference but play it off like they’re trying to help Nightingale. Nightingale hits her Doctor Bomb finisher on Moné but because the referee is distracted, she’s unable to get the pinfall. Unfortunately, this interference is exactly what costs the champion because Moné hits the Moné Maker for the win.
After the match, Hathaway berates Nightingale for the loss which causes Statlander to push him back and help escort an injured Nightingale to the back. As the make their way up the ramp, Statlander hits Nightingale and knocks her to the floor. She rips her friendship bracelet off and throws it on top of Nightingale and then hits a discus lariat to really cement the turn.
AEW Double or Nothing Results
AEW World Championship: Swerve Strickland (c) vs. Christian Cage
AEW TBS Championship: Willow Nightingale (c) vs. Mercedes Moné
Anarchy in the Arena: The Elite (The Young Bucks, Kazuchika Okada, Jack Perry) vs. Team AEW (FTR, Bryan Danielson, Darby Allin)
AEW TNT Championship – Barbed Wire Cage Match: Adam Copeland (c) vs. Malakai Black
AEW Women’s Championship: “Timeless” Toni Storm (c) vs. Serena Deeb
AEW International Championship: Roderick Strong (c) vs. Will Ospreay
Unified Trios Championships: Bullet Club Gold (c) vs. Death Triangle
FTW Championship: Chris Jericho (c) vs. HOOK vs. Katsuyori Shibata
Trent Beretta vs. Orange Cassidy
IWGP World Heavyweight Championship Eliminator Match: Jon Moxley (c) vs. Konosuke Takeshita
