Star Wars: Mercedes Moné (Sasha Banks) Returns to The Mandalorian

By Liam Crowley

It has been a busy year for Mercedes Moné. The former Sasha Banks made her return to professional wrestling this past January, debuting for New Japan at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17 and immediately setting her sights on IWGP Women's Champion KAIRI. It would be just a matter of weeks before Moné would capitalize on her debut statement as she bested KAIRI to become the new IWGP Women's Champion at NJPW Battle in the Valley in February. While her Far East appearances have been sporadic since, Moné has remained at the top of mainstream headlines thanks to her recent return to the galaxy far, far away.

Moné's Koska Reeves appeared on this week's episode of The Mandalorian, reuniting with Simon Kassianides's Axe Woves. These two Mandalorians are revealed to now be working as privateers with no specific allegiance, just aligning themselves with the highest bidder.

Moné celebrated her Star Wars return on social media, sharing a still image from the latest The Mandalorian episode alongside a match graphic for her upcoming IWGP Women's Title defense this Saturday at NJPW Sakura Genesis.

The Mandalorian "Chapter 22: Guns for Hire" represents Moné's third appearance in the popular Disney+ series. She initially debuted in Season 2's "Chapter 11: The Heiress" and returned later that season for "Chapter 16: The Rescue."

This surprise appearance comes after years of Moné throwing fans off, as she often said in interviews that she had no involvement in The Mandalorian Season 3.

"I'm not on the next season, but it was incredible being on The Mandalorian on Star Wars," Banks said in 2021. "To be on a franchise that is so huge and so loved, just look at the reception from fans outside of the WWE Universe. It was the best feeling of all time. The projection of that show was overwhelming. I legit felt like I was in a galaxy so far, far away. I felt like I was on a different planet."

Fans won't have to wait long to see Moné again. As mentioned above, Moné makes her first IWGP Women's Title defense in a triple threat match against Hazuki and AZM this weekend at NJPW Sakura Genesis. Considering she only won the championship a couple of weeks ago, many would expect Moné to retain, but the fact that she is on a per-appearance deal with New Japan leaves her future constantly unpredictable.

The Mandalorian streams new episodes on Disney+ every Wednesday.

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