Mercedes Varnado Brings IWGP Women's Championship to Mandalorian Premiere
Mercedes Varnado is a champion once again. The former Sasha Banks captured just about every title there was to win during her WWE tenure, reigning as NXT, Raw, and SmackDown Women's Champion on multiple occasions. Upon exiting the company in May 2022, Varnado was one-half of the WWE Women's Tag Team Champions. She would spend the rest of last year outside of the professional wrestling world but returned to the spotlight at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17, rebranded as Mercedes Monè and confronting IWGP Women's Champion KAIRI and laying out a challenge to the inaugural titleholder. Just over one month later, Monè captured the IWGP Women's Title at NJPW Battle in the Valley.
It hasn't taken long for Monè to flaunt her new gold. Monè appeared at The Mandalorian Season 3 premiere in Hollywood, donning the IWGP Women's Championship in multiple red carpet photos. She and Ahsoka Tano actress Rosario Dawson posed with the title together, engaging in a friendly tug-of-war with the belt.
Dawson is no stranger to professional wrestling. She previously appeared on a September 2021 episode of AEW Dynamite, helping Cody Rhodes in his fight against Malakai Black. Dawson and Rhodes's friendship stemmed from their time together on TBS's Go-Big Show, where they both worked as judges for two seasons.
Monè's Star Wars ties come from The Mandalorian Season 2, where she appeared as Koska Reeves in two episodes. While there's every chance that Monè could be playing coy, she previously noted that she would not be involved in The Mandalorian Season 3.
"First of all, thanks for trying to get that out, but I'm not on the next season. It was incredible being on The Mandalorian on Star Wars," Monè said in Fall 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."
The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 1 is now streaming on Disney+.
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