Just days after capturing the Interim ROH Women’s TV Championship from Mina Shirkawa at AEW WrestleDream, Mercedes Mone has captured her 12th belt. The CEO has collected titles from countries all over the world: the United States, Denmark, Mexico, Poland, Italy, Austria, the United Kingdom, and Canada.
She just passed Jade Cargill’s record of 508 days as TBS Champion, and she’s showing no signs of slowing down. Once she shed the “Boss” persona that gave her fame in the WWE, she set out into the unknown to see what women’s wrestling has to offer on a global scale.
When she arrived in AEW she had one goal: to make the revolution global.
“You see, my dreams started when I was only ten years old, and when I was 13, I dropped out of school to take care of my brother,” she said in her debut promo. “And then those dreams, at only 18 years old and only 90 pounds, [took me] to North Andover, Massachusetts, to a place called Chaotic Wrestling, where I began my dream. And that dream [was] to become the greatest woman’s wrestler of all time. I want you guys to know that if I can do it, you can do it too.
So let’s get down to business, huh? You wanna know why I’m here? Because I need to be here. I want to be here. AEW is the only place where this revolution can be global. And we are going to make this happen.”
Now almost two years into her AEW run, she’s one of the top stars in all of wrestling. Her signing coupled with the unforgettable “Timeless” Toni Storm and Mariah May story put a spotlight on AEW that exposed the underbelly of a stagnant women’s division. Now, six years in, there’s no time or room for slacking. If you’re not bringing your absolute best you’re probably going to get left behind.
That’s not a knock on the many women who shaped the division in its early days — today’s division wouldn’t exist without their hard work and sacrifice. However, it’s a simple fact that the division has evolved.
While Mone’s goal started with AEW, as she said, she wants to take this global. And that’s exactly what she’s doing. But is her “belt collector” gimmick helping or hurting women’s wrestling?
Well, she’s not collecting championships just to collect them. When her schedule permits, she defends the belts. For example, she’s defended both her RevPro Women’s Championship and CMLL Women’s Championship on numerous occassions.
This week alone she traveled from Dynamite in Kansas City, Missouri, to Mexico, then to St. Louis, and she ended her week in Canada. For someone with a demanding schedule in AEW alone, it’s a true testament to her work ethic.
Mone has created a brand for herself. She has a diehard fanbase watching her every move. Where she goes, they go. Her influence expands beyond the ring and now she’s using it to her advantage to put emphasis on promotions that otherwise wouldn’t have as much attention on them. For example, one of her most recent wins at BODYSLAM Wrestling has over 100k views on YouTube. Their channel typically ranges from 400 – 4,000 views.
“But she’s burying women on the indies!” The same women on social media begging for an opportunity to work with her? The women that, if given the opportunity, benefit more from going over on a star like Mone? Not to mention, these wrestling promotions get publicity just by her wearing the belts on television, pay-per-views, red carpets, live talk shows, etc.
Mone “collecting” all these belts doesn’t bother me because it’s the possibility of what happens afterward that’s going to be more interesting and rewarding for these independent promotions and the women that wrestle for them.
She called out Kris Statlander for another shot at the AEW Women’s World Championship at Full Gear. She failed to beat Storm for it at AEW All In Texas, and given Statlander just won at All Out, it’s hard to imagine she’d drop it anytime soon. In fact, her beating Mone clean will really solidify her as champion. She was able to defeat two of the biggest women’s wrestlers in the world, so who’s stopping her?
The AEW Women’s World Championship should absolutely be the one title that Mone can’t seem to get ahold of, so much so that it drives her insane.
That “fall from grace” leading to her dropping the other championships one by one and putting local talent over will do so much for them. And when she’s left with nothing and has to confront the reality she’s no longer untouchable? That her value isn’t about how many titles she holds but her accolades and her impact on women’s wrestling speak for themselves? Take my money right now.
At the end of the day, Mone’s always finding a way to remain part of the conversation. She understands the shelf life of a wrestler and that she won’t be doing it forever. She knows the attention she has on her — both positive and negative — gets people talking. So why not use it to change the industry like she has many other times?
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