Perhaps the biggest name with an unknown future is Mercedes Mone. Granted, the former IWGP Women’s Champion is signed to Bushiroad, but all signs point to her making the leap to AEW in the near future. 

But with the shocking return of CM Punk in WWE, the former WWE Champion returning “home” showcases that Triple H is really willing to wipe the slate clean with past superstars who had a bad rapaport with Vince McMahon. Given the context of the Damage CTRL story where it seems that Bayley is on her way out of the group, the former Sasha Banks would perfectly slide into that feud with much fanfare. But should Mercedes Mone waste her time and go back to WWE? Or should the former WWE Women’s Champion continue to venture her talents outside of the biggest professional wrestling company in America?

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Mercedes Mone’s Decision To Leave WWE

When Mone decided to walk in 2022, it was a huge moment since she was one of the pioneers of women's evolution. Then Sasha Banks, the former WWE star was relatively treated well. She was even the WWE Tag Team Women’s Champion when she opted to leave the company. But Banks' decision to leave was right. Vince McMahon and Creative didn’t particularly care about the women’s tag team division, and though no one in WWE outright stated this, you can easily tell based on the horrid booking. 

Makeshift tag teams that always come and go. A division that was always centered around the champions and challengers. There were little attempts at trying to properly build a robust division that highlighted multiple teams and feuds outside of the belts. The WWE Women’s Tag Team division was on life support. It’s gotten a bit better since Vince stepped away as Triple H does seem to care more about the division, though it’s still a long way from reaching the great heights that it can. 

It wasn’t just the fact that the tag team division was no good. But Banks’s character at the time was stale. The former WWE star essentially did everything that was to be done on the main roster. She needed a character change that gave Sasha Banks a dimension that audiences have yet to see. This long-term hiatus is great for Mone as she’ll come back to the company as a fresh act, and there’s new blood on the scene that she can easily feud with. If she decides to return to the WWE, of course.

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Does Mercedes Mone Fit In With All Elite Wrestling?

Tony Khan has been doing a better job of showcasing multiple female wrestlers on the roster lately. But the booking of the division is still far behind WWE’s. There are plenty of exciting names for Mone for face: Athena, Hikaru Shida, Thunder Rosa, Taya Valkyrie, and Toni Storm are just a few dream matches. But will the former WWE star be happy with the lack of focus that AEW’s women tend to get?

Remember, Banks didn’t leave the company because she wasn’t getting what she wanted. At least according to reports. There’s no denying that she would come in as the star out of the gate. But so did Saraya. Or Athena. Or even Taya Valkyrie. These women have been pushed to the side and mainly wrestle on Rampage or Collision these days.

 There is a huge possibility that Mone may not be happy with the lack of care that the division currently receives. Wrestling-wise, the 31-year-old is cut above the roster so she’ll bring a ton of value into the division beyond being an in-ring star. If the booking truly continues to give more of the spotlight for these women then Mone could become an AEW lifer. But as of now, given the reasoning for her WWE exit, it just doesn’t seem that Mone would be a particularly great fit for AEW.

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Should Mercedes Mone Return To WWE?

Simply put, yes. The women’s division is by no means perfect, but Triple H has made great strides giving the women more spotlight and juicy stories that show their talent. The Damage CTRL stuff is quite compelling. Rhea Ripley remains one of the top female stars because of her work with The Judgment Day. Even Chelsea Green and Piper Niven are being given some time to build their characters and reign over a solid division with several actual tag teams.

Mone’s talent would still shine bright if she decides to head to AEW, but the women’s division is on such an upward trajectory in WWE that she would fit in better. Mone is still young, so it would genuinely be shocking if never returned to the WWE. It’s typically the case with former WWE stars who leave the company. When she was down in NXT, Mone was perfectly booked by Triple H. He brought out the charisma and personality of Sasha Banks and is a good reason why she became such a big name before stepping into a RAW or Smackdown ring.