Mercedes Mone Discusses Progress of Women’s Wrestling Over the Last Decade – Mercedes Mone, formerly known as Sasha Banks in WWE, has been a significant figure in the evolution of women’s wrestling. Her standout persona and memorable matches, such as her iconic encounter with Bayley at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 2015, have contributed to the progress of women’s wrestling over the last decade.
In a recent interview with Evan T. Mack on Kick Rocks, Mercedes reflected on the remarkable strides women have made in the wrestling industry. Mercedes expressed her awe at the growth of women’s wrestling, recalling her own journey from starting with only eight women in WWE developmental to witnessing the abundance of female talent across the industry today.
“It’s so beautiful. I’m going to put over the women, but it’s not just the women, it’s the men. This is the most pro wrestlers in the history of wrestling and it’s the most women have ever been a part of this business. To see how many women are at pro wrestling schools, to see how many women are at different promotions from independent to STARDOM to TNA to AEW to WWE. I have no words for it. I started in WWE with eight women in developmental. I don’t even know how many there are know, there are probably 30, and then you have main roster and AEW and STARDOM. It’s beyond my biggest dreams. I watched wrestling like, ‘How can I do this like the men?’ I discovered Japanese pro wrestling and was like, ‘Oh wow, they actually do it like the men, but harder.’ I saw that and wanted that in the United States. I always wanted to change the definition of what it was to be a diva,” she said.
Asked if she viewed the word “diva” as a negative, Mercedes replied, “To me, now, no, because it means so much. Back then, I could never watch it with my mom or grandma. My grandma would make fun of me. ‘Yeah, that’s what I want to do.’ Those are the times. We weren’t treated equally, we weren’t treated the same. We weren’t given the same respect. Now women are main eventing. We are beyond killing it and it’s amazing.”
Mercedes is looking to blaze a new path in AEW, making her debut at AEW Dynamite Big Business.
Mercedes Mone Discusses Progress of Women’s Wrestling Over the Last Decade
