Former All Elite Wrestling and Ring of Honor star Mercedes Martinez has opened up about her time in AEW, stating that she felt underutilized during the latter part of her run with the company.
Speaking to A2theKWrestling, Martinez reflected on her experience and admitted that the final stretch of her AEW tenure was particularly difficult. “I’m blessed for the opportunity that Tony [Khan] gave me for the last four years. But it felt like the last year and a half, almost two years, I just sat on the shelf not doing anything for the company,” she said.
Martinez explained that the lack of consistent use began to affect her mentally, leading her to question her value within the promotion. “And it kind of messes with your mind a lot. It kind of just makes you think, ’Am I worth it? Does he really want to utilize my talent and my expertise?’ I know my style is not like a TV style. It’s very just raw. It’s very rugged. It’s very old school in the sense of very power and strong style. And maybe the girls didn’t want to wrestle somebody like me with that style because it’s very raw. But I also look at Eddie Kingston and be like, ‘Well, if he can do it, I know I can do it. You need a female like that.’”
The 45-year-old also acknowledged that her age may have played a role in how she was positioned, especially with AEW focusing on building a younger generation of talent. “It’s kind of one of those things where I’m just like, ‘Man, I’m hitting that age group. I’m 45, and can I still go with the new generation?’ Maybe that’s their thing. Maybe they didn’t want to put me into creative storylines or anything like that I’ve pitched,” she said.
Martinez added that she had already come to terms with her contract not being renewed and began preparing for the next phase of her career on her own terms. “So it’s just one of those things where I’m like, maybe if we don’t renew the contract, which I already knew wasn’t going to happen, that I’m gonna go out the way I want to go out.”
Earlier this year, Martinez shared a message about embracing what she described as one final run in 2026. With a career that spans more than two decades—including time in WWE, AEW, and ROH—she remains one of the most experienced performers of her generation.
Mercedes Martinez Says She Was “Not Properly Utilized” During AEW Run
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