Willow Nightingale Wins NJPW STRONG Women’s Title, Mercedes Mone Injured – At NJPW Resurgence, New Japan Pro-Wrestling crowned the first NJPW STRONG Women’s Champion with a one-night tournament.
In the first round, Mercedes Mone defeated Stephanie Vaquer in a hard-fought match by pinning her with the Mone-Maker. Willow Nightingale advanced to the finals by beating Momo Kohgo, as she pinned her with the Doctor Bomb.
Nightingale and Mone then clashed in the tournament finals in the main event. They went back and forth, and Nightingale overpowered Mone throughout the bout. In the end, Willow got a near fall with one Doctor Comb, and she followed that up with a second Doctor Comb for the win.
Nightingale delivered an emotional message after the match, as she thanked her fellow competitors and expressed her gratitude to the fans for their support throughout her journey up to this point.
After the match, Mone was helped to the back, as she seemingly suffered an apparent injury during the bout.
PWInsider reports that the word going around backstage is that Mone suffered a broken ankle.
Mone commented on the news in a tweet and noted that the night did not turn out the way she wanted it to. She said she was sorry, and she expressed her love for the fans. Mone then vowed to heal and come back better than ever.
Nightingale is currently signed to AEW, and she also competes for ROH. She has also wrestled for Beyond, ROH, and MLW, among other promotions. Mone, formerly known as Sasha Banks, is a WWE Women’s Grand Slam Champion. She won the IWGP Women’s Championship by defeating KAIRI at NJPW Battle in the Valley, and she lost the title to Mayu Iwatani at the STARDOM All Star Grand Queendom event on April 23.
Willow Nightingale Wins NJPW STRONG Women’s Title, Mercedes Mone Injured
