AEW's Mercedes Mone Opens Up About WWE Departure

In 2022, Sasha Banks and Naomi made waves in the wrestling world by walking out of a "WWE Raw" taping. Naomi would later return to the company after a stint in TNA, while Banks became Mercedes Mone and began exploring avenues outside of WWE. Speaking on New York's Hot 97, Mone looked back on her final day in WWE and the reasons behind her departure.

"The biggest thing is just listening to my heart and my soul," Mone said. "Something didn't [feel] right that day. How we were talked to didn't settle in my heart, and I just instantly knew if I wasn't gonna take control of my life right here and now, then I was never going to be happy there by having someone talk to me the way that they do, or feeling like you just don't belong."

Having been a professional wrestler for 14 years at that point, Mone felt as though she and Naomi were being treated disrespectfully. It was an incredibly difficult decision to make, made even tougher by the fact that Mone had wanted to work for the company since she was a child.

"It's now the greatest decision I've ever made," Mone continued. "The TBS Champion. The highest-paid woman in women's wrestling history. ... And I could just go on and on [about] all of these amazing opportunities that have happened since I listened to my heart and just walked out."

It's now been two years and almost two months since Mone left WWE, and the wrestler said she's grown more than ever during that time. Prior to joining AEW in March, Mone teased that she one day expects to return to WWE, but she's since been publicly devoted to her current home.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Hot 97 with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.