AEW's Mercedes Mone Sheds New Light On NXT Takeover Classic Vs. WWE's Bayley

Bayley and Sasha Bank's showdown at the inaugural NXT Takeover: Brooklyn is of the most celebrated matches in "WWE NXT" history, and one that solidified two women as the future of women's wrestling in the United States. However, it seems that neither Bayley or Sasha Banks, now known as Mercedes Mone in AEW, had any time to prepare for it, according to the latter star.

"At the time, I was on the road full-time with so little time. In addition, I had to do a panel with Triple H two hours before the doors even opened. I was also coming straight from Smackdown or Raw, so I didn't even get to work out in the ring with Bayley," the former Sasha Banks recalled in her "Mone Mag" newsletter. "We only had maybe five minutes to talk about our match in the ring. I wanted to tell her about this crazy spot. In truth, I didn't even want to practice with her or show her the spot because I was afraid that they were going to tell me no, or that the boys were going to see it and that they were going to take it away. Yes, that happens. So, I just kind of told her what I wanted to do. As I said, we didn't get to rehearse it or any other move."

While Bayley ultimately won the NXT Women's Championship bout, both competitors benefited from it. The match is still celebrated years later, and Bayley and Mone have promised to run it back down the line, despite being members of the WWE and AEW rosters, respectively, for the time being.

The current AEW TBS Champion also shed some light on other behind-the-scenes scenarios that can affect pre-match rituals. Mone revealed that her match with Emi Sakura on the October 9 edition "AEW Dynamite" had no preparation going into it. She also noted that the day leading up to a live wrestling show usually sees her do promos, interviews, and photoshoots, leaving little time to prepare for the in-ring action.