AEW TBS Champion Mercedes Mone has opened up in a new interview about the creation of her current persona, explaining why it was so important to leave “Sasha Banks” behind and the exact moment her new name came to her.
Leaving The ‘Sasha Banks’ Persona Behind
Speaking on the Marking Out podcast, Mone discussed her early days in AEW and the challenge of establishing a new identity after her legendary run in WWE. “I feel like my first couple months with AEW, I was just still trying to figure out who was Mercedes Moné and make sure it wasn’t Sasha Banks,” she said. “I wanted her to be very, very different so people didn’t want to compare.” She added that she wanted to “level up from what Sasha Banks was” and become “the CEO, the boss of all bosses.”
The Origin Of The Mercedes Mone Name
Mone then shared the very personal story of how her new name came to be during a period of uncertainty after she left WWE. “I was just sitting in my closet actually, crying, being like, ‘Oh God, what do I do next? Who am I going to be?’” she recalled. “Just like a vision came to my mind of being like, ‘Okay, Mercedes, what is it going to take for you to get back to WWE?’ Well, they got to give me money… Money… I just kept hearing money and I just said Mercedes Money.”
She experimented with the spelling and eventually landed on “Moné.” “I wanted to manifest that money. So I wanted that last name as money,” she explained.
Mone’s successful rebranding has made her one of the top stars in AEW. She is now set to defend her TBS Championship at the Forbidden Door pay-per-view on August 24 in a four-way match.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Marking Out with MVP & Dwayne Swayze with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
