Throughout her career, Mercedes Moné has competed against countless wrestlers and has held her own against some of the biggest names in pro wrestling. During the latest edition of Hot Ones, the AEW TBS/NJPW Strong Women’s Champion was asked for her Mt. Rushmore of opponents and shared some interesting choices.
“That’s hard for me because I’ve wrestled some of the best in the world. Number one I think is easily Bayley. We’ve made so many historic moments and matches together.
Number two might have to be Charlotte Flair. She has given me my greatest matches, my worst matches, all in between.
Three, I might have to go with Willow Nightingale.
Last but not least, I might have to choose Bianca because of our history-making moment at WrestleMania 37, when we main-evented, something that I’m gonna remember for the rest of my life.”
Bayley
Arguably the name most associated with Moné, WWE’s resident role model would first feud with the then-Sasha Banks as part of WWE NXT in 2015. This feud would see Bayley capture the NXT Women’s Championship from Banks at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn, and retain in their epic 30-minute Iron Woman match at NXT TakeOver: Respect. Years later, the pair would feud over the SmackDown Women’s Championship and would become two-time WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions.
Charlotte Flair
Another name that feuded with Moné in WWE NXT, the pair were called up to the main roster as part of the ‘Women’s Revolution’ of 2015. It would be just over a year later that Moné would defeat Flair in the main event of the first post-brand-split edition of Monday Night Raw to capture the Women’s Championship. The pair would trade the title back and forth and would headline Hell in a Cell 2016 in the first Women’s match inside the structure.
Bianca Belair
After winning the 2021 Women’s Royal Rumble, Bianca Belair chose to face Moné for the SmackDown Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 37. At WWE’s first event in over a year with live attendees, the pair made history, as their Night One headliner became the first (and to date, only) time that two African American women headlined the event. Belair would end Moné’s 167-day reign with the gold, and their historic encounter would win an ESPY award that same year.
Willow Nightingale
The only AEW name on Moné’s list, Willow Nightingale was on the CEO’s radar the moment she arrived in Tony Khan’s promotion. It was during Moné’s debut episode on Dynamite: Big Business that she would save Nightingale from an attack by Julia Hart and Skye Blue. Just 35 days later, Moné would capture the TBS Championship from Nightingale, a title she holds to this day.
