There is discussion regarding the appearance fees for Mercedes Mone on the independent wrestling circuit as she continues to collect championships globally. While AEW President Tony Khan praised Mone’s commitment to wrestling outside AEW, a report suggests her asking price is significant.
Khan toldJosh Martinez of Z100 New York and the Superstar Crossover podcast, “With all the commitments Mercedes has taken on, I think it’s really impressive. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, that shows it’s not about pure greed and money for Mercedes because a lot of these places she’s wrestling… they’re not the highest paying places. She’s not really making money from these. She loves wrestling”.
However, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter shared information from an independent promoter regarding Mone’s potential booking fee. “I don’t know what she’s been paid in different places but one independent promoter who inquired about getting her noted it was a $25,000 per appearance figure,” Meltzer wrote.
The report acknowledged that this figure might not apply universally. “There may be and probably are different deals cut elsewhere and it’s also possible it’s people who she isn’t interested in working for who get that quote,” it added. Still, the promoter who received the quote found it difficult. “It was noted to us that’s a very difficult price and the promoter in question turned it down,” the report stated.
Meltzer provided context, comparing the reported fee to typical independent rates and even pay in major promotions like CMLL. “For example, I’ve never heard of anyone being paid $25,000 in CMLL or close to that and they’ve had some major stars there (Jericho, Moxley, MJF, Danielson)… Generally the highest paid indie guys right now are charging $5,000,” Meltzer detailed.
Mercedes Mone is currently involved in multiple storylines in AEW. She is scheduled to challenge Kris Statlander for the AEW Women’s World Championship at Full Gear on November 22. Additionally, she is teaming with ROH Women’s World Champion Athena in the ongoing tournament to crown the inaugural AEW Women’s World Tag Team Champions. Their first-round match is against Willow Nightingale and Harley Cameron, though the date for that match has not yet been announced.