Mercedes Mone Was Nervous Before Her NJPW Debut

New Japan Pro Wrestling caught the attention of the entire wrestling landscape with the debut of Mercedes Mone. The self-proclaimed CEO of the women’s division arrived at the Tokyo Dome in style but had her share of nervousness as she made her first step at Wrestle Kingdom 17.

Mercedes Mone, formerly known as Sasha Banks, was a megastar in WWE, being one of the top attractions of the women’s division for nearly seven years. However, she alongside Naomi famously walked out of RAW back in May 2022, citing creative differences and unhappiness in the company.

The former Legit Boss explored various new fields and made a couple major public appearances apart from any major wrestling ones. However, Mercedes Mone was rumored to appear at NJPW’s Wrestle Kingdom 17 for a long time.

The rumors turned out to be true, and Mercedes Mone walked out in the Tokyo Dome right after a great in-ring bout for IWGP Women’s Championship. Mone’s close friend and fellow wrestler, Dax Harwood, detailed that she was very nervous walking down the aisle during the latest episode of his “FTR with Dax” podcast.

“I know how she was feeling. She was proud, nervous, excited, scared, all of the emotions, you know? She hit this finishing move and nobody knows what that was. Nobody knows how it felt. But, how proud she was in that moment and how nervous she was walking down the aisle, like, everyone can relate to that and I know that she was so proud of herself because she did it her way. She stood up for what she believed in. She stood up for what she thought was right and she was able to achieve probably the thing she’s dreamt about the longest.”

Mercedes Mone, as we all saw, dropped KAIRI on the mat with a modified DDT right after her debut. The duo is set to collide for the IWGP women’s championship at the NJPW Battle In The Valley on February 18th, with the event already being sold out.

Do you think Mercedes Mone will become the next IWGP Women’s champion? Sound off in the comments!