Former WWE star recalls phone call with AEW President Tony Khan - "B****, I've been waiting for a whole year"

AEW has signed several former WWE Superstars since launching in 2019. Tony Khan has announced some debuts ahead of time, while others have debuted as surprises. Amid continued rumors and speculation, one of the biggest All Elite signings with a WWE past has just revealed the scoop on what really happened.

Mercedes Moné is your new TBS Champion. The former Sasha Banks of WWE made her All Elite in-ring debut at Double Or Nothing, defeating Willow Nightingale to become champion. She debuted with AEW in March, but reports said she was still recovering from a severe ankle injury from May 2023. She recently commented that she was actually cleared to compete in December, which conflicted with other previous reports.

Moné sat with Khan at the post-show scrum last night and took questions from the media. The Boss was asked why she waited until now to wrestle when we saw her training with others late last year and with her recent claim on being cleared in December. The 32-year-old responded with details on how her AEW arrival really happened:

"Me and Tony have been talking for... a very long time. So, people don’t even actually know when I got signed to AEW. The beginning of the year... we've talked, signed the deal, and made it happen, and we were really talking about when was the perfect place and time for me to debut in the ring. We knew March 13 was going to be amazing in the Boston Garden. When Tony called me, he said, 'I have the perfect place for you to debut - Boston, baby,'" Mercedes Mone. [From 44:05 - 44:43]

She continued:

"I was like, 'Tony! Tony... you are just speaking my language. You just speaking the Moné,' and then he said, 'We are celebrating AEW’s 5-year anniversary here in Las Vegas for Double Or Nothing. Can you wait?' I said, 'B****! I’ve been waiting for a whole year, of course I can wait. I'm patient.' So, this is the perfect place, the grandest place that I can make my in-ring debut, and as you can see, Moné changes everything. Thank you," Mercedes Mone said as Tony Khan nodded in agreement. [From 44:44 - 45:07]

Sunday's title match lasted 18 minutes. The first Willow vs. Mercedes match, where the ankle injury occurred, ended in just over 9 minutes and 30 seconds at NJPW Strong Resurgence last year.

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Mercedes Moné's special entrance at AEW Double Or Nothing

Mercedes Moné went viral during AEW Double Or Nothing, and before she actually captured the TBS Championship from Willow Nightingale.

The CEO came to the ring with a special entrance at the MGM Grand Garden Arena last night, as seen below. Noted celebrity wrestling fan Maria Menounos took to X to publicly react to the spectacle:

"This opening was epic...the match was epic. So happy for @MercedesVarnado. Proud of your journey and admire your fearlessness. CEO! CEO! CEO! [face with kiss emoji] [red heart emoji]," Maria Menounos wrote.

Mercedes is expected to defend her title at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door on Sunday, June 30. Her opponent has not been confirmed.