Mercedes Mone Reflects On AEW Women’s Title Victory

At AEW All In, Mercedes Mone captured the AEW Women’s Championship, defeating Willow Nightingale in the co-main event.

Willow had been Mercedes’ kryptonite over the years, becoming the first-ever NJPW STRONG Women’s Champion by defeating Mercedes and ending Mercedes’ historic reign with the AEW TBS Title.

Writing in her Mone Mag, Mercedes reflected on her match with Willow.

“Winning the AEW Women’s World Championship meant everything to me. Three years earlier, I had been sitting at All In as a fan, unsure of where I stood in wrestling or where my career was going next. I didn’t have all the answers, but I remember watching AEW that night and knowing in my heart that it was the place for me. To return to Wembley three years later and become the Women’s World Champion was something I could never have imagined unfolding quite that way,” she wrote.

Explaining why it had to be Willow, Mercedes wrote, “Willow and I have so much history together. Somehow, we keep finding ourselves on opposite sides of these huge moments in our careers. This time, we were fighting for the AEW Women’s World Championship on one of wrestling’s grandest stages. Then, very early in the match, my nose broke. There was so much blood. More than I had ever experienced in a match.” 

Despite her broken nose, Mercedes finished the match.

“It’s ironic because the last time Willow and I fought for the NJPW STRONG Women’s Championship, I broke my heel,” she wrote. “I could’ve tried to push through and win that match, but what would that have accomplished? I couldn’t even stand, let alone defend a championship. The last thing I wanted was to win a title I couldn’t defend and put the division right back where it started, needing another tournament to crown a champion But London was different. This time, I knew I could keep going. Willow was wrestling with a broken hand, and I had a broken nose with blood pouring down my face. Neither of us was going to let our injuries take away from what we’d worked so hard for. We trusted each other, fought through it, and created something I’m incredibly proud of.”

Mercedes is set to defend the title against Marina Shafir at AEW Full Gear.