Mercedes Moné: It’s Taken A Lot Of Therapy For Me To Stop Blaming Willow Nightingale For Ankle/Foot Injury

It took a lot for Moné to stop putting the blame on Willow.

It was back in May 2023 at New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s Resurgence event that a tournament unfolded to crown the first-ever NJPW STRONG Women’s Champion.

The tournament final saw Mercedes Moné versus Willow Nightingale. There was a point in the bout when Moné suffered a severe ankle/foot injury. The injury caused the finish of the match to be changed, and Nightingale became champion.

In her latest Moné Mag write-up, Mercedes shared that it took a lot of therapy for her to stop blaming Nightingale for the injury that sidelined her for a full year.

“But there was something else happening during that time. I was hurt, and when you’re hurt, you have A LOT of time to think. Willow and I had already crossed paths in 2023, and for a long time, I carried feelings about what happened to me in that match. It’s taken a lot of therapy for me to stop putting the blame on her. It was a freak accident. But I’m not going to pretend there weren’t moments where I replayed everything in my head. Her positioning. Her hands on the ropes and turnbuckle. Not having enough room to fully get my foot onto that top turnbuckle. Over, and over, and over again. That’s what happens when you’re injured. Your body stops, but your mind doesn’t. Eventually, though, I started asking myself a different question. Maybe God wasn’t telling me to stop wrestling. Maybe God was telling me to slow down. To heal, and not just physically. Mentally. Emotionally. Spiritually. Because at that point in my life, I was putting on the strongest face I could possibly find within myself.”

Coming up on August 30, AEW will present All In at Wembley Stadium. Mercedes Moné will be challenging Willow Nightingale for the AEW Women’s World Championship at the event.