Mercedes Mone Won The TBS Championship In Her AEW Debut

Mercedes Mone defeated Willow Nightingale to win the TBS Championship in her AEW debut at Double or Nothing on Sunday in Las Vegas.

Mone used a callback to her ankle injury from the opening bell, attacking Nightingale’s ankle and chopping the champion down.

After a back and forth match, Nightingale found an opening, landing her gutwrench powerbomb in the middle of the ring, but Stokley Hathaway and Kris Statlander distracted the referee. Back on her feet, Mone reversed a second attempt and got Nightingale in position before landing the Mone Maker for the three count.

Following the loss, Statlander shoved Hathaway as he berated Nightingale before ultimately turning on her. Statlander slammed Nightingale into the entrance ramp, hit a clothesline on her, and tosser her friendship bracelet at her.

Mone debuted her post-Sasha Banks persona as part of New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Wrestle Kingdom 17 last year from the Tokyo Dome when she became a free agent from WWE. She then showed up at NJPW’s Wrestle Kingdom 17, and wrestled four times in NJPW before ultimately suffering a leg injury toward the end of May and missing the rest of the year.

Recovered from what she said could have been a career-ending injury, Mone is back in wrestling ready to reshape the women’s division in AEW, and is already holding gold.