Mercedes Mone Expresses Desire To Move To Japan Full-Time As NJPW Contract Winds Down

Speculation about Mercedes Moné's future is once again dominating discussions as her short-term deal with Bushiroad is reportedly up this weekend on April 23. That is the same day that she will defend the IWGP Women's Championship against Mayu Iwatani at STARDOM's All Star Grand Queendom event. Regardless of the outcome, there have been reports that Moné was in negotiations for at least one more match to be booked at a later date, but nothing has been officially announced.

While it remains to be seen what the future holds for her in the ring, the former WWE star indicated via her Instagram account that she may be sticking around in Japan. Moné captioned one post with "Definitely moving full time to [Japan]," while also posting a photo of a sign that said "Tokyo School of Japanese Language" with the caption "Time to learn."

Moné kicked off her NJPW/STARDOM run at Wrestle Kingdom in January when she attacked then-champion KAIRI. The two then met in the ring at Battle in the Valley where Moné defeated KAIRI to become the second-ever IWGP Women's Champion. Her first successful defense happened on April 8 by defeating AZM and Hazuki in a three-way.

One thing's for sure: the former Sasha Banks always puts the money where her mouth is when it comes to fulfilling her dreams. As of late, the 31-year-old shared that she has aspirations of headlining the Tokyo Dome and bringing in her cousin Snoop Dogg to perform her entrance music. Likewise, she has teased a match against Impact Wrestling's Mickie James, although the former Knockouts World Champion is currently sidelined with a rib injury.