Speculation On Mercedes Mone's Wrestling Future

Mercedes Mone had not long started her post-WWE tenure with NJPW and Stardom before she was sidelined with an ankle injury. While she has yet to return to wrestling, that has not stopped speculation running rampant as to where she will ply her trade when she does return. In this week's Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer wrote that it would appear she has no contracted dates left with Bushiroad — the parent company of NJPW and Stardom — and previously reported plans involving Mone facing current NJPW Strong Women's Champion Giulia have been shelved.

Mone suffered her ankle injury during a match for the title against Willow Nightingale, the finals of a tournament to inaugurate the belt, which Nightingale would go on to win as a supposed audible was called. The belt itself was reported to have been devised explicitly with Mone in mind, but her injury forced plans to change. Meltzer noted that while Bushiroad no longer has the match planned, they are interested in booking it at some stage if possible.

That situation has multiple moving parts, as Giulia's future in Japan may not be certain amidst rumors of signing with a major US promotion. Mone's future, on the other hand, largely depends on whether she signs with WWE or AEW. The former would effectively end her current run in Japan, while Bushiroad may be able to work out appearances in Japan if she joins AEW. Regarding a return to the ring, it's looking positive that she may do so sooner rather than later, after she recently posted a compilation of herself back in training. Time will tell when and where her return manifests.