Mercedes Mone To Defend AEW TBS Title Vs. Mina Shirakawa On 300th Episode Of Dynamite

Mercedes Moné might have a date with "Timeless" Toni Storm for the AEW Women's World Championship at All In, but before the Moné train arrives in Texas, it must first move through Mina Shirakawa. On the upcoming July 2 episode of "AEW Dynamite: 300," Moné will defend her AEW TBS Championship against Shirakawa — ten days removed from her world title opportunity.

Moné and Shirakawa's TBS title match comes after weeks of tense relations related to Moné's upcoming world title challenge, as Shirakawa is good friends with current champion Storm. Their trepidatious relationship, however, nearly turned violent on Wednesday's episode of "Dynamite," which saw Moné open the show with a gruesome assault on Storm. "The CEO" dragged the AEW Women's World Champion through the backstage area before parading her struggling body on the entrance ramp. Moné taunted the wriggling Storm before attempting a Statement Maker on the champion. Storm attempted to block the move as best as she could before Shirakawa made her entrance to force Moné off of her ally. Referees poured out to separate Moné and Shirakawa as the segment ended. Later in the evening, Moné and Shirakawa's match was announced for the July 2 episode of "Dynamite" via on-screen graphic, and was confirmed by AEW's commentary team.

As of writing, Moné has held the AEW TBS Championship for 396 days, and has defended her title seventeen times against the likes of Dr. Britt Baker DMD, Hikaru Shida, Kris Statlander, and Stephanie Vaquer. Out of her four championships, Moné has held onto her TBS title the longest, and is currently the second-longest reigning AEW TBS Champion. Shirakawa is currently on a part-time AEW schedule, but has been spotlighted through her work with Storm and Mariah May (now known as "WWE NXT's" Blake Monroe). Shirakawa is expected to join AEW full-time in the near future.