Mercedes Mone, formerly known as Sasha Banks to the wrestling world, recently created headlines when she made an appearance at Wrestle Kingdom 17. Her appearance was expected at the event and is considered a huge reason for its success. Despite this, however, it appears that the former WWE Superstar has ruffled some feathers with Bushiroad. For the unaware, Bushiroad is the parent company that owns both NJPW and Stardom.
Also read: WWE Believe Sasha Banks Will Return Instead of Going to AEW After Her NJPW Run
Mone is an avid fan of Japanese wrestling and makes it more than obvious on her social media. She has talked about her love for the joshi style of wrestling, posting pictures of her appearance at dojos and openly stating her desire to fight certain wrestlers. This, however, has not gone well with the company she now works for.
Mercedes Mone Has Caught Flak From Higher Ups at Bushiroad
According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Bushiroad is not too pleased with Mercedes Mone promoting other Japanese promotions. They are of the belief that the American star should prioritize NJPW and Stardom and only promote these two promotions.
Her talking about wanting to wrestle wrestlers from the Sendai Girls dojo and Tokyo Joshi Pro, while not visiting or attending a single Stardom Dojo and event, has not gone down well with the higher ups.
This could very well be a misunderstanding on Mone’s part. She could very well not be fully aware of the culture in the country regarding rival companies. As stated earlier, Mone is a huge fan of Japanese wrestling and may have just expressed her thoughts without knowing that it is frowned upon in Japan to talk about or visit rival wrestling promotions.
Mercedes Mone vs Kairi has sold out
Mercedes Mone appeared at Wrestle Kingdom 17 and attacked the IWGP Women’s Champion Kairi after her grueling match against Tam Nakano. A match between the two at NJPW Battle in the Valley on February 18 was announced shortly after.
This is what I want! #wk17 #njpw #STARDOM pic.twitter.com/P7OnKqbQSW
— Mercedes Varnado (@MercedesVarnado) January 4, 2023
The event has already sold out despite their match being the only one announced so far, further signaling Mercedes Mone’s star power.
Thank you!
Over one month away, all tickets are SOLD OUT for Battle in the Valley February 18!
Watch LIVE in English on FITE!https://t.co/3kcvvccOsm#njbitv #njpw pic.twitter.com/xzQTIscwUC
— NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) January 10, 2023
The WWE Grand Slam Champion had long stated her desire to face Kairi during her absence from WWE programming, and has finally received her wish.
It will be interesting to see if the title remains with Kairi or if Mercedes Mone wraps it around her waist at the conclusion of the event.
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