Mercedes Mone said she spent a long time blaming Willow Nightingale for the 2023 injury that sidelined her for roughly a year, and that she was still in talks with WWE when she attended All In London that summer.
Mone suffered a serious foot and ankle injury against Nightingale in the NJPW STRONG Women’s Championship tournament final at Resurgence in May 2023, forcing a changed finish.
Writing in her Mone Mag newsletter, Mone addressed what came after.
“Willow and I had already crossed paths in 2023, and for a long time, I carried feelings about what happened to me in that match. It’s taken a lot of therapy for me to stop putting the blame on her. It was a freak accident. But I’m not going to pretend there weren’t moments where I replayed everything in my head.”
Mone also wrote that she attended All In at Wembley Stadium while her WWE future was unresolved.
“Let me take you all the way back to 2023. At the time, I was still going back and forth in talks with WWE when I got an invitation to go to All In London.”
She said Tony Khan was excited enough to pitch her a backstage segment on the spot. “So excited, in fact, that he wanted me to do a backstage segment with… WILLOW! I was like, WOWOWOWOW. WAIT! I am NOT signed. I do NOT work here. I’m just here to enjoy the show!”
Mone signed with AEW the following year. She challenges Nightingale for the AEW Women’s World Championship at All In: London on August 30.
