WWE rival AEW reveals a “big announcement” hinting at the imminent debut of a top star. The deal is said to be finalized.
WWE rival AEW’s biggest personnel deal has apparently been finalized – and is set to be officially unveiled in just under a month.
A “big announcement” by AEW boss Tony Khan on the latest edition of the TV show Dynamite turned out to be the announcement of a special edition of the show on March 13.
It is entitled “Big Business” and will take place in Boston – written: Bo$$ton: all unmistakable references to the debut of former WWE Women’s Champion Mercedes Moné, formerly “The Boss” Sasha Banks.
The Boston-born Moné (real name: Mercedes Varnado, also known to Star Wars fans as Koska Reeves from “The Mandalorian”) has already signed with AEW, according to the usually well-informed portal Fightful.
The 32-year-old is by far the biggest female star AEW has acquired to date and generally the most prominent new addition since the triple debut of CM Punk (now back with WWE after an ugly falling out with the league), Bryan Danielson and Adam Cole in fall 2021.
Former Sasha Banks to AEW: Debut approaching
Rumors about Moné and AEW have been around for some time, also fueled by the league itself: Moné sat at the mega show All In at London’s Wembley Stadium last year and was mentioned and faded in during the broadcast.
There seems to have been certainty since the beginning of the year, when reports leaked that a last-ditch attempt by WWE to win back the former Banks had failed.
Banks and her partner and friend Naomi had quit WWE in a dispute in the spring of 2022. While Naomi has just returned to WWE, Banks had agreed to a contract termination with WWE from January 2023 and has since been seen primarily in the AEW-partnered Japan traditional league NJPW – until she suffered a serious knee injury in May 2023 and has been on hiatus ever since.
Now she’s back, in a very similar way and staged in a similarly big way to Punk’s big comeback two and a half years ago.
Sting champion again shortly before the end of his career
The Dynamite show at which Banks is scheduled to serve is the second after the big event Revolution on March 2, which will focus on the big farewell of the living legend Sting.
AEW added to the hype for this on the night by having the 64-year-old and his young partner Darby Allin win the league’s tag team titles: Sting and Allin defeated previous champions Ricky Starks and Big Bill (Big Cass in WWE), after which they were attacked and bloodied by the Young Bucks.
A match between Sting and Allin and the Bucks at Revolution in the traditional wrestling stronghold of Greensboro, North Carolina has been brewing for weeks: AEW co-founders Nick and Matt Jackson are rumored to be Sting’s hand-picked opponents of choice for his farewell.
At Dynamite, AEW also fixed the World Title match, which this time is likely to be overshadowed by the Sting festivities: Champion Samoa Joe will face former title holder Hangman Page and his arch-rival Swerve Strickland – the two challengers last caused a sensation with a bloody and intense “Texas Death Match” against each other. Now a Number 1 Contendership match between the two has ended without a result, which is why a three-way fight with Joe has been scheduled
Women’s champion “Timeless” Toni Storm, meanwhile, will face the newly signed Deonna Purrazzo at Revolution. The winner should soon be targeted by the debuting Moné.
