Mercedes Moné addresses rumors surrounding AEW absence
Mercedes Moné has explained her absence from AEW.
Moné wrestled her first match of 2026 for the company on the June 3 edition of Dynamite, defeating Alex Windsor in the quarterfinals of the women’s Owen Hart Foundation tournament. Prior to that her last AEW match was when she dropped the TBS title to Willow Nightingale at Worlds End 2025.
On Wednesday, Moné published an edition of her Moné Mag in which she addressed the speculation surrounding her six months away from AEW programming. Moné said she saw all the rumors about why she had been gone, but ultimately just wanted to enjoy her “vacation in peace.”
Mone wrote:
“I’m back and I feel better than ever.
Almost 6 months away. I’ve never had a break that long that wasn’t due to injury and after 16 years it was the first time I got to truly relax and have no worries.
But one thing I realized during that time away?
I missed wrestling so much.
Especially that AEW.
While I was gone I saw all the rumors.
‘Oh she’s pregnant.’
‘Oh contract issues.’
‘Oh she’s leaving.’
‘Oh this.’
‘Oh that.’
Oh…
NOTHING.
Can I enjoy my vacation in peace?
Can a woman have a period and be bloated?
Can I enjoy my time off without speculation and rumors?
One thing I also learned is there’s nobody more impatient than wrestling fans.
Y’all are the type of people who look up the ending of a movie before finishing it. You love not being surprised. You love not being present and fully in the moment because you’re so caught up in the fantasy.
But now the wait is over.”
She later added:
“I wasn’t gone because of injuries.
I wasn’t gone because of contract issues.
I was simply waiting for the right time.”
In addition to her return on Dynamite last Wednesday, Moné appeared in the final moments of AEW Collision on Saturday. She attacked Persephone following Persephone’s loss to Hazuki in another women’s Owen Hart Foundation tournament quarterfinal match. It was noted on commentary that Persephone defeated Moné for the CMLL World Women’s title at Arena Mexico on March 6.
Moné will now meet Hazuki in the semifinals of the Owen Hart tournament.
Ian Carey is a writer from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, whose work has been featured in NOW Magazine, The Huffington Post, and more. A lifelong wrestling aficionado born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, he has covered the industry for a decade and a half. He joined the f4wonline.com team in 2019.