APAC Wrestling founder responds to Mercedes Mone vacating title
APAC Wrestling founder Ayez Shaukat has responded to Mercedes Mone vacating the APAC Wrestling Women’s Championship.
Earlier today, the news of Mone vacating her APAC Wrestling Women’s title went viral after she shared her side of the story in her Mone Mag. The AEW wrestler noted that APAC Wrestling was unable to fly her out to Malaysia to wrestle there and was not willing to work with other international promotions in order to find a solution.
However, this did not sit well with Shaukat, who responded to it on social media. In a lengthy post, he clarified his side of the story as well as addressed the allegations.
“I woke up on 3 hours of sleep to a flood of texts, tags, and questions, so let me say this clearly. I have nothing but respect for Mercedes Moné. She is a global star, in high demand, and I understand that her schedule and travel limitations are real,” he wrote.
“I do not blame her for this situation, and I appreciate the opportunity we had to work together. But the public narrative being pushed does not fully reflect what actually happened. We did try. We did explore working with other promotions, because that was what was asked of us. I personally reached out, followed up, and tried to make multiple scenarios work.
“I also need to correct this clearly: I did not ask other promotions to fly my wrestler in for us. I have the text and email receipts to back that up, and I am prepared to stand on that truth if necessary. I have chosen not to post private communications lightly because I still believe in handling business professionally, but I will protect my name when needed,” he continued.
“For more context, I was even willing to go beyond our limits on my side. I openly said I would take on extra work and secure sponsors to try and bring Mercedes to Malaysia. That ultimately was not workable, which I understand, so we were pushed to explore solutions abroad instead.
“I would have genuinely loved to make something work with Arek in Poland and Hal in France. Both were respectful, professional, and tried to find real solutions. I appreciate both of them for that. But when we looked at the full picture, it simply did not make business sense financially for us.“
He also opened up about his interaction with Winnipeg Pro Wrestling, “I also want to address Winnipeg Pro Wrestling. Our interaction was minimal. I reached, was initially ignored, and only received a single response declining based on budget and their story direction, which I respected. That was the extent of it. So the public version being pushed does not reflect my actual communication with them. Again, I have receipts for that. I am not here to tear anyone down or create more drama.”
He also shared a message for Mone and apologized to her for the trouble, “To Mercedes, I sincerely apologize for any public discomfort this has caused. I still have respect for you, and I understand you are likely speaking from what was communicated to you.”
He also explained the financial realities behind the situation, explaining that APAC Wrestling operates without major funding or sponsorships and often runs its shows at a loss, making the costs of international travel and logistics very difficult. Shaukat added that these constraints ultimately prevented them from bringing Mone to Malaysia, which in turn affected their plans for Nor Phoenix Diana, who was left without the in-ring closure they had originally intended for her.
“Woke up to a flood of tags, so here’s the truth. We tried. We reached out to other promotions. We did NOT ask anyone to fly our talent in — I have receipts. I even tried to make Malaysia work. End result: Nor Phoenix Diana didn’t get closure. Just truth,” Shaukat wrote.
Once known for holding 13 titles together, Mone currently finds herself with zero physical championships. A former APAC Women’s Champion, she defeated Nor Phoenix Diana to hold the title for 140 days before vacating it on April 4, 2026.
Shounak Chakrabarti is an experienced sports journalist with a lifelong passion for athletics and storytelling. He holds a Master’s Degree in International Journalism from the University of Leeds and joined F4WOnline in 2025.
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