How I helped women’s wrestling get the respect it deserves

As she prepares for her match at this weekend’s AEW: All In, professional wrestler Mercedes Moné, formerly known as WWE’s Sasha Banks, explains how she helped bring women’s wrestling to the mainstream

I’ve helped make room not only for myself, but for every great woman who steps into that ring (AEW)

What do you do when the industry you love with all your heart doesn’t seem to have any room for women like you? Well, if you’re anything like me, you fight your way in and you make room.

I remember being around 10 years old, flicking through the TV stations when nothing else was on, and catching my first ever wrestling show. My mom walked in to see me sat there glued to the set, and told me to switch it off – she said that kind of TV was bad for me. Of course, I snuck into my brother’s room and finished watching. I couldn’t help it – I was hooked from the first minute.

Every day I’d daydream about stepping into that ring like one of my heroes – Eddie Guerrero, Rey Mysterio, Manami Toyota, Aja Kong – and making a name for myself as one of the best to ever lace up a pair of boots. When I turned 18, I joined a wrestling school in New England (Chaotic Wrestling) and spent the next two years working my butt off to be the best I could be.

It all paid off when I got that phone call from wrestling legend William Regal. “I think they want you,” he told me. “Be prepared”. “They”, of course, were WWE – at the time the biggest name in wrestling, and really the only game in town if you wanted to make it big. I remember calling my mom, crying, telling her I’d finally done it – I guess sneaking away to watch those episodes of Raw and Smackdown really paid off!

But really, things were just getting started for me. The hours I put in at WWE’s developmental brand NXT were gruelling – constantly in and out of the gym, practising in the ring to make sure you were at the top of your game. Over time I started to make a name for myself, along with a group of other women – Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair and Bayley. We were collectively known as the Four Horsewomen.

I’m here to tell the world that we cannot be ignored – we cannot be denied (Yaroslav Sabitov/Shutterstock)

While wrestling had always featured women – some of whom I grew up idolising, and who were incredible talents in their own right – they had always played second fiddle to the men. I, along with the horsewomen, made it a mission to change all that. We were there to change wrestling, and to do things that people hadn’t ever seen women do in a ring before.

I knew we were on the right track in 2015, when the four of us faced off at NXT TakeOver: Rival. My flight was delayed, and I was so worried I wouldn’t make it – I remember calling my coach in tears and telling him I might miss the show. Luckily I got there just before it started, and ended up winning my first NXT Women’s Championship. While winning the belt felt amazing, what really made the night magical was seeing the reaction to our match. Fans blew the roof off the place with chants of “This is awesome!” and the internet exploded with positive reviews. I knew then that we were doing something really special.

A few months later at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn, I faced my friend Bayley in a match that people still bring up with us both today. I’ve had dads come up to me and say that’s the match that convinced their little girls to get into wrestling. To know that you’re that kind of role model – that you can change their perception of an entire industry, and let them know there’s a place for them in it – is really special.

One moment that really told me we’d made it was the run-up to WrestleMania 32. I was scheduled to face Becky and Charlotte in a match to crown the inaugural WWE women’s champion, and while the match itself was huge, what I really remember is seeing the posters beforehand. There we were, the three of us, alongside legends like Triple H and the Undertaker. I’d never seen women take centre stage like that before. And we were right to. We stole the show that night.

In 2022 I left WWE. It was something my heart told me I needed to do, and it ended up being the right choice – this year I signed with WWE’s biggest competitor All Elite Wrestling (AEW), and now I’m ready to disrupt the business all over again.

I’m going to take every other industry by storm, the same way I did professional wrestling (AEW)

The women’s division here is something special, and I love seeing it progress and grow. I remember seeing the current women’s champion, Toni Storm, back when she was in WWE. Back then she was so shy and introverted – now every week I’m glued to my set like I’m 10 again, waiting to see what Timeless Toni does next. Or Mariah May, who came into this business a superfan like me, and is taking over (a little like me, too). Or Willow Nightingale, who I beat for my TBS Championship – she’s just starting out, but she’s going to be huge.

The difference between the two companies is night and day. In WWE you have no idea what you’ll be doing week to week, but here I have space to be heard. Along with Tony Khan and with my friend and personal writer Jennifer Pepperman, there’s time to sit down and really plan out the kinds of stories we want to tell. I’m treated with genuine respect, and I really feel seen in a way I sometimes haven’t before. I love it so much here.

As for what’s next? I’m going to take every other industry by storm, the same way I did professional wrestling. Music, acting, clothing, make-up, podcasting – you name it, I’m going to take it over.

Alongside all that, I’m going to make sure that women’s wrestling keeps on growing. I’m here to tell the world that we cannot be ignored – we cannot be denied. I’ve helped make room not only for myself, but for every great woman who steps into that ring – and this Sunday at All In, we’re going to show them that we’re here to stay.

Mercedes Moné will face Britt Baker in a packed Wembley stadium for the AEW TBS Championship at AEW All In, this Sunday 25 August. If you want to see what’s next for Mercedes, sign up for Mone Magazine, where she’ll be talking about everything in her life, wrestling-related and beyond.