Mercedes Mone paid a touching tribute to the late Hana Kimura during tonight’s NJPW Battle In The Valley event from San Jose Civic Center in San Jose, California.
The former Sasha Banks made her in-ring debut for the Japanese promotion during the event. She went up against the IWGP Women’s Champion Kairi.
Mone paid a tribute to Kimura with her unique entrance and ring gear during the co-main event of the night, as seen in the video below:
Hana Kimura was a young Japanese wrestler who made her debut in 2016. She competed for Stardom and other promotions in Japan.
The 22-year-old was found dead in May 2020. Prior to her passing, Kimura had shared hate comments she received on social media.
Mercedes Mone made her NJPW debut during the Wrestle Kingdom 17 event in January this year. She had confronted Kairi at the show, setting up tonight’s match between the two.
The event tonight saw the former WWE star defeating Kairi to win the IWGP Women’s title using the Moneymaker finishing move.
The show also featured a loser leaves NJPW match between Jey White and Eddie Kingston. White lost this bout, signalling the end of his run with the company.
