All Elite Wrestling broadcaster Renée Paquette is proud that Mercedes Moné (FKA Sasha Banks) decided to bet on herself and become a free agent.
Moné began working as an independent wrestler after ending her decade-long run with WWE at the end of 2022. She made her debut with New Japan Pro Wrestling earlier this month at Wrestle Kingdom 17, where she confronted and attacked KAIRI to set up their upcoming IWGP Women’s Championship match at NJPW Battle in the Valley on Feb. 18.
As Moné navigates the waters of free agency, Paquette expresses admiration for her bold career choice. Having left WWE herself, Paquette understands what it’s like to work outside the company. On the latest edition of her The Sessions podcast, Paquette and co-host Emilio Sparks recapped Moné’s WWE departure and NJPW debut.
“…For me, having worked with her at such an early time, met her in NXT, watched her rise through WWE, watched those ups and those downs, those times of kind of stepping out, after Wrestlemania, after losing the tag titles, having that moment, kind of leaving for a little while, spending some time in Japan,” said Paquette. “I believe she spent some time in Mexico. To seeing what she has done now from whatever exactly happened on her and Trinity(also known as Naomi in WWE) walking out from WWE, I really applaud the balls of this women.
Why Moné Deserves Praise for Becoming A Free Agent
Paquette added that she believes Moné is a free agent because of her passion for women’s wrestling. She explained, “…It’s not easy. I know a lot of people if you want to watch from the outside and be like, ‘yeah, you know what, it’s good. Leave that company. Go do whatever.’ It’s not fu*cking easy to walk away from making a good amount of money.” Paquette did acknowledge that she doesn’t know what Moné WWE contract was, but believes she made a good salary based on her position with the company.
Paquette praised Moné for believing in herself and choosing her passion for wrestling over the comfort of staying with WWE. She also added that she has requested an interview with her and hopes to speak with her about leaving her former employer.
Moné choice to leave WWE seems to be a success as fans look forward to what she does next. After the announcement of her match at NJPW Battle in the Valley, tickets for the event have sold out. It’s unclear what Moné has planned for the future of her wrestling career. However, it is possible that Moné could become a giant star outside of WWE as a free agent.
