Mercedes Mone is officially All-Elite after making her debut this week, but that only came about after a generous offer was made for her to return to WWE. 

Mone arrived in AEW during the Big Business episode of Dynamite, following weeks of speculation that she’d be joining. Mone had hardly been subtle in the run-up to the show, making clear to fans that she was in Boston, MA, her hometown and the host of Big Business, mere hours before the show.

WWE’s Offer to Mercedes Mone

During an appearance on the Heal Squad podcast, Keven Undergaro, an advocate for Mone who helped produce her new theme, spoke about the CEO. Undergo shared how WWE made an offer for Mone to return, close to two years after he and Naomi walked out of the company. 

“A few months ago, we get a call from her old home saying they want her back. They put out a generous offer.”

Undergaro said that a “rival company” to WWE, that being AEW, put out an offer and Mone’s gut instinct was to go with the All-Elite promotion. In the interview, he also shared that AEW’s deal was seen as the better one in terms of opportunity, creativity, and mental help. 

In the interview, Undergaro added that he was pleased that Mone will have the opportunity to thrive in wrestling and entertainment in AEW. 

“They see her for what she is, which is a star. This is a girl that, even just being on Mandalorian in her small role, they made nine action figures for her. They don’t do that out of charity, they do that because they sell.”

What’s Next? 

Mone has said that the women’s division was a major factor in her decision to sign with AEW. The division is home to stars Mone has never faced before. Last year, Britt Baker said she was hoping to see Mone join AEW so that they could eventually have a match. Currently, it is unclear when Mone’s debut match will take place or who her first opponent will be. 

H/T – Fightful

The ratings are in for AEW’s much-anticipated ‘Big Business’ episode of Dynamite, which marked the arrival of Mercdes Mone to the company. 

The former WWE Superstar opened the show to a raucous ovation by her fellow Bostonians in the TD Garden. Ever since Big Business was announced, fans speculated on Mone making her debut at the event. The former WWE & IWGP Women’s Champion had hardly been subtle, as she made clear to fans she was in Boston mere hours before the show.

AEW Big Business’ Ratings

The AEW Big Business edition of Dynamite drew 801,000 fans and a 0.27 rating in the coveted 18-49 demographic. While this is an increase from the previous week’s 779,000 (0.27), it is hardly the massive jump many expected for a show that in addition to featuring Mone, saw an AEW World Championship match. 

For comparison, the March 15, 2023, episode of AEW Dynamite drew 852,000 fans with a 0.27 rating in the 18-49 demographic. That show in Winnipeg, Canada, was headlined by the House of Black defeating the Elite to retain the AEW Trios Championships.

One aspect of the show that AEW can be proud of is the debut of Mone. The former WWE and IWGP Women’s Champion garnered 1 million viewers for her segment, the highest-rated segment by far of the evening. 

Disappointing Numbers

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer added that these were disappointing numbers considering how much build AEW had made for Big Business. The show’s final segment, which saw Mone make the save for Willow Nightingale after she was attacked by Julia Hart and Skye Blue, was especially concerning. 

AEW did 801K/0.27 last night. Obviously disappointing numbers. Third for the night, Regarding the question on last night's show if people figured out Mone would be back later in the show, they clearly did not as the main event did not do well.

— Dave Meltzer (@davemeltzerWON) March 14, 2024

Quarter-Hour BreakDown

Here is the full quarter-hour breakdown for this week’s AEW Dynamite. 

• 8-8:15 (Mercedes Mone’s Debut): 1,000,000 (0.32) 
• 8:15-8:30: 899,000 (0.29)
• 8:30-8:45: 815,000 (0.27)
• 8:45-9: 737,000 (0.24)
• 9-9:15: 798,000 (0.27)
• 9:15-9:30: 799,000 (0.29)
• 9:30-9:45: 732,000 (0.26)
• 9:45-10: 627,000 (0.22)

AEW’s Big Business edition of Dynamite proved to be a historic night for the promotion, and Boston’s TD Garden was packed for this stacked event. 

The March 13, 2024, edition of AEW Dynamite saw the much-anticipated arrival of Mercedes Mone, close to two years after her WWE exit. Mone spoke about her journey in wrestling and being home in Boston. Later in the show, Mone made the save for Willow Nightingale, who was being attacked by Skye Blue and AEW TBS Champion Julia Hart. It’s notable that Mone saved Willow, given that it was during a match with Nightingale that Mone suffered last year’s ankle injury. 

AEW Big Business Does Big Business

AEW’s Big Business edition of Dynamite saw over 9,400 tickets distributed, sources confirmed to WrestleTix. They added that this means that several upper decks and sections on the hard cam side will have been fully open and distributed. 

The show did a reported gate of $345,660, which makes for an average ticket price of $36 a seat. WrestleTix reported that the average ticket price was much lower than usual. 

AEW Big Business

This week’s show also saw AEW World Champion Samoa Joe retain against Wardlow. The Bang Bang Scissor Gang imploded as Bullet Club Gold turned on The Acclaimed following Jay White’s victory over Darby Allin. In tag-team action, Chris Jericho & Hook, dubbed ‘LionHook,’ defeated Gates of Agony. The Elite defeated Pac, Eddie Kingston and Penta El Zero Miedo, with Kazuchika Okada setting his sights on Kingston’s AEW Continental Championship.

Mercedes Mone made her presence felt in a big way during tonight’s Big Business episode of AEW Dynamite from the TD Garden in her hometown of Boston, Massachusetts.

The former WWE star’s official debut for All Elite Wrestling was all but confirmed by the promotion prior to the event. Company president Tony Khan didn’t make the fans wait for long to see what they had come for.

The CEO made her debut during the opening segment of the Wednesday night show. She got a huge ovation from the hometown crowd.

The former IWGP Women’s Champion then cut a promo mentioning her idol, Eddie Guerrero and thanking the fans. Mercedes Mone ended her promo by declaring that AEW was the only place where revolution can be global.

What Happened After Dynamite

This wasn’t the last of Mone fans got to see. The main event of the show featured Willow Nightingale who defeated Riho in a singles match. After the bout, Julia Hart and Sky Blue attacked Nightingale.

Mercedes Mone then made her way out, this time wearing her new ring gear. She took out Blue first and later delivered the Mone Maker to Hart.

The show ended with Nightingale lifting Mercedes’ arm. The debuting star stayed in the ring for some time after the cameras stopped rolling to soak in the moment.

@MercedesVarnado is the CEO and is amazing ???Comes to the rescue of Willow and then greets the crowd. #AEWBigBuisness pic.twitter.com/RydCFAyxqN

— Ring The Bell Worldwide (@RingTheBellWw) March 14, 2024

Mone spent a good amount of time greeting the fans at the ringside and dancing to her theme after Dynamite went off air, before finally making her way to the back.

The former champion’s debut was a huge success for AEW. Now it’d be interesting to see what the company has planned for her moving forward.

• Top WWE Star Spotted During Mercedes Mone’s Dynamite Debut

AEW is ready to light Boston up with tonight’s ‘Big Business’ show, and two WWE Superstars have come to Beantown to support their debuting ally. 

Much of that buzz around AEW Big Business surrounds Mercedes Mone, who is expected to make her official AEW debut during tonight’s show. Mone, who has been on AEW’s payroll for some time, has hardly been subtle when it comes to her involvement in the show. 

WWE Superstars in Boston

Mone’s debut is being seen by many as a sure thing, and the presence of two WWE Superstars certainly adds credence to the belief she’ll debut. Bayley and Naomi, both close friends of Mone, are in Boston ahead of tonight’s show, PW Insider reports.

The three have been closely linked for years, with Bayley and Mone being the ‘Boss ‘n Hug Connection’ in WWE while it was with Naomi that Mone walked out of that same promotion two years ago. Bayley and Naomi made the trip to Japan in January 2023 to watch Mone make her NJPW debut at that year’s Wrestle Kingdom 17 event. The pair were also at NJPW Battle in the Valley 2023, which saw Mone capture the IWGP Women’s Championship. 

Bayley and Mone were in attendance when Naomi, as Trinity, made her debut for TNA Wrestling (IMPACT Wrestling at the time) in May of last year. The pair were also present at TNA Hard to Kill 2024, which saw Trinity lose the TNA Knockouts Championship to current champ Jordynne Grace. 

AEW Dynamite – March 13th, 2024

Here is what fans can look forward to on tonight’s show.

• AEW World Championship: Samoa Joe (c) vs. Wardow
• The Elite vs. Eddie Kingston & Penta El Zero Miedo & Pac
• Darby Allin vs. Jay White
• Willow Nightingale vs. Riho
• Chris Jericho & Hook vs. Gates of Agony
• Mercedes Mone’s debut (expected)

Fans of AEW will be very satisfied with what transpires on tonight’s ‘Big Business’ edition of Dynamite, Tony Khan has promised. 

AEW Big Business will be the first show of its name and has garnered a ton of buzz. Much of that buzz surrounds Mercedes Mone, who is expected to make her official AEW debut during tonight’s show. Mone, who has been on AEW’s pay-roll for some time, has hardly been subtle when it comes to her involvement in the show. 

Tony Khan’s Vow

While many see Mone’s debut as a done deal, AEW President Tony Khan has unsurprisingly not commented on the reports of her much-anticipated arrival. Speaking with Scott Fishman of TV Insider, Khan didn’t reference the Mone rumors by name but guaranteed a satisfying show. 

“I promise I will not disappoint the fans tonight. There has been an influx of huge names, and tonight is the biggest show yet.”

Khan also spoke about his roster, which he believes to be the best in wrestling, and is confident tonight’s show will showcase something very special. 

“I think that constant innovation and the perpetual strides toward always wanting to get better are a big part of the spirit of AEW. I think tonight’s Big Business show on TBS will showcase that innovation.”

AEW Dynamite – March 13th, 2024

Here is what fans can look forward to on tonight’s show. 

• AEW World Championship: Samoa Joe (c) vs. Wardow
• The Elite vs. Eddie Kingston & Penta El Zero Miedo & Pac
• Darby Allin vs. Jay White
• Willow Nightingale vs. Riho
• Chris Jericho & Hook vs. Gates of Agony
• Mercedes Mone’s debut (expected)

All Elite Wrestling presents AEW Dynamite: Big Business tonight live from Boston, MA at the TD Garden. Over 7,600 fans will be on hand for a show that fans are sure to be buzzing about in the days and weeks ahead.

We are 39 days out from AEW Dynasty, a new pay-per-view event that will feature a Bryan Danielson vs. Will Opsreay dream match.

Five matches are signed for Big Business, including Samoa Joe defending the AEW World Championship, a PPV-caliber bout featuring The Elite in a six-man tag, Darby Allin vs. Jay White and more.

AEW Big Business Preview

The following matches are set for tonight’s AEW Dynamite:

• Wardlow challenges Samoa Joe for the AEW World Championship

• The Elite (Kazuchika Okada and the Young Bucks) vs. Eddie Kingston, Penta El Zero Miedo and PAC

• Darby Allin vs. ‘Switchblade’ Jay White

• Willow Nightingale vs. Riho

• FTW Champion Hook and ‘Lionheart’ Chris Jericho vs. Gates of Agony

All this would make for a memorable edition of Dynamite, but there’s much more in store for fans tuning in…

Boss Time

AEW President Tony Khan has hyping Big Business as, “one of the biggest nights ever in AEW.” Promoters gonna promote, but Khan’s hype has been in the context of teasing yet another major talent acquisition.

During a new interview with SEScoops correspondent Scott Fishman for TV Insider, Khan was asked if AEW fans should brace for a surprise or two on Dynamite.

“Of course,” Khan Replied. “I promise I will not disappoint the fans tonight. There has been an influx of huge names, and tonight is the biggest show yet.”

Stay tuned to SEScoops for the latest on All Elite Wrestling and the arrival of Mercedes Mone (former WWE Superstar Sasha Banks).

Tonight’s AEW Dynamite is expected to mark the debut of Mercedes Mone, and the ex-Superstar is hardly being subtle with her imminent arrival. 

From the moment AEW announced its ‘Big Business’ edition of Dynamite, there had been speculation that Mone would be joining the company. That same month, it was reported that Mone had been signed to the company and had been on the company’s payroll for some time. Mone has not publicly commented on reports that she has already signed with AEW. 

Mercedes Mone is In ‘Bosston’ 

Many see Mone’s debut on tonight’s edition of AEW Dynamite as a foregone conclusion, and her most recent social media post certainly adds credence to the idea that she’ll appear on the show.

Taking to social media, Mone shared a photo from her flight to make clear she’s arrived in her hometown on Boston, MA, where tonight’s Dynamite will take place. If this wasn’t clear enough, Mone refers to ‘Beantown’ as ‘Bosston’ which is how the city is referred to on promotional material for the Big Business Dynamite. 

Update: Wednesday afternoon, with five hours until Dynamite, Mone kept the hype going:

BO$$TON
????

— Mercedes Moné Varnado (@MercedesVarnado) March 13, 2024

AEW Dynamite Preview:

Here our preview for tonight’s AEW Dynamite: Big Business special live from Boston’d TD Garden:

What’s Next for Mercedes Mone? 

Should Mone debut for Dynamite tonight as expected, there’s no shortage of talented women she can step in the ring with. Some have speculated that a feud with Saraya could happen given their history. It was a move from Mone (Sasha Banks) at the time, that led to Saraya (Paige) being forced to retire from wrestling due to a neck injury. The Brit would return to the ring at Full Gear 2022. 

AEW is hoping for some big attendence numbers for Big Business next week, but how are sales going in Boston?

WrestleTix on X notoriously keeps tabs on what WWE and AEW are doing at live events and AEW has a whopper of an event next week in place of Dynamite with Big Business.

According to the account, the TD Garden, which is home to the Boston Bruins and Boston Celtcis, is set to hold 7,800 and the tickets currently distributed are 7,004, meaning there are 796 tickets still available.

AEW Dynamite: Big Bu$iness
Wed • Mar 13 • 7:30 PM
TD Garden, Boston, MA

Available Tickets: 796
Current Setup: 7,800
Tickets Distributed: 7,004

?+108 since the last update (3 days ago)
?Days until show: 6
?7/19/2023 Dynamite: Blood & Guts 8,956
?Sections 14 & 145… pic.twitter.com/12HMT9fY9p

— WrestleTix (@WrestleTix) March 7, 2024

For reference, the last time the TD Garden hosted AEW was for Blood & Guts back in July and that set-up was made for a bigger crowd, with 8,956 attending.

With less than a week remaining, it remains to be seen if AEW will reach it’s goal of sales, but if one were to go by the sales over the past three days, AEW may only sell just over 200 more tickets.

What’s On Tap For AEW Big Business

Whether AEW reaches it’s goal or not for Big Business, the card is becoming quite stacked for the show. Darby Allin will square off against Jay White in singles competition and not only that, but a World Title match is set to go down. Wardlow is cashing in his scramble victory from AEW Revolution to challenge Samoa Joe. 

Those may be the only matches announced for the moment, but Tony Khan is basically telegraphing the much-anticipated debut of Mercedes Mone. It’s also likely that we’ll have one or two World Tag Team Title tournament matches.

Darby Allin walked into the AEW Revolution press conference not knowing that he already had a match lined up at Big Business in Boston on March 13.

Before Allin and Sting made an unexpected appearance at the Revolution media scrum, Tony Khan revealed that he already had plans in place for the daredevil Darby. 

First, Khan made it known that the AEW World Tag Team Championships would now be vacated after Sting and Darby defeated The Young Bucks to retain the gold and that a tournament would be held to determine the new champions.

Secondly, Tony Khan then made it known that Darby Allin would be a big match at Big Business as he’ll take on Switchblade Jay White in singles action.

Much to Tony Khan’s surprise, it was almost immediately after when Sting and Darby Allin showed up at the scrum. Tony told Darby that he just revealed his upcoming match, but Darby Allin had no clue who his opponent was. Sting and Allin addressed the media for about 15 minutes until Khan dropped the news to Allin that he’d be facing White. Despite having a stitched-up bloody back due to the insane ladder and glass spot, Allin was still eager to go one-on-one with Jay White.

Allin mentioned how he purposefully showed up to the scrum to show everyone that he was okay and doing fine after the insane bump he took. Sting jokingly noted that took his fair share of table crashes in his last match too, but showed appreciation to The Young Bucks and Darby Allin for the effort everyone gave.

All Elite Wrestling is coming back to TD Garden in Boston, MA on Wednesday, March 13 with AEW Big Business. That very special episode of Dynamite is also expected to include a huge debut for the company, as the former Sasha Banks is set to make her big first appearance on an AEW stage.

Mercedes Mone is thought to have inked a deal with AEW some time ago. The trick was waiting for the right moment. With Big Business’ date in place, Mercedes is now putting out some pretty blatant teases about her future.

Mone Teases AEW Debut

Mercedes Mone is very good at keeping things close to the vest, especially when it comes to her business. She left WWE fans guessing for months about her return time and time again. Now, it’s AEW’s turn, but fans should know where to expect her.

While taking to her Instagram stories, Mercedes Mone dropped a pretty clear tease that she will be at Big Business. She also made it clear that she isn’t done in Japan, either.

Handled all my Big Business in Japan. See you again this Summer.

Mercedes Mone will be permitted to work in Japan while under AEW contract. This is the case with other stars on the roster, as they can take special appearances and matches for other companies.

Mercedes Mone has handled all her #BigBusiness in Japan. Hmm….#AEWRevolution pic.twitter.com/NUkXWFSHOX

— Anutosh Bajpai || SEScoops || Wrestling News (@AuthorAnutosh) March 4, 2024

Mercedes Mone’s Road To AEW

The terms of Mercedes’ deal with AEW are not clear yet, but she was asking a lot from WWE. That being said, she wasn’t asking for more than the top female on the roster receives, but they still couldn’t come to an agreement. Tony Khan was apparently willing to offer that paycheck to her, and now we find ourselves waiting on Mercedes’ big moment in the Land of All Elite.

Mercedes Mone appeared at AEW All In, but she couldn’t even be shown on camera standing. She was injured at the time, but the thought was that AEW was going to secure her services. After months of back-and-forth, and WWE entering the picture as well, Big Business looks to be the night when AEW fans finally see what Tony Khan has in mind for her.

Tony Khan promised a big announcement during the February 7th episode of AEW Dynamite. He did just that, as they are taking Big Business to Boston.

Tony Khan’s Big Announcement

During AEW Dynamite this week, Tony Khan appeared to make a big announcement. He revealed an upcoming episode of AEW Dynamite will be a massive night for his company.

Tony Khan revealed that AEW Dynamite is going to Boston on March 13. The night will have a special name, as they will call it Big Business.

“Big Business is going to be one of the most important nights in AEW and a night the entire pro wrestling industry is going to remember.”

As announced by #AEW CEO & GM @TonyKhan, #AEW returns to @TDGarden in Boston, MA on Wednesday, March 13th, with #AEWDynamite: BIG BUSINESS on @TBSNetwork!
Tickets go on sale THIS SATURDAY 2/10 at 10am ET at https://t.co/UN1cNj1kQq! pic.twitter.com/xWmp2CE93a

— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) February 8, 2024

What’s Next

It was previously reported that Boston’s TD Garden arena is set to host AEW Dynamite on Wednesday, March 13, 2024. This came before Tony Khan announced a date. Ticketmaster already established a page for the general public on-sale, scheduled for Saturday, February 10 at 10 am EST. Additionally, the TD Garden has created a Facebook Event for Dynamite on March 13.

Of course, Mercedes Mone is from Boston. So, her arrival in the company is almost a guarantee for that big night. SE Scoops will have more updates as they are available. 

Boston’s TD Garden arena will host AEW Dynamite on Wednesday, March 13, 2024. 

AEW has yet to announce this date, but Ticketmaster has already has a page set up for the general public on-sale, scheduled for this Saturday, February 10 at 10am EST. The TD Garden also created a Facebook Event for Dynamite on 3/13.

AEW President Tony Khan is set to make one of his big announcements tonight on Dynamite. This announcement was reportedly set to be made a few weeks ago, but was reportedly delayed for a very good reason.

TD Garden is one of the largest NBA arenas in the country. It has a maximum capacity north of 19,000. 

AEW first ran the arena last summer. According to Wrestletix, 8,945 tickets were distributed for Dynamite: Blood & Guts on July 19, 2023.

Ticket sales have been lukewarm in recent months, so they’ll need a major attraction to make this show a success on short notice. If anything spikes interest with wrestling fans, it’s a debut.

There’s several A-list free agent ready to make an impact, including Kazuchika Okada, Mustafa Ali, Mandy Rose, Ronda Rousey, Alex Hammerstone, Jacob Fatu and more.

Mercedes Mone AEW Debut

There’s also Boston’s own Mercedes Moné. The wrestler, actor and entrepreneur formerly known as Sasha Banks is right up there with the most valuable free agents out there, along with Okada. 

WWE and AEW executives have publicly expressed interest in working with Moné, who enjoys unprecedented leverage in her negotiations (thanks, competition!). We know she’s had talks with both companies.

Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful and Andrew Zarian of the Mat Men Podcast, two of wrestling media’s most reliable insiders, have reported that Moné is AEW-bound.

Based on all of these factors, it does appear that Mercedes Moné’s AEW Debut will take place on the March 13 Dynamite from Boston. 

We’ll have coverage of Tony Khan’s latest big announcement here at SEScoops later tonight.

Oh it feels good when executing a vision.

— Mercedes Moné Varnado (@MercedesVarnado) February 6, 2024