'No Mercedes' Trends As Fans Lament AEW Dynamite Outcome

Mercedes Moné did not appear on Wednesday's "AEW Dynamite" in Los Angeles, leaving a lot of fans on social media disappointed. Subsequently, terms such as "No Mercedes" and "Mercedes Moné" trended on Twitter as wrestling fans discussed the outcome of the Saraya & Toni Storm vs. Jamie Hayter & Dr. Britt Baker match.

Although Storm was announced as Saraya's tag partner ahead of time, fans were still hopeful of Moné being named as a last-minute replacement, especially after AEW teased tensions between Hikaru Shida and Storm on last week's show, where Saraya snubbed Shida in favor of Storm. Despite being overlooked, Shida did make her presence known during the match, throwing a kendo stick into the ring that Baker used to knock out Storm, allowing Hayter to secure the pinfall victory. Shida claimed the kendo stick was intended for Saraya's team, even as fans interpreted her actions as the beginning of a heel turn. 

The talk of Moné potentially joining AEW gathered momentum after the former Sasha Banks made her NJPW/STARDOM debut earlier this month, following which WWE moved her profile to the alumni section of its website. The series of events essentially confirmed that Moné was done with WWE, and the veteran wrestler herself teased a move to AEW by announcing she was preparing to embark on a "world domination tour" following her NJPW/STARDOM debut. Moné will begin such a conquest starting with a match for the IWGP Women's Championship against KAIRI at the Battle in the Valley event on February 18.