NJPW Strong Women's Championship Was Reportedly Created For Mercedes Mone

Mercedes Mone's world domination tour has hit a roadblock. The NJPW star was looking to become the first NJPW Strong Women's Champion last weekend when she suddenly suffered an injury in her match at Resurgence, helping Willow Nightingale score the win while "The CEO" was carried to the back after the bell rang. It was a disappointing finish for Mone, who had been slated to win the match and become the inaugural champion, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

In fact, WON's Dave Meltzer reported Friday that NJPW created the new championship specifically for Mone to win. The belt's creation came after Mone reportedly signed a contract extension with NJPW last month. Both the contract offer and the new championship being created were a result of Mone proving her worth as a main event draw for the company, helping sell out the Civic Auditorium in San Jose, California earlier this year when she first won the IWGP Women's Championship in a match against KAIRI. Now, it appears Mone's immediate future is in flux.

NJPW said in a statement this week that Mone "sustained an injury to her right ankle," though there's been no timetable set for her return. Many fans were hoping the former WWE star would appear at AEWxNJPW Forbidden Door next month, but AEW owner Tony Khan indicated on a media call that Mone's injury might have impacted any potential plans. "Nobody really knows besides Mercedes and myself what was going to happen there," Khan said, adding that nobody knows when the seven-time world champion might be back.