Fresh off an in-ring celebration on AEW Dynamite where she dubbed herself “Nine Belts Moné,” Mercedes Moné is facing pointed criticism from a fellow veteran. Despite her collection of championships from around the globe, Stevie Richards claims the current AEW TBS Champion has actually regressed since joining the promotion.
Speaking on The Stevie Richards Show, the veteran stated plainly that he doesn’t understand how Moné has “gotten worse” in AEW. This critique comes just days after Moné held a celebration on the August 27 edition of Dynamite, showcasing eight of her nine title belts and declaring herself the “greatest of all time.” Her collection includes the RevPro Undisputed British Women’s Championship, the CMLL World Women’s Championship, and the AEW TBS Championship, which she has held for over 454 days.
Richards expanded his argument beyond Moné, including former WWE champions Adam Copeland and Christian Cage in his assessment. He questioned how many wrestlers who leave WWE for AEW actually look better, suggesting the number is very low.
“I don’t understand how Mercedes Mone has gotten worse since she got in AEW. This proves that the WWE machine can really protect people’s weaknesses,” Richards said. “And then when you get to a place like AEW (…) and how many WWE wrestlers have gone over there and actually looked better? This includes Christian Cage and Edge. There are not many who look up to par or better after they leave.”
Richards concluded by crediting WWE’s production and presentation for building its talent. He described the company as being better at the “Jedi mind trick” than AEW, effectively convincing the audience of a wrestler’s star power while masking their flaws.
“That’s just a testament that WWE will make you believe and shove it down your throat that these people are stars and they’re so much better at the Jedi mind trick than AEW,” he finished.