AEW Star Mercedes Mone Accused of Overstepping “Protocol” During Her Time in WWE as Sasha Banks

Published 03/25/2024, 4:52 AM EDT

AEW’s latest signee Mercedes Mone has been a topic of discussion ever since her debut a few weeks ago. Although much of the talk has been around what she could bring to the table for Tony Khan’s company, a former WWE on-screen manager dived into Mone’s time in the Stamford-based company and made a startling revelation.

On the latest episode of Story Time with Dutch Mantell, legendary pro wrestling personality, Dutch Mantell a.k.a Zeb Colter talked about his experience with Sasha Banks when she was working with WWE. When the host brought up Mone’s AEW debut, Mantell interjected and said “You know, that woman has never spoken to me. She never even said hello to me. That’s just when I was in WWE with her. She never said ‘Hi Dutch’ or ‘Hi Zeb’, she never said any of that to me. I don’t know why she just never spoke.”

Explaining why something like this could be considered rude, the ex-WWE figure then added, “See, it’s actually protocol for the younger talent to say hello to the established talent first. That’s this like protocol. But she never did.” According to him, since she never initiated any conversation with him, Mantell never tried to have a conversation with her. “She didn’t speak. So that was telling me, well, don’t speak to me. I’m royalty. And I said, okay, that’s what I got in my head,” he added.

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Mantel also added there were a couple of more individuals who did the same to him but he couldn’t recall who they were. Interestingly, this isn’t the first time Mone has been accused of not-so-nice behavior.

In 2022, AEW stars Kiera Hogan and Red Velvet appeared on an Instagram live. Hogan talked about mental health and depression and said unlike Mone, she is open to talk about it. When fans pointed out that she didn’t know Mone, Hogan said Mone isn’t “nice.” She said, “I met her on multiple occasions. She isn’t nice. She’s never been nice.” Nice or not, Mone is with AEW, who will hope she can bolster their women’s division and help with the ratings. That being said, how did Mone’s AEW debut do for Tony Khan’s company?

“Smart Move”: Tony Khan Praised for One Tactical Sasha Banks Ploy During Mercedes Mone’s Big Business Return

Is Sahsa Banks’ magic fading away?

At the 2024 AEW Big Business, Banks made her AEW debut under the ring name Mercedes Mone. While it was greeted with much fanfare in pro wrestling circles, it did not create the magic it was supposed to. The social media numbers came in and it didn’t paint a rosy picture. The clip of her AEW debut garnered 8 million views in 12 hours. While it is no small number, it fell short compared to the debuts of other WWE stars in AEW.

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Former WWE star Edge, who made his debut as Adam Copeland at AEW, recorded a scintillating response online as his debut clip garnered a massive 27 million views in the same time window. When CM Punk made his AEW debut, his clip recorded over 46 million views on the internet in just 12 hours.

Apart from that, Mercedes Mone has received some backlash from her fans especially for her new theme song.

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Though Mantel’s quotes could lead to a debate over Mone’s conduct, Tony Khan will hope that the former RAW Women’s Champion is able to push his promotion to new heights in the coming months.

Industry Sources Reveal Real Reason Behind Why Mercedes Moné Hasn’t Been Signed by Either Tony Khan or Triple H

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Written by:

Shaikh Aerajuddin is a WWE writer at EssentiallySports. With a Master's in sports science, Aeraj is an expert at covering injury angles, be they kayfabe or otherwise. On the lighter side of things, he also enjoys making sense of the unpredictability of storylines, backing his speculative pieces with facts and solid research.

Edited by:

Amal Joyce

AEW Star Mercedes Mone Accused of Overstepping “Protocol” During Her Time in WWE as Sasha Banks

Is Sahsa Banks’ magic fading away?

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