At AEW Big Business, company czar Tony Khan promised a huge surprise during the event in Boston. To be real, he tried his best to be coy and not give away the surprise. From the ashes of Sasha Banks in WWE, presenting Mercedes Mone. As one of the most recognizable female wrestlers in the world, Mercedes's signing with AEW over WWE was supposed to give Khan's company an edge ahead in the woman's division in the wrestling world. Mone was going to be head-and-shoulders the top woman ahead of Toni Storm, Mariah May, Saraya, Willow Nightingale and Britt Baker. She was going to produce banger after banger so Meltzer and Alvarez can praise her every week. Things are going to be glorious.
If it only was that easy. Many experts have called her run right now as underwhelming or a disappointment. A lot of tweaks could be fixed, but I have to point out what is not clicking.
THERE IS NO BANGER AFTER BANGER
I decided to inspect a couple of her matches and here is the issue, she lacks passion, meaning she is basically going through the motions. The Britt Baker tilt at All In was supposed to be the best women's match of the event, scratch that, of the year. It was underwhelming to say the least as was her match with Hikaru Shida at All Out. According to Google, Mercedes has a $10 million a year salary, which makes her the highest paid woman's wrestler of all-time. That being said, she is obligated to put on the best matches possible. When Toni Storm and Mariah May outshines you at the biggest event for the company this year and they get paid way, way less than she does, then there is an issue.
MERCEDES NEEDS A MOUTHPIECE, BADLY.
To be fair, Mercedes Mone has never been above average when it comes to promos. In WWE, they would figure out ways to get around it. Unfortunately, since she is the highest paid woman's performer on the roster, she is going to get a lot of TV time. Also, putting her with someone that doesn't talk at all in Kamille Brickhouse does not help in any situation. If MVP is burning bridges with WWE and headed to AEW, pair him with her. VOILA! Brock Lesnar was paid a ton of money with Paul Heyman as his mouthpiece and that worked. It can happen here.
THERE IS NO CHEMISTRY WITHIN THE WOMEN'S DIVISION
Other than Toni Storm or Mariah May, AEW does have competitors in the women's division who put on great matches on a nightly basis. However, there is some dissention between the locker room. The dirt sheets have been constant when reporting about the infighting, since it is posted on social media. In WWE, Mercedes was surrounded by Bayley, Charlotte and Becky Lynch. These ladies did everything they could to elevate each other. Nicknamed "The Four Horsewomen," each woman would put on classic after classic. Hell, her match between Bayley at Takeover is considered the greatest woman's match of all-time. Also, Mercedes and Bayley are close friends. She doesn't have that luxury in AEW where she has yet to create chemistry with any of the other talent. However, probably one of the reasons is.......
SHE HAS CREATIVE CONTROL
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no........Tony, what are you doing? Have ever watched Dark of the Ring? Heard of the Bash at the Beach incident? Creative control is the worst thing you can give to a professional wrestler. Especially a professional wrestler who has issues when a storyline doesn't go her way. The event where she threw a fit after losing the tag team titles at WrestleMania 35 showed. She admitted that she wanted to quit after the event. Then, she and Naomi walking out on WWE after another issue with a storyline made her sort of a risk. Tony Khan opened the many vaults to secure her services. Me thinks that adding the creative control clause was the cherry on top. Unfortunately, it seems that this incentive rubs the other talent the wrong way. From the dirt sheets, Saraya and Britt Baker are not too keen of the special treatment she is getting. Not exactly a good thing for a division that already has a bucket full of issues.
I know what you are saying, "A.J, she has only been there for a few months, she can improve." Of course she can, the question is when?
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