Mercedes Mon might have a date with "Timeless" Toni Storm for the AEW Women's World Championship at All In, but before the Mon train arrives in Texas, it must first move through Mina Shirakawa. On the upcoming July 2 episode of "AEW Dynamite: 300," Mon will defend her AEW TBS Championship against Shirakawa ten days removed from her world title opportunity.
Mon and Shirakawa's TBS title match comes after weeks of tense relations related to Mon's upcoming world title challenge, as Shirakawa is good friends with current champion Storm. Their trepidatious relationship, however, nearly turned violent on Wednesday's episode of "Dynamite," which saw Mon open the show with a gruesome assault on Storm. "The CEO" dragged the AEW Women's World Champion through the backstage area before parading her struggling body on the entrance ramp. Mon taunted the wriggling Storm before attempting a Statement Maker on the champion. Storm attempted to block the move as best as she could before Shirakawa made her entrance to force Mon off of her ally. Referees poured out to separate Mon and Shirakawa as the segment ended. Later in the evening, Mon and Shirakawa's match was announced for the July 2 episode of "Dynamite" via on-screen graphic, and was confirmed by AEW's commentary team.
As of writing, Mon has held the AEW TBS Championship for 396 days, and has defended her title seventeen times against the likes of Dr. Britt Baker DMD, Hikaru Shida, Kris Statlander, and Stephanie Vaquer. Out of her four championships, Mon has held onto her TBS title the longest, and is currently the second-longest reigning AEW TBS Champion. Shirakawa is currently on a part-time AEW schedule, but has been spotlighted through her work with Storm and Mariah May (now known as "WWE NXT's" Blake Monroe). Shirakawa is expected to join AEW full-time in the near future.
