In addition to calling her "The CEO," wrestling fans are also acknowledging Mercedes Mone as a belt collector given her ever-growing stack of championship gold. Recently, Mone's collection got so big that it surpassed Ultimo Dragon's record for the most title belts ever simultaneously held by a professional wrestler. With it, however, also comes a potential problem.
On "Busted Open Radio," WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray questioned whether the independent promotion names attached to many of Mone's titles were truly benefiting from the dynamic. "I love the aesthetic of it. I love the look of it," Ray said. "She's doing that original Ultimo Dragon-type thing. The championships from these other companies don't matter nearly as much as the AEW championships she carries, but do you think it's doing anything for these other independent wrestling championships? Are they getting mentioned?"
Co-host and fellow wrestling veteran Tommy Dreamer noted that the AEW commentary and social media teams have been referencing Mone's championship wins, which span across places like Denmark, the United Kingdom, and Canada. In Dreamer's eyes, this action lends a bit more legitimacy to the non-AEW titles. Ray, on the other hand, doesn't seem entirely sold on that being the case.
"I kind of look at it as Tyrus having either the NWA Television Championship or World Heavyweight Championship every night when he was doing Gutfeld," Ray said. "I don't know if it really translated. I mean, it was cool to see the NWA belt."
As it stands, Mone holds 12 championship belts belonging to companies such as AEW, Ring of Honor, CMLL, RevPro, BODYSLAM, Winnipeg Pro Wrestling, and the European Wrestling Association. While making rounds with media outlets like "Busted Open Radio" and "Z100 New York" recently, AEW President Tony Khan noted that Mone's appearances at independent promotions weren't driven by money, but rather her love for professional wrestling and the desire to meet young stars on the scene.
"If that's the case, then you [Mercedes Mone] make sure you wrestle in all those companies and you lose those championships back to give those women and that company even more credibility," Ray said in reference to Khan's statements, "unless the only reason you're wrestling for those companies is so you can take their championships from them because you're a mark for yourself on TV."
At AEW WrestleDream, Mone laid out an open challenge for another current champion to step up and defend their title in a Winner Takes All match. Interim ROH Women's Television Champion Mina Shirakawa later accepted it, only to lose her title to Mone, who also retained the AEW TBS Championship in the process. The following day, Mone challenged and defeated Jody Threat for the WPW Women's Championship in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, elevating her title collection to 12.
Next month, Mone will battle Kris Statlander for the AEW Women's Championship at Full Gear. En route, she and Athena will also take part in the tournament to crown the inaugural AEW Women's Tag Team Champions, with Willow Nightingale and Harley Cameron as their first round opponents
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Busted Open Radio" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
