On September 10, top women from various industries took the stage at the Forbes Power Women's Summitin New York City to inspire others about how they could use their influence for good. For wrestling fans, a familiar face lied in AEW star Mercedes Mone, who, fresh off her blood-inducing win at All In, brought along her AEW Women's Championship and nose cast to attend.In the latest edition of "Mone Mag," Mone described her experience as "incredible.""I wasn't walking into that room just as Mercedes Mon," she wrote. "I was walking in as the AEW Women's World Champion, representing an industry that has given me so much and a division of women who deserve to be recognized on this level. I brought my championship with me because I wanted people to see what women's professional wrestling represents. The dedication it takes to become a world champion, the business we've built, the audiences we reach, and the impact we're making around the world. That championship carries so much more than my name."Centered around the theme "the future of power," the 2026 Forbes Power Women's Summit spotlighted leaders within sports, entertainment, business, beauty, and science. Mone particularly recalled having a conversation with entrepreneur Haley Sacks, also known as Mrs. Dow Jones, about negotiating, being "The CEO" of wrestling, and her reign as AEW Women's World Champion.For Mone, discussions like those gave her a rare opportunity to show others the businesswoman that sits behind her wrestling persona. They also served as a reminder of the immense progress that women's wrestling has made over the years.
"For years, women in professional wrestling fought to be taken seriously within our own industry. We fought for more time, bigger opportunities, and the chance to prove we could headline the biggest shows. Now we're doing those things," Mone wrote. "We're drawing audiences around the world, building brands, creating businesses, and inspiring young girls who see themselves in us. So why shouldn't we be in these rooms too?"According to Mone, the figures around her at the Forbes Power Women's Summit may hail from different industries, but they all understood the struggle of working for opportunities, whether they were available to them at the time or not. In her case, Mone wants women's wrestling to be recognized on a larger scale, far beyond the squared circle.She's also eager to see other women's wrestling champions invited to big events and their stories heard in the same mix as the world's most influential women."I want the next generation of women in wrestling to walk into these rooms knowing they belong there. That's why this invitation meant so much to me," she wrote.In addition to Mone, the Forbes Power Women's Summit featured the likes of actress Jennifer Garner, singer Natasha Bedingfield, supermodel Cindy Crawford, NASA astronaut Christina Koch, and tennis legend Serena Williams.All of them contributed to discussions about power, leadership, and the future.In Mone's immediate future, she will defend the AEW Women's World Championship against Marina Shafir at AEW Full Gear, slated for November 14 in Phoenix.
