49-year-old AEW Superstar alludes to Mercedes Mone’s debut mirroring with that of CM Punk, reveals what he would’ve changed

Matt Hardy thinks Mercedes Mone's AEW debut could've been even more impactful.

49-year-old AEW Superstar alludes to Mercedes Mone’s debut mirroring with that of CM Punk, reveals what he would’ve changed

Mercedes Mone and CM Punk [via- AEW]

On March 13 at AEW Big Business in Boston, Mercedes Mone descended upon a whole new territory. She kicked off the proceedings, which Matt Hardy believes was an attempt to replicate CM Punk‘s AEW debut. But it couldn’t mirror the same sonic boom. Drawing similarities in both cases, one-half of The Hardy Boyz revealed what he would’ve changed on Mone’s side of things.

While speaking on his podcast, The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy, the 49-year-old said that he would’ve advertised Mercedes Mone for Big Business ahead of time. The Sensei of Mattitude believes that may have been more impactful. For instance, The CEO’s segment topped at over a million viewers per Wrestlenomics. However, had Mercedes been announced beforehand, it would’ve tucked in casual viewers as well.

YouTube video

Though Matt Hardy was all praise for the former Sasha Banks, he thought there was room for more in the way she was factored into the show upon her debut appearance. Highlighting how The CEO opened and closed the night, the North Carolina native advised that she could’ve been involved more.

FS Video
It was to mirror Punk's debut when he showed up at "AEW Rampage." And I feel like it would've been even more impactful if you would've just gone ahead and got it out there, and that would've been for the casual fans.
Matt Hardy on Mercedes Mone’s AEW debut

Speaking of Mercedes’ debut mirroring that of Punk, both served their purpose in some way. The Best in the World’s onboarding was a watershed moment for Tony Khan‘s company, as they could pompously claim they brought Punk back to wrestling. Meanwhile, Mone was just making the transition from being one of WWE’s biggest prospects to a place that’s been trying to catch its own shadow for the last few months.

Did Mercedes Mone catch backstage heat in AEW even before her debut?

The way Mercedes Mone bowed out of WWE was unfortunate. She disclosed why she had to do it, and the rest is history. However, just days before beginning with AEW, the 32-year-old did an interview where she conspicuously claimed going back to WWE somewhere down the road.

Mercedes Mone and Tony Khan
Mercedes Mone and Tony Khan [via- Fightful Wrestling]

The statement engendered quite a stir in backstage circles around AEW, as reported by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Veteran journalist Dave Meltzer insinuated that The Blueprint’s promulgation did rub some people in her current workplace the wrong way.

How much of that would be remembered solely depends on how big of a factor she plays in the company’s growth. Nonetheless, it does appear like Tony Khan thinks the world about her. No wonder why Mercedes Mone is reportedly the highest-paid women’s wrestler in history.

In case you missed it: