Mercedes Moné is one of the biggest names in wrestling right now, and she got to have her big coming out party in her hometown.
During her AEW debut on "Big Business" in Boston this week, Moné, "The CEO," shared with the crowd that she was the first-ever woman to main event a pay-per-view at the TD Garden.
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The veteran wrestler from the Boston area — born Mercedes Varnado and who first made a name for herself as Sasha Banks in WWE — stopped by the Boston stations of NBC and Telemundo to recap how it felt to be back in her hometown. She also shared how she plans to continue breaking wrestling's glass ceilings and offered some insight into what she does in her spare time.
Read lightly edited excerpts from the interview below, and watch the full interview above.
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NBC10 Boston: Your AEW debut gave you a chance to reconnect with the family. How does it feel to be home? What does family mean to you?
Mercedes Moné: "Big Business" was everything for me and for it to be in Boston, where it all began for me, and for my family to be here– my friends, my coworkers, my fans from all over the world — it just wasn't fans from Boston, they came from legit all over the world to celebrate such a beautiful and amazing moment.
To have it here in Boston was so incredible, to be out in that crowd and to see my brother's face, my mom's. For people who don't know my story, I quit school at the age of 13 to take care of my brother, who has disabilities.
I think people need to know to grow and it's okay to grow. It could be nerve-wracking. It can be a little scary. I promise you, once you cross that line when you go straight through it, the victory and the energy is just so magical that you just have to live the happiest life. And I'm the happiest I've ever been here.
Mercedes "The CEO" Moné
My dream to become a pro wrestler started here in Boston, at North Andover, at Chaotic Wrestling. It's so crazy to see how far I've come, from going to WWE and doing this women's evolution, being a leader of the women's evolution, to being here at AEW and to lead this AEW global evolution.
I'm very a big sucker for full-circle moments. TD Garden, AEW debut. The crowd ate you up the moment you walked out. How did that feel?
I'm still on such a high. I have goosebumps because it's been almost two years since I've been on American television, but honestly, my fans really didn't make me feel like I was gone. I was trending every single day. They never let my name die and it was just so beautiful. Just the CEO chants with my name dropped and I walk through those tunnels. The eruption was the biggest eruption I've ever felt and I've been in professional wrestling for 14 years. I had the biggest goosebumps, I had the biggest smile and I just felt so complete. I really found my home.
I know you've heard this question probably a million times at this point, but let's quickly talk about it. Sasha Banks is no more. That feels weird to say, but what did you learn from Sasha? And then let's talk about Mercedes.
I learned everything from Sasha. I learned how to be strong, how to stand up for myself, how to be a boss, how to be a leader. All of that taught me who I am today, to elevate. To go from a boss to a CEO is my mission.
The next thing after that is hopefully being a chairwoman, a shareholder, who knows. I learn from [AEW President and CEO] Tony [Khan] every day. He's going to teach me his ways. But no, just to keep on leveling up in life. I think people need to know to grow and it's okay to grow. It could be nerve-wracking. It can be a little scary. I promise you, once you cross that line when you go straight through it, the victory and the energy is just so magical that you just have to live the happiest life. And I'm the happiest I've ever been here. I'm just so excited to go.
More from 'Kwani Has Questions'
In this series, Kwani A. Lunis talks to people connected to the Boston area about their lives and the moments that got them to where they are today. From politicians to athletes to entertainers, everyone has a story and Kwani's goal is to get to the heart of it.
