Moné's Return Speculation
Mercedes Moné's AEW Return Imminent Amidst Owen Hart Tournament Speculation and Division Impacts
Mercedes Moné has been absent from AEW television throughout 2026 after losing the TBS Championship at New Year’s Smash, and multiple outlets citing Fightful reporting say she remains under contract and is expected to return to AEW programming relatively soon, though no date has been provided. With Alex Windsor set to face a mystery wildcard opponent in the Women’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament on AEW Dynamite, fans are speculating Moné could be the entrant, but she has not been spotted backstage at the time of reporting. Fightful says Moné’s eventual return could have major ramifications for the top of AEW’s women’s division, particularly given injuries that have affected the TBS title scene, including Willow Nightingale’s forced drop out from the tournament. Reports also note that someone was practicing moves commonly associated with Moné ahead of the show, but Fightful cautioned that similar “signature” actions are used by many wrestlers. Windsor was also seen rehearsing with a placeholder stand-in for Will Ospreay, underscoring that any in-ring practice so far has not definitively confirmed Moné’s participation this week.
Key Points
Fightful Select sources said Mercedes Moné’s planned AEW TV absence was “always expected” to extend beyond AEW Dynasty in April, even though she’s still not been seen back on the show by early June.
Moné’s last AEW match came on December 31 at “Dynamite: New Year’s Smash,” when she lost the TBS Championship to Willow Nightingale; in the months since, Wrestling Inc. reports she went on to drop multiple independent titles, including the CMLL World Women’s Championship and Bestya Women’s title, and she later lost the WPW title on March 31 to Jody Threat.
Wrestling Inc. also reported that Toni Storm—an important figure in AEW’s women’s title picture—was “reportedly on the shelf for at least the remainder of the year,” strengthening the argument that a Moné return would carry “major ramifications” at the top of the division.
For Wednesday’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament moment, the Dynamite taping is slated for Richmond, Virginia, and Fightful reporting notes Alex Windsor trained with a stand-in for Will Ospreay ahead of the wildcard segment.
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