Former WWE star Sasha Banks (now Mercedes Mone) was recently spotted being dressed as Woody from Toy Story yesterday.
Mercedes Mone has been sidelined with an ankle injury since her match against Willow Nightingale at NJPW STRONG Resurgence in May. It seems that it’s getting closer to her eventual return and it appears there are still plans for Mone in NJPW going forward.
Wrestling Observer Newsletter states that, as many have expected, the promotion is planning to have Mone challenge Giulia for the NJPW STRONG Women’s Championship.
The title was reportedly created with Mone in mind, and she was set to become the first winner. However, that ankle injury resulted in Mone making a call on the fly to have Nightingale win the title. Nightingale would go on to drop the championship to Giulia in early July.
It’s not yet known exactly when she’ll be ready to return, but Mone is believed to be approaching a full recovery from the ankle injury. The former WWE star had an eventful few months leading up to the injury, returning to the world of wrestling at the Tokyo Dome during NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17 in January.
Mone went on to feud against KAIRI, eventually winning the IWGP Women’s Championship against her. However, Mone would drop that title to Mayu Iwatani in April. Before her injury, Mone was reportedly set to wrestle at AEW All In, providing some further explanation for her appearance in the crowd at the Wembley Stadium event in August.
