Mercedes Mone (formerly Sasha Banks in WWE) recently took to her Instagram account and posted pictures from her recent photoshoot. She paid a tribute to Hana Kimura with her attire. Her caption read:
“I flex with no regrets 📈 #theceo #theceolounge #mercedesmoné #monétalks #monémaker”
The former Sasha Banks, made her massive return to the wrestling ring at NJPW Battle in the Valley show in San Jose, California. She became the second-ever IWGP Women’s Champion when she defeated inaugural champion KAIRI for the title on the show.
This marked her first wrestling match since her and Naomi walked out of the May 16 episode of WWE Raw last year, vacating the Women’s Tag Team Championship in the process. She never returned to the company after that sudden exit. She shocked the fans with her impressive debut at Wrestle Kingdom 17.
While speaking on her YouTube channel, Mercedes Mone talked about the time in her life after her WWE departure. Mone said that she simply felt like death after her WWE departure:
This whole time that I’ve been gone from the WWE, I’ve been really struggling [with] what’s next,” Mone said. “What am I going to do in wrestling? Who am I? I’ve been a character for like 10 years in that company, so it felt like such a death. It’s just been such a long journey trying to figure out who I am after the WWE and now it’s finally coming together.”
