Mercedes Mone partnering with Crunchyroll for merchandise

[Chris]

Mercedes Moné | Crunchyroll Store

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Crunchyroll is teaming up with international wrestling legend and culture-shifting powerhouse Mercedes Moné! Bridging the worlds of anime, athletics, and anime-loving athletes, this collab celebrates reinvention, empowerment, and making your entrance look like it’s the main event, every time.

In her own words: “This collection represents how I envision myself as an anime hero, and I’m excited for fans to see not only that, but how much anime influences my everyday life… anime has helped me find my inner superpower.”

Now she’s channeling that inner superpower straight into Crunchyroll Exclusive pieces for fans who are ready to turn heads and turn the page.

Mercedes Moné is rewriting the rules of what it means to lead, both in and out of the ring. Let’s get to know her a bit more!

Mercedes has built a groundbreaking career in the entertainment industry. The “Beyonce of Pro Wrestling” and lead pioneer to women in sports entertainment, her many records include being the first black female to headline WrestleMania and the first female to headline a WWE PPV. Mentee to her first cousin Snoop Dogg, she also stars in The Mandalorian, is an ESPY winner, and currently wrestles for AEW where she holds the TBS Championship — and four other titles! All this has earned recognition from Forbes as wrestling's highest-paid female performer.
Mercedes Moné - Champion, Trailblazer, CEO

A global brand, Mercedes Moné is on a mission to expand opportunities for women. That’s why 5% of all purchases will go to support Step Up! Step Up is a nonprofit empowering the next generation of girls through mentorship, access, and community.

Their mission? Confidence, career readiness, and showing young people they don’t have to wait for permission to lead. It’s a perfect match for Mercedes Moné, whose story proves that you can change the game and leave the door open behind you.

Help support real-life transformation! Let’s raise the stakes and raise each other up.

 

[Chris]

AEW All In 2025: Mercedes Mone says that she is 'everything' Sasha Banks couldn't be

Mone challenges Toni Storm for the AEW women's world title at All In Texas, further cementing a legacy she only dreamed of in a past life

www.cbssports.com

Professional wrestling is its own peculiar art form: actors play roles, but wrestlers live amplified versions of themselves. Mercedes Varnado -- today's Mercedes Mone and once Sasha Banks -- is the same woman shaped by different environments. It's fortuitous that Mone, whose brand often revolves around money, will perform for a record gate at AEW All In on Saturday in Arlington, Texas. It's the culmination of betting on herself.

Mone assumes the role of challenger at All In, vying for "Timeless" Toni Storm's women's world championship. But she does not look like someone starved for gold. Mone currently holds six titles across various promotions, including AEW's TBS championship and CMLL's women's world title, from Mexico's oldest wrestling company.

Her overflowing war chest marks a successful expedition. Mone walked out of WWE in May 2022, along with fellow WWE women's tag team champion Naomi, frustrated with the division's creative direction. It was a bold decision for a wrestler who'd spent most of her career under one roof.

"She wanted it all, but she never got to hold it all," Mone said of Banks, while promoting her new merchandise collection with anime streaming service Crunchyroll, in an interview with CBS Sports. "Mercedes Mone, the CEO, is everything 'The Legit Boss' wanted to be. She controls her life, narrative and intellectual property."

Mone, 33, has solidified herself as a first-ballot Hall of Famer. She's the only woman to win championships across AEW, CMLL, NJPW, and WWE. Discovering this version of herself and being afforded the freedom to exercise her creativity in less rigid environments has been the most fulfilling experience of Mone's life.

"It's being the boss of your life, taking control and doing that daily," Mone said. "I feel the best I've ever felt in my professional wrestling career. It's so crazy to say that. I thought maybe my 20s would be my highest point. Here I am going into my 15th year of professional wrestling feeling my greatest. I can't even imagine what the next five years will hold."

Mone's career since signing with AEW has been professionally and personally rewarding. Being more involved in crafting her identity has helped rehabilitate hurt feelings after splitting from WWE in 2022.

"Getting to have dreams when I go to sleep and waking up to achieve them," Mone said. "Not being told I can't. It's getting to do more than just professional wrestling."

One example of spreading her wings beyond wrestling is her Crunchyroll collaboration. The limited-time 11-piece merch collection combines two of her earliest loves, anime and wrestling. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Step Up, the mentorship nonprofit that guides girls to success, perhaps symbolizing Mone's desire to elevate women's wrestling.

"It's a dream come true. I've loved anime since before I can remember…" Mone said. "I always connected with anime, watching it before and after school. It was a different escape before I found pro wrestling.

"To bring these two things that I love so much together, and bring two amazing fanbases together to rock my collection, will be so cool to see."

Mone's accomplishments are unique. Her match with Bianca Belair marked the first time two Black superstars ever headlined WWE's biggest event, WrestleMania. Mone is also the first woman to headline a WWE pay-per-view, compete in an Iron Man and Hell in a Cell match. But challenging Storm, whom Mone identifies as one of wrestling's great stars, is an experience she puts near the top of her list.

Storm vs. Mone will take place in front of approximately 20,000 fans, in what's speculated to be the largest North American gate and attendance ever for a non-WWE event. Winning the AEW women's title in that setting is another feather in her cap. But it's not up to Varnado, Banks, or Mone to define her legacy -- that power belongs to the fans.

"People will know I put my heart and soul into professional wrestling to be the very best and to elevate women's wrestling to a whole new height," Mone said. "To the point people can chase their dreams."