At last weekend’s NJPW Battle in the Valley pay-per-view event, Mercedes Mone defeated KAIRI to capture the IWGP Women’s Championship. This was the plan from the moment Mone signed with the promotion. They felt that putting the title on her would make it feel important and raise its profile. So how long might she stick around to defend it? The Wrestling Observer Newsletter has an update on Mercedes Mone’s NJPW deal, and how many dates she has left.
As of this writing, Mone has two dates left on her NJPW deal. She is booked for April 8th to take part in NJPW’s Sakura Genesis at Sumo Hall. She will face STARDOM High Speed Champion AZM at that show. Originally, the plan was a rematch with KAIRI but as always, the card is subject to change.
The former Sasha Banks is also committed for the April 23rd STARDOM event at Yokohama Arena. Currently, she is scheduled to face Mayu Iwatami at that show. If a contract extension isn’t reached, or Mone’s monetary demands aren’t meant, then she’d likely drop the title to Iwatami at that event. If Mone were to sign an extension or stick around for longer, that might change plans.
