Mercedes Mone has lost her final championship, with the last title being relinquished due to financial reasons.
Writing in her Mone Mag newsletter, which was published on April 4, Mone revealed that she had sent back the APAC Women’s Championship to the Malaysia-based promotion. The CEO stated that the decision was made as the promotion allegedly did not have the budget to fly her out for another defence:
“A Tough Decision
While I was in London, I had to make a tough call.
I sent the Malaysia Championship back.My team and I really tried to make things work—we put in the effort, had the conversations, and explored every option. But at the end of the day, they told us they didn’t have the budget to fly me out and weren’t open to working with other promotions.
For me?
That just didn’t align with the vision.
So I made the decision to vacate the title.And look—this business isn’t always easy. Not every partnership works out the way you hope. But I’ve learned to stand firm in my worth, my time, and what I bring to the table.
Every title I hold means something.
Every move I make has purpose.
So even though it wasn’t easy, it was necessary.
Because growth sometimes means letting go.Trust me…
I’m always moving forward.”
Mone lost her WPW Women’s Championship in Winnipeg on March 31, which was the last time she lost a title due to an in-ring loss. The AEW star now only has the Owen Hart Foundation Championship in her possession, but this is not recognised as a pro wrestling championship. Instead, the belt represents a trophy for winning the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament, and is not defended on TV or PPV.
Mone has yet to appear on AEW TV in 2026.
APAC Founder Responds To Mercedes Mone Relinquishing Final Championship
Following Mone’s update, Shaukat, the founder of the APAC promotion, said the following on social media in response to the former APAC Women’s Champion:
“I woke up on 3 hours of sleep to a flood of texts, tags, and questions, so let me say this clearly. I have nothing but respect for Mercedes Moné. She is a global star, in high demand, and I understand that her schedule and travel limitations are real.”
“I do not blame her for this situation, and I appreciate the opportunity we had to work together. But the public narrative being pushed does not fully reflect what actually happened. We did try. We did explore working with other promotions, because that was what was asked of us. I personally reached out, followed up, and tried to make multiple scenarios work.
“I also need to correct this clearly: I did not ask other promotions to fly my wrestler in for us. I have the text and email receipts to back that up, and I am prepared to stand on that truth if necessary. I have chosen not to post private communications lightly because I still believe in handling business professionally, but I will protect my name when needed,”
“For more context, I was even willing to go beyond our limits on my side. I openly said I would take on extra work and secure sponsors to try and bring Mercedes to Malaysia. That ultimately was not workable, which I understand, so we were pushed to explore solutions abroad instead.
“I would have genuinely loved to make something work with Arek in Poland and Hal in France. Both were respectful, professional, and tried to find real solutions. I appreciate both of them for that. But when we looked at the full picture, it simply did not make business sense financially for us.“
“I also want to address Winnipeg Pro Wrestling. Our interaction was minimal. I reached, was initially ignored, and only received a single response declining based on budget and their story direction, which I respected. That was the extent of it. So the public version being pushed does not reflect my actual communication with them. Again, I have receipts for that. I am not here to tear anyone down or create more drama.”
“To Mercedes, I sincerely apologize for any public discomfort this has caused. I still have respect for you, and I understand you are likely speaking from what was communicated to you.”
Mone previously held the following championships: AEW TBS Championship, ROH Women’s TV Championship, CMLL World Women’s Championship, RevPro Undisputed British Women’s Championship, Queen of Southside Championship (merged with the RevPro title), Discovery Wrestling Scottish Women’s Championship, EWA Women’s Championship (Austria), PTW Women’s Championship (Poland), BestYa Women’s Championship (Italy), the Bodyslam Women’s Championship (Denmark), WPW Women’s Championship (Canada)
Featured image: AEW
