Mercedes Mone Had Panic Attack Before Her Tokyo Dome Debut

Mercedes Mone has opened up about suffering a panic attack before her most recent championship match.

The CEO faced Mina Shirakawa in a double championship match earlier this month. The Wrestle Dynasty bout coming from Tokyo Dome was her first match ever in the legendary arena. The AEW star talked about this bout in the most recent edition of her newsletter and revealed that she suffered a full-blown panic attack on the morning of the January 5 show:

“Though I have nerves and butterflies for all my big matches, my match at the Tokyo Dome against Mina was somehow different. From the moment I landed in Japan, where I actually bawled my eyes out with both disbelief and gratitude, to the morning of the event, where I had an actual panic attack, making history was the last thing on my mind.”

Mercedes Mone noted that it was her lifelong dream to have a match at Tokyo Dome. She claimed that to her Japan feels like a second home. Though the current TBS Champion was not only excited but also petrified cause she didn’t want to let anyone down and do a good job of representing female athletes:

“I didn’t want to let the promoters down. I didn’t want to let the fans down. I didn’t want to let Mina down. I especially, and as always, didn’t want to let the women wrestlers of today AND tomorrow down. I want New Japan, and all promotions, globally, for that matter, to know that we female athletes deserve prominent recognition and a prominent place on the card.“

Mone defended her NJPW STRONG Women’s Title against Mina’s RevPro Undisputed British Women’s Championship at the PPV match. The American star came out victorious in the bout, adding another title to her prestigious collection.