Mercedes Mone's Price Tag: WWE Refused Top Salary Demand To Secure Sasha Banks' Return

AEW is expected to bring in former WWE Superstar Mercedes Mone. A big date is set for Boston, and many are expecting her to show up on Collision. WWE was in the game for her, but it was already reported that they hit a financial roadblock. That being said, it seems that Mone wasn't even asking for more than someone on the top of the Women's Division is making.

AEW has a ton of money to throw around, but that hasn't kept everyone around. Tony Khan admitted that he offered Jade Cargill more than she asked for to stay in AEW, but she is now a WWE Superstar. Mercedes Mone saw that money on the table and she took it.

Tony Khan has a lot of money to spend on AEW contracts. He has a reported net worth of $1 billion. His father, Shahid Khan, has a net worth of 11.7 billion. Mercedes Mone made it clear that she's going to where the money is, and AEW was able to offer more.

During Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer noted that Mercedes Mone asked WWE for a lot of money, but it wasn't more than the top female Superstar is getting. One would assume that he is talking about Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch, because they have the top paychecks in the women's division.

"I don't know her actual money demands, but I know in a general what she was looking for from WWE, and it was kinda in the range, and for a star of her caliber, while it would be a little bit more than WWE would be paying her, what she was looking for, maybe even more than a little bit more, but it was not more than they pay other women, and she was one of their bigger stars."

AEW outbid WWE, and they're getting The Boss. It was then stated that what this tells us is that when AEW is able to outbid for Mone, that they may be losing out on the deal financially. That being said, it's not enough to worry the company, because "we would see it, because there would be talent cut."

It is very much expected that Mercedes Mone will debut for AEW at their March 13th episode of Dynamite, that Big Business show in Boston's TD Garden will provide the former Sasha Banks with a grand entrance for AEW in her hometown.

On a totally unrelated note, but I couldn't resist from including this, AEW also rolled out a similar red carpet for CM Punk's debut. They booked a large arena in Chicago without announcing Punk's debut. They simply strongly alluded to it by naming that episode of Rampage "The First Dance."

Of course, CM Punk and Sasha Banks both walked out of WWE. At this point, Punk is back in WWE, albeit he's on the shelf due to an untimely injury. Now, it's Mercedes Mone's time to get a spotlight in AEW.