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Mercedes Justine Kaestner-Varnado (born January 26, 1992) is an American
professional wrestler Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to real-life wrest ...
and actress. , she is signed to
All Elite Wrestling All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is an American professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. It is owned and operated by Shahid Khan, Shahid and Tony Khan, with the latter serving as President (corporate title), president an ...
(AEW), where she performs under the
ring name A ring name is a type of stage name or nickname used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons ...
Mercedes Moné () and is the current
AEW TBS Champion The AEW TBS Championship is a Professional wrestling championship#Gender championships, women's professional wrestling television championship created and promoted by the United States, American professional wrestling promotion, promotion All Eli ...
in her first reign. She also appears in
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Puroresu, Japanese professional-wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, and based in Nakano, Tokyo. It is currently majority owned by card-game company Bushiroad, with TV As ...
(NJPW) and its sister promotion
World Wonder Ring Stardom , is a Japanese ''joshi puroresu'' or women's professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion based in Nakano, Tokyo, Japan. Stardom was founded in September 2010 by former All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling (AJW) co-producer Ross ...
, where she is a former and the longest-reigning
Strong Women's Champion The is a women's professional wrestling World Championship (professional wrestling), world Championship (professional wrestling), championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) professional wrestling promotion, promotion. The creation ...
, as well as in
Revolution Pro Wrestling Revolution Pro Wrestling (RevPro/RPW) is a British professional wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion founded on 26 August 2012 by Andy Quildan after separating from International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom. Revolution Pro Wre ...
(RevPro), where she is the current Undisputed British Women's Champion in her first reign. Varnado became widely known for her time in
WWE World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...
from 2012 to 2022, where she performed under the ring name Sasha Banks. She is the first and only female professional wrestler to win championships across WWE, AEW, and NJPW. Varnado began her wrestling career in 2010 on the
independent circuit In professional wrestling, the independent circuit (often shortened to the indie circuit or the indies) is the collective name of independently owned promotions which are deemed to be smaller and more regionalized than major national promotions. ...
, most notably for
Chaotic Wrestling Chaotic Wrestling, stylized as CHAOTIC, is an American independent wrestling promotion, which has been operating throughout New England since 2000; with its current home base in North Andover, Massachusetts. Chaotic Wrestling is known for p ...
, where she won the Chaotic Wrestling Women's Championship. She signed with WWE in 2012 under the ring name Sasha Banks and was assigned to the
developmental territory Development of the human body is the process of growth to maturity. The process begins with fertilization, where an egg released from the ovary of a female is penetrated by a sperm cell from a male. The resulting zygote develops through mitos ...
NXT. She would later win the
NXT Women's Championship The NXT Women's Championship is a women's professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It is defended on NXT, the promotion's developmental brand. The current champion is Jacy Jayne, who is in her fi ...
. Her match against Bayley at NXT TakeOver: Respect in October 2015 was the first women's match to ever headline an
NXT TakeOver NXT TakeOver was a series of periodic professional wrestling events produced by the American professional wrestling promotion, promotion WWE for its NXT (WWE brand), NXT WWE brand extension, brand division. The first TakeOver was simply titled NX ...
, the first iron woman match in WWE history, and the longest women's match in WWE history at the time, lasting 30 minutes. Their match was named "
Match of the Year This is a list of both active and inactive ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' awards created by professional wrestling and mixed martial arts (MMA) journalist Dave Meltzer. The first fourteen awards were created in 1980 as an informal poll betwee ...
" by ''
Pro Wrestling Illustrated ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishing Group. The maga ...
'' (''PWI''), with Varnado also being named "
Woman of the Year ''Woman of the Year'' is a 1942 American romantic comedy drama film directed by George Stevens and starring Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn. The film was written by Ring Lardner Jr. and Michael Kanin (with uncredited work on the rewritte ...
". In 2015, Varnado was promoted to WWE's main roster, where she went on to hold the
WWE Raw Women's Championship The WWE Women's Championship is a women's professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, defended on the SmackDown brand division. It is one of two women's world titles for WWE's main roster, alo ...
five times. In 2016, she and
Charlotte Flair Ashley Elizabeth Fliehr (born April 5, 1986) is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Charlotte Flair. Flair is a second-generation professional wrestler, being t ...
became the first women to headline a WWE pay-per-view event, the first to compete in a
Hell in a Cell Hell in a Cell is a professional wrestling steel cage-based match which originated in 1997 in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It features a large cell structure, a four-sided cuboid made from open-weave steel mesh chain-link f ...
match, and the first to win the ''PWI'' award for Feud of the Year. In 2019, she won the inaugural
WWE Women's Tag Team Championship The WWE Women's Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling Women's Tag Team Championship, women's tag team Professional wrestling, championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion, promotion WWE. It is th ...
with tag team partner, Bayley, at
Elimination Chamber The Elimination Chamber is a professional wrestling elimination-based match held in the WWE. The match was created by Triple H, and introduced by Eric Bischoff in November 2002. It features a large chain-linked circular steel structure which ...
. In 2020, she won the
WWE SmackDown Women's Championship The Women's World Championship is a women's professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, defended on the Raw brand division. It is one of two women's world titles for WWE's main roster, along ...
at
Hell in a Cell Hell in a Cell is a professional wrestling steel cage-based match which originated in 1997 in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It features a large cell structure, a four-sided cuboid made from open-weave steel mesh chain-link f ...
, becoming a
WWE Women's Grand Slam Champion The Grand Slam is an accomplishment recognized by various professional wrestling promotions in the United States and Japan. It is a distinction given to a professional wrestler who has either won four specific championships within a promotion th ...
and
WWE Women's Triple Crown Champion The Triple Crown is an accomplishment recognized by various professional wrestling promotions. It is a distinction made to a professional wrestler who has won three of a single promotion's Championship (professional wrestling), championships; spec ...
. That year, she was named " Wrestler of the Year" by ''
Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...
''. At
WrestleMania 37 WrestleMania 37 was a 2021 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was the 37th annual WrestleMania and took place as a two-night event on Saturday, April 10, and Sunday, April 11, 2021, at Raymond ...
, Varnado and opponent
Bianca Belair Bianca Nicole Crawford (née Blair; born April 9, 1989) is an American professional wrestler and fitness and figure competitor. she is signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown WWE brand extension, brand under t ...
became the first two black women to headline WrestleMania. After creative issues in 2022, Varnado walked out of WWE and ultimately left the company. She made her debut for NJPW/Stardom at
Wrestle Kingdom 17 Wrestle Kingdom 17 was a two-day professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event co-produced by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and Pro Wrestling Noah (Noah) promotions. The first day of the event took place on January 4, 2023, at the Tokyo Do ...
in January 2023 under the ring name Mercedes Moné and became a one-time IWGP Women's Champion. After her NJPW/Stardom contract ended in December that year, she signed with AEW the following month and made her debut at ''Dynamite'': Big Business in March 2024, subsequently winning the
AEW TBS Championship The AEW TBS Championship is a women's professional wrestling television championship created and promoted by the American promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Established on October 6, 2021, it is the secondary championship of the promotion's f ...
in her AEW in-ring debut at
Double or Nothing Double or nothing (UK often double or quits) is a gamble to decide whether a loss or debt should be doubled. The result of a "double or nothing" bet is either cancellation of a debt ''or'' the doubling of a debt. It can be seen as a gentleman's ag ...
two months later. Varnado is widely considered to be one of the greatest female professional wrestlers of all time. Outside of wrestling, she portrays the recurring character Koska Reeves in the
second The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of U ...
and
third Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', i.e., the third in a series of fractional parts in a sexagesimal number system Places * 3rd Street (di ...
seasons of the
Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
space western Space Western is a subgenre of science fiction that uses the themes and tropes of Western (genre), Westerns within science-fiction stories in an outer space setting. Subtle influences may include Deep space exploration, exploration of new, law ...
series ''
The Mandalorian ''The Mandalorian'' is an American space Western television series created by Jon Favreau for the streaming service Disney+. It is the first live-action series in the ''Star Wars'' franchise and begins five years after the events of the fil ...
''.


Early life

Mercedes Justine Kaestner-Varnado was born on January 26, 1992 in
Fairfield, California Fairfield is a city in and the county seat of Solano County, California, United States, in the North Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), North Bay sub-region of the San Francisco Bay Area. The city has a diversified economy, with government, manufac ...
. Her mother Judith is of
German descent Germans (, ) are the natives or inhabitants of Germany, or sometimes more broadly any people who are of German descent or native speakers of the German language. The constitution of Germany, implemented in 1949 following the end of World War ...
, while her father Reo Varnado was
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
. Her family moved to various places around the United States, including
Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...
, to find schools and hospitals for her
autistic Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by differences or difficulties in social communication and interaction, a preference for predictability and routine, sensory processing di ...
brother Joshua; they ultimately settled in
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
, where she would launch her
professional wrestling Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to Real life, real- ...
career. Varnado was an early fan of professional wrestling and grew up watching
All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling , nicknamed Zenjo (全女: 全 meaning "All", 女 meaning "Woman") was a ''joshi puroresu'' (women's professional wrestling) professional wrestling promotion, promotion established in 1968 by Takashi Matsunaga and his brothers. The group held the ...
(AJW). She attended online schooling.


Professional wrestling career


Early career (2010–2012)

Varnado began training in 2008 with
independent promotion In professional wrestling, the independent circuit (often shortened to the indie circuit or the indies) is the collective name of independently owned promotions which are deemed to be smaller and more regionalized than major national promotions. ...
Chaotic Wrestling Chaotic Wrestling, stylized as CHAOTIC, is an American independent wrestling promotion, which has been operating throughout New England since 2000; with its current home base in North Andover, Massachusetts. Chaotic Wrestling is known for p ...
in
Woburn, Massachusetts Woburn ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 40,876 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Woburn is located north of Boston. Woburn uses Massachusetts' ...
. Among her trainers was
Todd Smith Todd Smith may refer to: People * Todd Smith (musician), American singer, songwriter and guitarist * Todd Smith (politician), Canadian politician *Todd Smith, American vocalist and member of Selah * Todd Smith (wrestler), American wrestler * Todd ...
, who is currently signed to WWE under the ring name Ivar; she has alluded to her training regimen being harsh. Varnado made her debut on August 8, 2010, working under the
ring name A ring name is a type of stage name or nickname used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons ...
"Mercedes KV". Her first official match, put together by Smith, was a tag-team bout at the
National Guard Armory A National Guard Armory, National Guard Armory Building, or National Guard Readiness Center is any one of numerous buildings of the U.S. National Guard where a unit trains, meets, and parades. A readiness center supports the training, administrat ...
in
Quincy, Massachusetts Quincy ( ) is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the largest city in the county. Quincy is part of the Greater Boston area as one of Boston's immediate southern suburbs. Its population in ...
, before a crowd of roughly 70 people. Varnado spent the next two years wrestling in the
independent circuit In professional wrestling, the independent circuit (often shortened to the indie circuit or the indies) is the collective name of independently owned promotions which are deemed to be smaller and more regionalized than major national promotions. ...
, primarily for Chaotic Wrestling,
New England Championship Wrestling New England Championship Wrestling (NECW) is a dormant independent professional wrestling promotion based in the Northeastern United States that promoted events from 2000, owned and operated by Sheldon Goldberg. Its roster included independent wr ...
(NECW), and the
National Wrestling Alliance The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion and governing body owned by Billy Corgan and operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc. Founded in 1948, the NWA be ...
(NWA). She recounts being highly self-critical and competitive in her performances. In December 2011, Varnado won the Chaotic Wrestling Women's Championship by defeating Alexxis in a "I Quit" match. She held the title for 378 days, vacating it in December 2012 after signing a contract with
WWE World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...
.


WWE (2012–2022)


The BFFs (2012–2014)

In June 2012, Varnado participated in a
WWE World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...
tryout camp and on August 18, it was announced that she had been signed to a contract. She was assigned to NXT, WWE's
developmental territory Development of the human body is the process of growth to maturity. The process begins with fertilization, where an egg released from the ovary of a female is penetrated by a sperm cell from a male. The resulting zygote develops through mitos ...
, where she adopted the ring name Sasha Banks, and made her televised debut on '' NXT'' on December 12, losing to Paige. Banks then entered a storyline where she received letters from a secret admirer, who was eventually revealed to be
Audrey Marie Ashley Nicole Miller (born September 17, 1988) is an American retired professional wrestler and model. She is best known for her time with WWE in their developmental territory NXT under the ring name Audrey Marie. Professional wrestling career ...
, who returned and attacked Banks on the February 20 episode of ''NXT'', due to Marie's jealousy of Banks' success. Marie went on to defeat Banks in a match later that episode. Banks' feud with Marie came to an end on the April 3 episode of ''NXT'', when Banks teamed with Paige to defeat Marie and
Summer Rae Danielle Louise Moinet (born November 28, 1983) is an American model, actress, ring announcer, former professional wrestler, manager and American football player. She is best known for her tenure in WWE from 2011 to 2017, under the ring name Sum ...
. On the June 19 episode of ''NXT'', Banks competed in the
NXT Women's Championship The NXT Women's Championship is a women's professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It is defended on NXT, the promotion's developmental brand. The current champion is Jacy Jayne, who is in her fi ...
tournament A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concen ...
to determine the inaugural champion, but lost to Rae in the first round. After weeks of influence by Summer Rae to make herself relevant, Banks was defeated by the NXT Women's Champion Paige on the September 11 episode of ''NXT'', after which she attacked Paige after the latter attempted to console her, Banks turned heel. Two weeks later on ''NXT'', Banks defeated Bayley, while accompanied by Rae. After the match, Banks cut a
promo PROMO (Promoting Missouri) is a Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territ ...
with Rae and debuted a new
gimmick A gimmick is a novel device or idea designed primarily to attract attention or increase appeal, often with little intrinsic value. When applied to retail marketing, it is a unique or quirky feature designed to make a product or service "stand out ...
as "The Boss". Banks and Rae, who dubbed themselves The Beautiful, Fierce Females (BFFs), faced Paige and Emma on the October 16 episode of ''NXT'', where they emerged victorious. On the November 13 episode of ''NXT'', the BFFs defeated Bayley and Charlotte in a tag team match, when Charlotte attacked Bayley and aligned herself with Banks and Rae. In mid-January 2014, as Rae moved up to WWE's main roster, Banks and Charlotte began a rivalry with Bayley, who had aligned herself with Natalya, and lost in both singles and tag team matches. On April 6, Banks made an appearance at
WrestleMania XXX WrestleMania XXX was a 2014 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was the 30th annual WrestleMania and took place on April 6, 2014, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. This ...
as a part of
Triple H Paul Michael Levesque (; born July 27, 1969), also known by the ring name Triple H, is an American business executive and former professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he serves as its chief content officer. Levesque began his wres ...
's entrance. In May, Banks entered a
tournament A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concen ...
for the vacant NXT Women's Championship, defeating Bayley in the first round, but losing to Natalya in the semi-finals. On the July 3 episode of ''NXT'', Banks and Charlotte defeated Bayley and
Becky Lynch Rebecca Quin (born 30 January 1987), better known by the ring name Becky Lynch, is an Irish professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand and is the current WWE Women’s Intercontinental Champion in her ...
, only for Charlotte to leave Banks after the match to get attacked by Bayley, with Banks officially disbanding the BFFs in a backstage segment later that night.


NXT Women's Champion (2015)

On the August 14 episode of ''NXT'', Banks lost to Bayley in a match to determine the number one contender to the NXT Women's Championship. At NXT TakeOver: Fatal 4-Way on September 11, Banks attacked Bayley after her title match with Charlotte, before Charlotte stopped her. Becky Lynch turned on Bayley and aligned herself with Banks on the October 23 episode of ''NXT'' after Banks defeated Bayley in a singles match. Banks promptly began feuding with NXT Women's Champion Charlotte, leading to a match between the two at NXT TakeOver: R Evolution on December 11 with Charlotte's championship on the line, which Banks lost. Banks received a rematch on the December 25 episode of ''NXT'', where she was once again unsuccessful. Banks first appeared on WWE's main roster on the December 30, 2014, episode of ''
Main Event In sports, a card lists the matches taking place in a title match combat-sport event. Cards include a main event match and the undercard listing the rest of the matches. The undercard may be divided into a midcard and a lower card, according to ...
'', where she lost to Charlotte in a non-title match. On January 21, 2015, Banks received another title match against Charlotte, which she lost after Becky Lynch attacked Charlotte, causing a disqualification, which led to dissension between Banks and Lynch. On February 11, 2015, at NXT TakeOver: Rival, Banks won the NXT Women's Championship by pinning Charlotte in a fatal four-way match that also involved Lynch and Bayley. Banks successfully retained the championship against Charlotte twice,
Alexa Bliss Alexis Cabrera ( Kaufman; born August 9, 1991) is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Alexa Bliss. In 2013, Bliss signed a contract with WWE and was assigne ...
, and Becky Lynch. At NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn on August 22, Banks dropped the NXT Women's Championship to Bayley, thus ending her reign at 192 days. The match was highly praised by critics and won Match of the Year at the NXT Year-End Awards. At NXT TakeOver: Respect on October 7, Banks was defeated by Bayley in the
main event In sports, a card lists the matches taking place in a title match combat-sport event. Cards include a main event match and the undercard listing the rest of the matches. The undercard may be divided into a midcard and a lower card, according to ...
in the first
women's A woman is an adult female human. Before adulthood, a female child or adolescent is referred to as a girl. Typically, women are of the female sex and inherit a pair of X chromosomes, one from each parent, and women with functional uteruses ...
30-minute Iron man match in WWE history, losing two falls to three in what would be her last match in NXT.


Team B.A.D. (2015–2016)

Banks made her official debut on the July 13, 2015, episode of '' Raw'' along with Charlotte and Becky Lynch, after
Stephanie McMahon Stephanie Marie McMahon Levesque ( ; ; born September 24, 1976) is an American businesswoman and retired professional wrestler. She is known for her various roles within WWE between 1998 and 2023. The daughter of Vince McMahon, Vince and Lind ...
called for a "revolution" in the
WWE Divas World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...
division. While Lynch and Charlotte allied with Paige, who was feuding with Team Bella (
Alicia Fox Victoria Elizabeth Crawford (born June 30, 1986) is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where she performs under her real name as the on-screen Deputy Director of Authority, and also performs ...
,
Brie Brie ( ; ) is a soft cow's-milk cheese named after Brie (itself from Gaulish ''briga'', "hill, height"), the French region from which it originated (roughly corresponding to the modern of Seine-et-Marne). It is pale in colour with a slight gre ...
and And or AND may refer to: Logic, grammar and computing * Conjunction, connecting two words, phrases, or clauses * Logical conjunction in mathematical logic, notated as "∧", "⋅", "&", or simple juxtaposition * Bitwise AND, a Boolean oper ...
Nikki Bella Stephanie Nicole Garcia-Colace (born November 21, 1983), also known by the stage names Nikki Bella and Nikki Garcia, is an American television personality and professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE. She is the host of the game show, '' B ...
), Banks allied with
Naomi Naomi or Naomie may refer to: People and biblical figures * Naomi (given name), a given name and a list of people with the name * Naomi (biblical figure), Ruth's mother-in-law in the Old Testament Book of Ruth * Naomi (Romanian singer) (born 1977 ...
and Tamina, who later dubbed themselves as Team B.A.D. (Beautiful and Dangerous), leading to a brawl between the three teams. In her
WWE pay-per-view This is a list of WWE pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming supercards, detailing all professional wrestling cards promoted by the American promotion available on traditional PPV outlets, and livestreaming services such as the WWE Network, Pea ...
debut on July 19 at
Battleground A battlefield, battleground, or field of battle is the location of a present or historic battle involving ground warfare. It is commonly understood to be limited to the point of contact between opposing forces, though battles may involve troop ...
, Banks competed in a
triple threat match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...
against Charlotte and
Brie Bella Brianna Monique Danielson (born November 21, 1983), also known as Brie Bella and Brie Garcia, is an American television personality and retired professional wrestler. She is best known for her tenure in WWE. In 2007, Garcia signed with WWE and ...
, which Charlotte won. Banks went on to defeat Paige twice, first by
submission Deference (also called submission or passivity) is the condition of submitting to the espoused, legitimate influence of one's superior or superiors. Deference implies a yielding or submitting to the judgment of a recognized superior, out of re ...
on the July 20 episode of ''Raw'', in a
tag team match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...
where Banks teamed with Naomi for the first time, and again on the July 27 episode of ''Raw'' in a singles match. After defeating the Divas Champion
Nikki Bella Stephanie Nicole Garcia-Colace (born November 21, 1983), also known by the stage names Nikki Bella and Nikki Garcia, is an American television personality and professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE. She is the host of the game show, '' B ...
by submission in a non-title match on the August 17 episode of ''Raw'', Banks participated in the first-ever Divas number one contender's Beat the Clock challenge match, in which she fought Paige to a
time limit draw Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to Real life, real- ...
and Charlotte was named the number one contender. Following this, Banks rekindled her rivalry with Paige and defeated her twice on the September 7 and 14 episodes of ''Raw''. Although she lost in a fatal four-way number one contender's match for Charlotte's Divas Championship in November, Banks was not pinned and began a winning streak, defeating the likes of Brie Bella, Alicia Fox, and Becky Lynch on various shows. After a month off television, Banks returned at the
Royal Rumble The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after, and centered on, the Royal Rumble match, a modified Battle royal (professional wre ...
pay-per-view on January 24, 2016, attacking Charlotte and Becky Lynch after their championship match, showing her intentions to gain the Divas Championship. Prior to a match with Lynch on the February 1 episode of ''Raw'', Banks claimed that she was "on her own", signaling that she had moved on from Team B.A.D., only to be attacked by Naomi and Tamina during the match, turning Banks into a
fan favorite In professional wrestling, a face (babyface) is a heroic, "good guy", "good-doer", or "fan favorite" wrestler, booked (scripted) by the promotion with the aim of being cheered by fans. They are portrayed as heroes relative to the heel wrestler ...
in the process. The feud between Banks and Naomi and Tamina continued throughout February, and led to a tag team match at Fastlane on February 21, where Banks allied with Lynch to defeat the two. Banks and Lynch went on to compete in two matches to determine the number one contender for Charlotte's Divas Championship at
WrestleMania 32 WrestleMania 32 was a 2016 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming List of WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming supercards, event produced by WWE. It was the 32nd annual WrestleMania and took place on April 3, 2016, at the AT&T ...
, with the first bout ending in a
draw Draw, drawing, draws, or drawn most commonly refer to: * Draw (terrain), a terrain feature formed by two parallel ridges or spurs with low ground in between them * Draw (tie), in a competition, where competitors achieve equal outcomes * Draw ...
after a double pin occurred as both of their shoulders were down for the count, and the second in a
no contest ''Nolo contendere'' () is a type of legal plea used in some jurisdictions in the United States. It is also referred to as a plea of no contest or no defense. It is a plea where the defendant neither admits nor disputes a charge, serving as an ...
after both Banks and Lynch were attacked by Charlotte. As a result, a triple threat match between Banks, Lynch and Charlotte for the Divas Championship was announced for WrestleMania. At the event on April 3, the Divas Championship was
retire Retirement is the withdrawal from one's position or occupation or from one's active working life. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours or workload. Many people choose to retire when they are elderly or incapable of doing their j ...
d and replaced with the new
WWE Women's Championship The WWE Women's Championship is a women's professional wrestling Professional wrestling championship#World championships, world championship created and promoted by the United States, American professional wrestling promotion, promotion WWE, defe ...
, with all three women competing for it in the triple threat match; Banks was unsuccessful in capturing the new title at her WrestleMania in-ring debut.


Raw Women's Champion (2016–2017)

After a hiatus, Banks returned to WWE television in early June, and later reignited her feud with Charlotte over the WWE Women's Championship after an attack along with Paige on the June 20 episode of ''Raw''. This led to a tag team match the following week, on the June 27 episode of ''Raw'', where Banks and Paige scored the victory. Following multiple attacks and matches between Banks and
Dana Brooke Ashley Mae Sebera (born November 29, 1988), is an American professional wrestler and former bodybuilder, gymnast, fitness competitor, and model. She is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where she performs under the ring name Ash b ...
, Banks and her mystery partner Bayley defeated Brooke and Charlotte in a tag team match on July 24 at
Battleground A battlefield, battleground, or field of battle is the location of a present or historic battle involving ground warfare. It is commonly understood to be limited to the point of contact between opposing forces, though battles may involve troop ...
. After being drafted to the
Raw brand Raw is a brand of the American professional wrestling promotion WWE that was established on March 25, 2002. Brands are divisions of WWE's roster where wrestlers are assigned to perform on a weekly basis when a brand extension is in effect. Wrestl ...
as part of the 2016 WWE draft on July 19, 2016, Banks made her first appearance for the brand on July 25, where she defeated Charlotte to win the
WWE Women's Championship The WWE Women's Championship is a women's professional wrestling Professional wrestling championship#World championships, world championship created and promoted by the United States, American professional wrestling promotion, promotion WWE, defe ...
for the first time. On August 21 at
SummerSlam SummerSlam is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by the world's largest professional wrestling promotion, WWE. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's second biggest event of the year behind th ...
, Banks dropped the championship back to Charlotte, ending her reign at 27 days. Around that time, the title was renamed the Raw Women's Championship following the creation of the
SmackDown Women's Championship The Women's World Championship is a women's professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, defended on the Raw brand division. It is one of two women's world titles for WWE's main roster, along ...
. On September 25, Charlotte successfully retained the championship against Banks and Bayley in a
triple threat match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...
at Clash of Champions. Banks was granted a one-on-one rematch on the October 3 episode of ''Raw'', where she defeated Charlotte in the main event to capture her second Raw Women's Championship. Banks challenged Charlotte to compete for the championship in the first ever women's
Hell in a Cell Hell in a Cell is a professional wrestling steel cage-based match which originated in 1997 in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It features a large cell structure, a four-sided cuboid made from open-weave steel mesh chain-link f ...
match at the titular
Hell in a Cell Hell in a Cell is a professional wrestling steel cage-based match which originated in 1997 in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It features a large cell structure, a four-sided cuboid made from open-weave steel mesh chain-link f ...
pay-per-view event on October 30, which was then announced as the main event, making it the first time women had received the last match of a
pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program ...
card Card or The Card may refer to: Common uses * Plastic cards of various types: **Bank card **Credit card **Debit card **Payment card * Playing card, used in games * Printed circuit board, or card * Greeting card, given on special occasions Arts an ...
in WWE. At the event, Charlotte defeated Banks, again ending her reign at 27 days. A few weeks later, on November 20, Banks was part of Raw's women's team for
Survivor Series Survivor Series, branded as Survivor Series: WarGames since 2022, is a professional wrestling event produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving ( ...
, during which she was eliminated by Natalya, but Team Raw was ultimately victorious. On the November 28 episode of ''Raw'', after invoking her rematch clause a week prior, Banks defeated Charlotte in a
falls count anywhere match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...
to win the Raw Women's Championship for the record-tying third time. A 30-minute iron man match between the two took place at Roadblock: End of the Line on December 18, which resulted in a 2–2 draw, but Banks lost to Flair 3–2 in
sudden death overtime In a sport or game, sudden death (also sudden-death, sudden-death overtime, or a sudden-death round) is a form of competition where play ends as soon as one competitor is ahead of the others, with that competitor becoming the winner. Sudden death ...
. With the loss, the feud between the two ended, since it was stipulated that Banks could not invoke her rematch clause if she lost. On the February 13 episode of ''Raw'', Banks helped Bayley defeat Flair to win the Raw Women's Championship. At
WrestleMania 33 WrestleMania 33 was a 2017 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming List of WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming supercards, event produced by WWE. It was the 33rd annual WrestleMania and took place on April 2, 2017, at Camping Wo ...
, Banks participated in a
fatal four-way elimination match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...
for the title, where Bayley retained the championship. Months later, Banks faced
Alexa Bliss Alexis Cabrera ( Kaufman; born August 9, 1991) is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Alexa Bliss. In 2013, Bliss signed a contract with WWE and was assigne ...
for the Raw Women's Championship. Bliss retained the title at
Great Balls of Fire "Great Balls of Fire" is a 1957 popular song recorded by American rock and roll musician Jerry Lee Lewis on Sun Records and featured in the 1957 movie '' Jamboree''. It was written by Otis Blackwell and Jack Hammer. The Jerry Lee Lewis 1957 reco ...
, but Banks won it at
SummerSlam SummerSlam is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by the world's largest professional wrestling promotion, WWE. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's second biggest event of the year behind th ...
. Eight days later, Banks dropped the title back to Bliss on ''Raw''. At No Mercy on September 24, Banks received her rematch for the title as she took part in a
fatal five-way match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmick, gimmick matches" in the Glossary of professional wrestling terms, jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick m ...
which was won by Bliss.


The Boss 'n' Hug Connection (2017–2019)

In December, Banks competed in the first-ever women's match contested in
Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...
against Alexa Bliss. In 2018, Banks was the first entrant in the inaugural Women's Royal Rumble match, where she lasted 54:46, and the first women's
Elimination Chamber match Elimination may refer to: Science and medicine * Elimination reaction, an organic reaction in which two functional groups split to form an organic product *Bodily waste elimination, discharging feces, urine, or foreign substances from the body ...
. On the March 26 episode of ''Raw'', after weeks of animosity between the two, including Banks betraying Bayley during their matches, they brawled backstage and had to be separated. Banks and Bayley faced off in mid-April but their match ended in a no-contest after The Riott Squad (
Ruby Riott Dori Elizabeth Prange ( ; born January 9, 1991) is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where she performs under the ring name Ruby Soho, and is a former member of The Outcasts stable. She is also known ...
, Sarah Logan, and
Liv Morgan Gionna Jene Daddio (born June 8, 1994) is an American professional wrestler and actress. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Liv Morgan. She is one-half of the current WWE Women's Tag Team Champions wi ...
) interfered and attacked them both. In the following weeks, Banks competed in different singles and tag team matches in both winning and losing efforts. In June, after she defeated Ruby Riott in the finals of a gauntlet match for the last spot, Banks competed in a
Money in the Bank ladder match The Money in the Bank ladder match is a multi-person ladder match held by the professional wrestling promotion WWE. First performed at WWE's annual WrestleMania event beginning in 2005, a separate WWE Money in the Bank, Money in the Bank event w ...
for the first time in her career, that was ultimately won by Alexa Bliss. Throughout mid-2018, after Banks and Bayley continued to attack each other, they were told to attend counsellor meetings to help maintain their friendship. In July, the two reconciled and created a
tag team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establis ...
, known as "The Boss 'n' Hug Connection". After a short hiatus from the ring due to an undisclosed injury, Banks returned to WWE television in October, and took part in the first-ever all women's pay-per-view
Evolution Evolution is the change in the heritable Phenotypic trait, characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. It occurs when evolutionary processes such as natural selection and genetic drift act on genetic variation, re ...
, where she teamed with Bayley and Natalya in a winning effort against The Riott Squad. In November, Banks again competed at
Survivor Series Survivor Series, branded as Survivor Series: WarGames since 2022, is a professional wrestling event produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving ( ...
as part of Team Raw, where she was the last woman from the team that was eliminated by Asuka after an attack by teammate
Nia Jax Savelina Fanene (born May 29, 1984) is an Australian American professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Nia Jax ( ). Fanene signed to WWE in early 2014 and was first assigned to th ...
. On January 27, 2019, at the
Royal Rumble The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after, and centered on, the Royal Rumble match, a modified Battle royal (professional wre ...
, after she defeated Nia Jax to earn herself a title match, Banks unsuccessfully challenged
Ronda Rousey Ronda Jean Rousey ( ; born February 1, 1987) is an American professional wrestler, actress, and former judoka and mixed martial artist. She is best known for her tenures in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and WWE. She was the first Am ...
for the Raw Women's Championship. During the match with Rousey, Banks suffered a separated shoulder. On February 17, at the
Elimination Chamber The Elimination Chamber is a professional wrestling elimination-based match held in the WWE. The match was created by Triple H, and introduced by Eric Bischoff in November 2002. It features a large chain-linked circular steel structure which ...
, Banks and Bayley won the inaugural
WWE Women's Tag Team Championship The WWE Women's Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling Women's Tag Team Championship, women's tag team Professional wrestling, championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion, promotion WWE. It is th ...
by lastly eliminating
Mandy Rose Amanda Rose Saccomanno (born July 18, 1990) is an American professional wrestler, television personality, and fitness and figure competitor. She is best known for her career in WWE, where she performed under the ring name Mandy Rose, and was ...
and Sonya Deville in a six
tag team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establis ...
Elimination Chamber match Elimination may refer to: Science and medicine * Elimination reaction, an organic reaction in which two functional groups split to form an organic product *Bodily waste elimination, discharging feces, urine, or foreign substances from the body ...
. In their first title defense, Banks and Bayley successfully retained over Nia Jax and Tamina, at Fastlane, on March 10. At
WrestleMania 35 WrestleMania 35 was a 2019 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming List of WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming supercards, event produced by WWE. It was the 35th annual WrestleMania and took place on April 7, 2019, at MetLife ...
on April 7, Banks and Bayley lost the championship to
The IIconics The IInspiration are an Australian professional wrestling tag team consisting of Jessie McKay and Cassie Lee. They are both signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. They are best known for their time in WWE as The Iconic Duo and later The II ...
(
Billie Kay Jessica McKay (born 23 June 1989) is an Australian professional wrestler. She is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) under the ring name Jessie McKay. She is known for her time in WWE, where she performed under the ring name Billie ...
and
Peyton Royce Cassandra Arneill (née McIntosh) (born 10 November 1992) is an Australian professional wrestler. She is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) under the ring name Cassie Lee. She is known for her time with WWE, where she performed un ...
) in a
fatal four-way tag team match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...
, ending their first reign at 49 days.


Hiatus and renewed alliance with Bayley (2019–2020)

The following day, Banks cancelled an appearance on the morning talk show ''
Wendy Wendy is a given name generally given to girls in English-speaking countries. In Britain during the English Civil War in the mid-1600s, a male Captain Wendy Oxford was identified by the Leveller John Lilburne as a spy reporting on his activit ...
'' at the last minute. Throughout the week, speculation from
dirt sheet In the English speaking professional wrestling culture, a "dirt sheet" is a List of professional wrestling magazines, wrestling magazine, wrestling newsletter or List of professional wrestling websites, website that covers professional wrestling f ...
s emerged that she was looking to quit the company due to her longstanding frustrations with WWE. Banks held the impression that she and Bayley were going to have a long title reign to bring credibility to the
WWE Women's Tag Team Championship The WWE Women's Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling Women's Tag Team Championship, women's tag team Professional wrestling, championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion, promotion WWE. It is th ...
, with the two allegedly not being informed until the last minute that they would be dropping the titles at WrestleMania. Her talk show cancellation was reported to be due to a personal matter. As she had been dealing with depression, she asked
Vince McMahon Vincent Kennedy McMahon ( ; born August 24, 1945) is an American businessman and former professional wrestling promoter. McMahon, along with his later-estranged wife Linda McMahon, Linda, is a co-founder of the modern WWE, the world's largest ...
for her release. While McMahon denied her request, he granted Banks time off to reconsider her career. After a four-month hiatus, Banks returned and was paired with Bayley, both as
heel The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower leg. Structure To distribute the compressive forces exerted ...
s. Upon her return, Banks reignited her feud with Raw Women's Champion
Becky Lynch Rebecca Quin (born 30 January 1987), better known by the ring name Becky Lynch, is an Irish professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand and is the current WWE Women’s Intercontinental Champion in her ...
, leading to a Raw Women's Championship match at Clash of Champions. At the event, Banks took a win via disqualification, however, Lynch retained. Their feud eventually led to the second ever women's
Hell in a Cell match Hell in a Cell is a professional wrestling steel cage-based match which originated in 1997 in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It features a large cell structure, a four-sided cuboid made from open-weave steel mesh chain-link fenc ...
at the titular event, in which Banks was unsuccessful in winning the title. After she was drafted to the
SmackDown ''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE. It airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on USA Network in the United ...
brand as part of the 2019 draft, she then went on another brief hiatus from TV due to injuring her tailbone. When she returned, she was named captain of the SmackDown women's team, leading into
Survivor Series Survivor Series, branded as Survivor Series: WarGames since 2022, is a professional wrestling event produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving ( ...
. At the pay-per-view, Banks was the last woman standing for the SmackDown brand in the Women's Survivor Series match, but was pinned by
Rhea Ripley Demi Bennett (born 11 October 1996) is an Australian professional wrestler. As of July 2017, she is signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name Rhea Ripley. She is a List of Women ...
from Team NXT, who won the match. At
WrestleMania 36 WrestleMania 36 was a 2020 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was the 36th annual WrestleMania and was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw, SmackDown, and NXT brand divisions, the ...
, she participated in a fatal five-way elimination match for Bayley's SmackDown Women's Championship, where the champion retained.


SmackDown Women's Champion (2020–2021)

After WrestleMania 36, Banks and Bayley would begin teasing a potential
feud A feud , also known in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, private war, or mob war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially family, families or clans. Feuds begin ...
between the two, with the emphasis being put on the narrative that Banks is the reason for Bayley's success and that Bayley is responsible for most of Banks' losing efforts. Despite their brewing dispute, Banks and Bayley reclaimed the
WWE Women's Tag Team Championship The WWE Women's Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling Women's Tag Team Championship, women's tag team Professional wrestling, championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion, promotion WWE. It is th ...
on the June 5 episode of ''SmackDown'' by defeating
Alexa Bliss Alexis Cabrera ( Kaufman; born August 9, 1991) is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Alexa Bliss. In 2013, Bliss signed a contract with WWE and was assigne ...
and
Nikki Cross Nicola Glencross (born 21 April 1989) is a Scottish professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE where she performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown brand under the ring name Nikki Cross and is a member of The Wyatt Sicks faction. In WWE, ...
. During the reign, Banks and Bayley began feuding with Raw Women's Champion Asuka, leading to a Raw Women's Championship match between Banks and Asuka at
The Horror Show at Extreme Rules The Horror Show at Extreme Rules was a 2020 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was the 12th annual Extreme Rules and was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisi ...
, which ended in a controversial finish. A rematch took place eight days later on ''Raw'', where Banks defeated Asuka to win the Raw Women's Championship for a record-setting fifth time. With the win, Banks and Bayley became the first female tag team—and the fifth overall—in history to hold singles and tag team titles simultaneously. Throughout August, Asuka and Banks continued their feud, which culminated in a title match at
SummerSlam SummerSlam is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by the world's largest professional wrestling promotion, WWE. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's second biggest event of the year behind th ...
on August 23, where Banks dropped the Raw Women's Championship back to Asuka. A week later at
Payback Payback may refer to: * Revenge, a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance Payback may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media Fictional entities * Payback, a member of the fictional comics superhero team Shado ...
, Banks and Bayley dropped the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship to
Nia Jax Savelina Fanene (born May 29, 1984) is an Australian American professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Nia Jax ( ). Fanene signed to WWE in early 2014 and was first assigned to th ...
and
Shayna Baszler Shayna Andrea Baszler ( ; born August 8, 1980) is an American professional wrestler and a former kickboxer and mixed martial artist. She is best known for her time in WWE, where she became a former List of NXT Women's Champions, two-time and lon ...
, ending their second reign at 85 days. On the September 4 episode of ''SmackDown'', after losing a rematch to Jax and Baszler, Bayley turned on Banks by brutally attacking her in the ring, thereby turning the latter
face The face is the front of the head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may affect th ...
in the process and disbanding their team. The feud between the two eventually culminated in a
Hell in a Cell match Hell in a Cell is a professional wrestling steel cage-based match which originated in 1997 in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It features a large cell structure, a four-sided cuboid made from open-weave steel mesh chain-link fenc ...
at the eponymous pay-per-view, where Banks submitted Bayley to win the
SmackDown Women's Championship The Women's World Championship is a women's professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, defended on the Raw brand division. It is one of two women's world titles for WWE's main roster, along ...
for the first time in her career. With the win, Banks became the third Women's Grand Slam and fourth Triple Crown Champion. On the November 6 episode of ''SmackDown'', Banks defeated Bayley in a SmackDown Women's Championship rematch to retain the title, thus ending her drought of unsuccessful defenses with a main roster singles title. At the TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs event on December 20, Banks defeated Carmella by submission to retain the SmackDown Women's Championship. At the
Royal Rumble The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after, and centered on, the Royal Rumble match, a modified Battle royal (professional wre ...
pay-per-view on January 31, Banks defeated Carmella in a rematch from
TLC TLC may refer to: Arts and entertainment Television * ''TLC'' (TV series), a 2002 British situational comedy television series that aired on BBC2 * TLC (TV network), formerly the Learning Channel, an American cable TV network ** TLC (Asia), an A ...
to retain the SmackDown Women's Championship. Later on in the night,
Bianca Belair Bianca Nicole Crawford (née Blair; born April 9, 1989) is an American professional wrestler and fitness and figure competitor. she is signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown WWE brand extension, brand under t ...
would go on to win the women's Royal Rumble match, thereby granting her an opportunity to challenge for a
women's championship The Women's Super League 2, also known as Barclays Women's Super League 2 for sponsorship reasons, is a professional football league in England, operated by WSL Football. It is the second-highest division of women's football in England. The div ...
of her choice at
WrestleMania 37 WrestleMania 37 was a 2021 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was the 37th annual WrestleMania and took place as a two-night event on Saturday, April 10, and Sunday, April 11, 2021, at Raymond ...
. In the weeks to follow, Banks and Belair would proceed to build up to the reveal of Belair's opponent of choice on ''SmackDown'', up until the February 26 episode of the aforementioned show, when Belair officially chose to face Banks for the SmackDown Women's Championship at the event. Over the following month, the two would team up to challenge
Nia Jax Savelina Fanene (born May 29, 1984) is an Australian American professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Nia Jax ( ). Fanene signed to WWE in early 2014 and was first assigned to th ...
and
Shayna Baszler Shayna Andrea Baszler ( ; born August 8, 1980) is an American professional wrestler and a former kickboxer and mixed martial artist. She is best known for her time in WWE, where she became a former List of NXT Women's Champions, two-time and lon ...
for the
WWE Women's Tag Team Championship The WWE Women's Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling Women's Tag Team Championship, women's tag team Professional wrestling, championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion, promotion WWE. It is th ...
at the
Elimination Chamber The Elimination Chamber is a professional wrestling elimination-based match held in the WWE. The match was created by Triple H, and introduced by Eric Bischoff in November 2002. It features a large chain-linked circular steel structure which ...
and Fastlane pay-per-view events, but were unsuccessful. On April 9, WWE announced that the bout between Banks and Belair would main event Night 1 of WrestleMania 37, thus marking the first time in the company's history that two
African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...
women would face each other in a marquee match. Furthermore, the two were the first African-American wrestlers in WrestleMania history to have faced each other in the main event of the show. At the event, Banks dropped the SmackDown Women's Championship to Belair, ending her reign at 167 days. After Banks' return in July, she was booked to face Bianca Belair for the SmackDown Women's Championship at
SummerSlam SummerSlam is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by the world's largest professional wrestling promotion, WWE. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's second biggest event of the year behind th ...
, but was ultimately pulled from the event. She had the title match at Crown Jewel on October 21, but as a triple threat match also involving new champion
Becky Lynch Rebecca Quin (born 30 January 1987), better known by the ring name Becky Lynch, is an Irish professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand and is the current WWE Women’s Intercontinental Champion in her ...
, where Banks was unsuccessful at regaining the title. At
Survivor Series Survivor Series, branded as Survivor Series: WarGames since 2022, is a professional wrestling event produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving ( ...
in November, Banks was captain of the SmackDown women's team, where she was eliminated via
countout Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to real-life wrest ...
following interference from her teammates.


Reunion with Naomi and departure (2022)

On January 2, 2022, Varnado sustained a
calcaneus In humans and many other primates, the calcaneus (; from the Latin ''calcaneus'' or ''calcaneum'', meaning heel; : calcanei or calcanea) or heel bone is a bone of the Tarsus (skeleton), tarsus of the foot which constitutes the heel. In some other ...
injury during a
house show A house show (also commonly called a live event) is a professional wrestling event produced by a major Professional wrestling promotion, promotion that is not televised, though they can be recorded. Promotions use house shows mainly to cash in o ...
match against
Charlotte Flair Ashley Elizabeth Fliehr (born April 5, 1986) is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Charlotte Flair. Flair is a second-generation professional wrestler, being t ...
. She would make her return on the January 28 episode of ''
SmackDown ''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE. It airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on USA Network in the United ...
'', where she declared herself an entrant for the Women's Royal Rumble match. At the
namesake A namesake is a person, place, or thing bearing the name of another. Most commonly, it refers to an individual who is purposely named after another (e.g. John F. Kennedy Jr would be the namesake of John F. Kennedy). In common parlance, it may ...
event, Banks entered first, eliminating Melina and
Kelly Kelly Barbara Jean Blank Coba (née Blank; January 15, 1987), known professionally as Barbie Blank and by her ring name Kelly Kelly, is an American model and former professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE under a legends contract. Blank has a ...
before being eliminated by
Zelina Vega Thea Megan Trinidad Büdgen (born December 27, 1990) is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Zelina Vega and is the current Women's United States Champion in he ...
. On the February 25 episode of ''SmackDown'',
Naomi Naomi or Naomie may refer to: People and biblical figures * Naomi (given name), a given name and a list of people with the name * Naomi (biblical figure), Ruth's mother-in-law in the Old Testament Book of Ruth * Naomi (Romanian singer) (born 1977 ...
announced that she and Banks were going to challenge for the
WWE Women's Tag Team Championship The WWE Women's Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling Women's Tag Team Championship, women's tag team Professional wrestling, championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion, promotion WWE. It is th ...
. At Night 2 of
WrestleMania 38 WrestleMania 38 was a 2022 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming List of WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming supercards, event produced by WWE. It was the 38th annual WrestleMania and took place as a two-night event on Saturda ...
, Banks and Naomi won the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship for the first time as a team, the first time for Naomi and the third time for Banks. Banks and Naomi's title defense on the May 13 episode of ''SmackDown'' would be Banks' last televised WWE appearance, and their match at a
WWE Live A house show (also commonly called a live event) is a professional wrestling event produced by a major promotion that is not televised, though they can be recorded. Promotions use house shows mainly to cash in on the exposure that they and their ...
event on May 15 proved to be Banks' final WWE match, as during the May 16 episode of ''Raw'', Banks and Naomi reportedly walked out on WWE due to a creative dispute with
Vince McMahon Vincent Kennedy McMahon ( ; born August 24, 1945) is an American businessman and former professional wrestling promoter. McMahon, along with his later-estranged wife Linda McMahon, Linda, is a co-founder of the modern WWE, the world's largest ...
. WWE released an official statement claiming that the two "walked into WWE Head of Talent Relations
John Laurinaitis John Hodger Laurinaitis (born July 31, 1962), also known by his former ring name Johnny Ace, is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and business executive. He has wrestled for such promotions as World Championship ...
' office with their suitcases in hand, placed their tag team championship belts on his desk and walked out". The two were originally booked for the show's main event, which had to be reworked. On the following episode of ''
SmackDown ''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE. It airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on USA Network in the United ...
'', it was announced that Banks and Naomi had been suspended indefinitely, therefore vacating the titles, ending their reign at 46 days. In December 2022, it was reported that negotiations over compensation had fallen through during the summer and that Banks was done with WWE.


New Japan Pro-Wrestling / World Wonder Ring Stardom (2023–present)

After months of speculation, Varnado made her debut appearance for
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Puroresu, Japanese professional-wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, and based in Nakano, Tokyo. It is currently majority owned by card-game company Bushiroad, with TV As ...
(NJPW) on January 4, 2023, at
Wrestle Kingdom 17 Wrestle Kingdom 17 was a two-day professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event co-produced by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and Pro Wrestling Noah (Noah) promotions. The first day of the event took place on January 4, 2023, at the Tokyo Do ...
. Now going by the ring name Mercedes Moné, she confronted and subsequently attacked reigning IWGP Women's Champion Kairi and announced that she had joined both NJPW and its sister promotion
World Wonder Ring Stardom , is a Japanese ''joshi puroresu'' or women's professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion based in Nakano, Tokyo, Japan. Stardom was founded in September 2010 by former All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling (AJW) co-producer Ross ...
, establishing herself as a heel. This led to a title match between the two at Battle in the Valley on February 18, in which Moné defeated Kairi to win the title. In her first title defense at
Sakura Genesis Sakura Genesis is an annual professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) since Invasion Attack (2013), 2013. Held annually at Tokyo's Ryōgoku Kokugikan, the event has been nicknamed . Originally known as Invasion Attack ...
on April 8, Moné defeated AZM and Hazuki in a
three-way match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...
. After the match,
Mayu Iwatani (born February 19, 1993) is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently signed to Dream Star Fighting Marigold, where she is the current Marigold Super Fly Champion in her first reign. She is best known for her tenure with World Wonder Ring Sta ...
challenged Moné to a title match Stardom All Star Grand Queendom. At the event, Moné lost the IWGP Women's Championship to Iwatani, ending her reign at 64 days. At Resurgence on May 21, Moné participated in a tournament to crown the inaugural
Strong Women's Champion The is a women's professional wrestling World Championship (professional wrestling), world Championship (professional wrestling), championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) professional wrestling promotion, promotion. The creation ...
, defeating
Stephanie Vaquer Ana Stephanie Vaquer González (born March 29, 1993), is a Chilean Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand. She is a former one-time NXT Women' ...
to advance to the finals, before losing to
Willow Nightingale Danielle Paultre (born January 25, 1994), better known by the ring name Willow Nightingale, is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where she is a current member of The Conglomeration and a former AEW T ...
. Moné sustained an ankle injury during the match against Nightingale. In December 2023, it was reported that Moné was no longer under contract with NJPW. On June 30, 2024, at
Forbidden Door Forbidden Door or ''The Forbidden Door'' may refer to: * ''The Forbidden Door'', professional wrestling term referring to working agreement between promotions * AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door, professional wrestling joint events: ** Forbidden Door ( ...
, Moné defeated Stephanie Vaquer to win the Strong Women's Championship in a
Winner Takes All match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...
that also involved Moné's
AEW TBS Championship The AEW TBS Championship is a women's professional wrestling television championship created and promoted by the American promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Established on October 6, 2021, it is the secondary championship of the promotion's f ...
. She successfully defended her title against
Momo Watanabe (born March 22, 2000) is a Japanese professional wrestler. She is signed to World Wonder Ring Stardom, where she is a member of H.A.T.E. Since Watanabe made her Stardom debut on November 16, 2014, she became a three-time Artist of Stardom Cha ...
at Capital Collision and Hazuki at Strong Style Evolved. Moné then defeated
Mina Shirakawa is a Japanese professional wrestler and Television personalities in Japan, ''tarento''. , she is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). She also makes appearances for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and Ring of Honor (ROH). Shirakawa first gained ...
in a Winner Takes All match at
Wrestle Dynasty Wrestle Dynasty was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event co-produced by the Japanese promotions New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and World Wonder Ring Stardom, the American promotions All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and Ring of Honor (ROH) ...
on January 5, 2025, retaining the Strong title and winning Shirakawa's Undisputed British Women's Championship. With the TBS Championship, this made her a triple champion across three promotions. On May 9 at Resurgence, Moné lost the Strong Women's Championship to AZM in a three-way match also involving Shirakawa.


All Elite Wrestling (2024–present)

In August 2023, Moné made a cameo appearance as an audience member at the
All Elite Wrestling All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is an American professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. It is owned and operated by Shahid Khan, Shahid and Tony Khan, with the latter serving as President (corporate title), president an ...
(AEW) pay-per-view event All In. In February 2024, ''Fightful'' and Andrew Zarian of ''Mat Men Radio'' reported that Moné had signed with AEW the previous month. Moné officially debuted for AEW on March 13, 2024, on a special episode of ''Dynamite'' titled
Big Business Big business involves large-scale corporate-controlled financial or business activities. As a term, it describes activities that run from "huge transactions" to the more general "doing big things". In corporate jargon, the concept is commonly ...
as a babyface, which took place at the
TD Garden TD Garden (named the FleetCenter from opening until 2005 and TD Banknorth Garden until 2009) is a multi-purpose arena in Boston. It is located directly above the MBTA's North Station, and it replaced the original Boston Garden upon opening i ...
in her adopted hometown of
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
. At the end of the episode, Moné came to the ring to save
Willow Nightingale Danielle Paultre (born January 25, 1994), better known by the ring name Willow Nightingale, is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where she is a current member of The Conglomeration and a former AEW T ...
from an attack by
Julia Hart Julia Hart may refer to: * Julia Hart (filmmaker) (born 1982), American filmmaker and actress * Julia Hart (wrestler) Julia Hart (born November 8, 2001) is an American professional wrestler and former cheerleader. She is signed to All Elite W ...
and
Skye Blue Skylar Dolecki (born October 2, 1999) is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Skye Blue. She also wrestles for Ring of Honor (ROH). Blue has also appeared on National Wrestling Al ...
. Within the span of 35 days, Moné made her in-ring debut at on May 26 at
Double or Nothing Double or nothing (UK often double or quits) is a gamble to decide whether a loss or debt should be doubled. The result of a "double or nothing" bet is either cancellation of a debt ''or'' the doubling of a debt. It can be seen as a gentleman's ag ...
, where she defeated Nightingale to win the
AEW TBS Championship The AEW TBS Championship is a women's professional wrestling television championship created and promoted by the American promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Established on October 6, 2021, it is the secondary championship of the promotion's f ...
and later won the
Strong Women's Championship The is a women's professional wrestling world championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. The creation of the championship was announced by NJPW on April 27, 2023. The title is exclusively featured on NJPW's Strong brand ...
from
Stephanie Vaquer Ana Stephanie Vaquer González (born March 29, 1993), is a Chilean Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand. She is a former one-time NXT Women' ...
on June 30 at
Forbidden Door Forbidden Door or ''The Forbidden Door'' may refer to: * ''The Forbidden Door'', professional wrestling term referring to working agreement between promotions * AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door, professional wrestling joint events: ** Forbidden Door ( ...
, becoming a double champion in the process. Moné would spend the rest of 2024 retaining the TBS Championship against wrestlers like
Britt Baker Brittany Ann Baker (born April 23, 1991) is an American professional wrestler and dentist. She is signed to All Elite Wrestling—where she performs under the ring name Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. and is a former AEW Women's World Championship, AEW W ...
at All In (during which time she turned heel and introduced Kamille as her bodyguard, working with her until November),
Hikaru Shida is a Japanese professional wrestler, martial artist, actress, and model. She is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where she is a former three-time AEW Women's World Champion, with her first reign being the longest in the title's history. She ...
at All Out, and
Kris Statlander Kristen Statlander (born August 7, 1995) is an American professional wrestler and stuntwoman. She is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where she performs under the ring name Kris Statlander and is a former one-time AEW TBS Champion. Early l ...
twice at Full Gear and Worlds End. On February 15, 2025, Moné successfully defended her title against
Harley Cameron Danielle Glanville is an Australian professional wrestler, singer, and model. She is signed to the American promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Harley Cameron. Early life Danielle Glanville was born in the small town of Alst ...
at Grand Slam Australia. On March 9 at
Revolution In political science, a revolution (, 'a turn around') is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society's class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain "a common set of elements ...
, Moné successfully defended her title against
Momo Watanabe (born March 22, 2000) is a Japanese professional wrestler. She is signed to World Wonder Ring Stardom, where she is a member of H.A.T.E. Since Watanabe made her Stardom debut on November 16, 2014, she became a three-time Artist of Stardom Cha ...
. On the March 29 episode of ''
Collision In physics, a collision is any event in which two or more bodies exert forces on each other in a relatively short time. Although the most common use of the word ''collision'' refers to incidents in which two or more objects collide with great for ...
'', Moné announced her entry into the women's bracket of the 2025
Owen Hart Cup The Owen Hart Foundation Tournament, simply known as the Owen Hart Cup, is a series of professional wrestling tournaments produced annually by the American promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW) in partnership with The Owen Hart Foundation. It consis ...
, a tournament where the winner will receive an
AEW Women's World Championship The AEW Women's World Championship is a women's professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by the American promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Established on October 2, 2019, the inaugural champion was Riho. The current cham ...
match at All In. After gaining victories over
Julia Hart Julia Hart may refer to: * Julia Hart (filmmaker) (born 1982), American filmmaker and actress * Julia Hart (wrestler) Julia Hart (born November 8, 2001) is an American professional wrestler and former cheerleader. She is signed to All Elite W ...
at
Dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family, usually in the context of a monarchy, monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A dynasty may also be referred to as a "house", "family" or "clan", among others. H ...
in the quarterfinal round and
Athena Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretism, syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarde ...
at ''Dynamite'': Spring BreakThru in the semifinal round, Moné defeated co-finalist
Jamie Hayter Paige Wooding (born 23 April 1995), better known by the ring name Jamie Hayter, is a British professional wrestler. She is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) where she is a former AEW Women's World Champion. Prior to signing with AEW, she ha ...
at
Double or Nothing Double or nothing (UK often double or quits) is a gamble to decide whether a loss or debt should be doubled. The result of a "double or nothing" bet is either cancellation of a debt ''or'' the doubling of a debt. It can be seen as a gentleman's ag ...
on May 25 to win the tournament and earn a shot against "Timeless" Toni Storm for the AEW Women's World Championship on July 12 at All In.


Independent circuit (2025–present)

On March 15, 2025, Moné made her debut for House of Glory (HOG) at City of Dreamz, defeating ROW Women's Champion
Indi Hartwell Samantha De Martin (born 17 August 1996), better known by the ring name Indi Hartwell, is an Australian professional wrestler. She is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). She is best known for her tenure in WWE from 2019 to 2024, wh ...
in a non-title match. After winning the
Revolution Pro Wrestling Revolution Pro Wrestling (RevPro/RPW) is a British professional wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion founded on 26 August 2012 by Andy Quildan after separating from International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom. Revolution Pro Wre ...
(RevPro) Undisputed British Women's Championship at
Wrestle Dynasty Wrestle Dynasty was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event co-produced by the Japanese promotions New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and World Wonder Ring Stardom, the American promotions All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and Ring of Honor (ROH) ...
in January 2025, she made her debut for the promotion on April 20 at High Stakes, successfully defending the title against
Kanji are logographic Chinese characters, adapted from Chinese family of scripts, Chinese script, used in the writing of Japanese language, Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese and are ...
. On June 6, Moné made a surprise appearance at Pratercatchen, an event produced by the European Wrestling Association (EWA), where she defeated the EWA Women's Champion Lexa Valo to win the title in a
three-way match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...
also involving Mila Smidt.


Other media


Video games

As Sasha Banks, Varnado made her
video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...
debut in ''
WWE 2K17 ''WWE 2K17'' is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and published by 2K for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows. It is the eighteenth game in the ''WWE'' game series (fourth under the '' ...
'', and subsequently appeared in ''
WWE 2K18 ''WWE 2K18'' is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and published by 2K (company), 2K. It is the nineteenth instalment in the WWE 2K, WWE game series (fifth under the ''WWE 2K'' banner) and a follow-up to ''WWE 2K17''. It wa ...
'', ''
WWE 2K19 ''WWE 2K19'' is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and published by 2K. It was released worldwide on October 9, 2018, for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. It is the twentieth game in the ''WWE'' series, th ...
'', ''
WWE 2K20 ''WWE 2K20'' is a professional wrestling video game developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K. It was released worldwide on October 22, 2019, for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. It is the twenty-first installment of the ...
'', and ''
WWE 2K22 ''WWE 2K22'' is a 2022 professional wrestling sports video game developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K. It is the twenty-second overall installment of the video game series based on WWE, the eighth game under the ''WWE 2K'' banner, a ...
''. She also appeared in the
mobile game A mobile game is a video game that is typically played on a mobile phone. The term also refers to all games that are played on any Mobile device, portable device, including from mobile phone (feature phone or smartphone), tablet computer, table ...
s ''
WWE SuperCard ''WWE SuperCard'' is a 2014 digital collectible card game featuring WWE Superstars for iOS and Android, and a mobile installment in the ''WWE'' video game series, under the ''WWE 2K'' banner, developed by Cat Daddy Games and published by 2K. As o ...
'' and ''WWE Mayhem'', as well as the ''
WWE 2K ''WWE 2K'', formerly released as ''WWF SmackDown!'', ''WWE SmackDown!'', ''WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw'', ''WWE SmackDown vs. Raw'', ''WWE'', and ''Exciting Pro Wrestling'' in Japan, is a series of professional wrestling sports simulation video game ...
'' spin-off, '' WWE 2K Battlegrounds''.


Television

Varnado made her acting debut in the second season (2020) of the
Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
series ''
The Mandalorian ''The Mandalorian'' is an American space Western television series created by Jon Favreau for the streaming service Disney+. It is the first live-action series in the ''Star Wars'' franchise and begins five years after the events of the fil ...
'', where she portrays Koska Reeves, a
Mandalorian Mandalorians are a fictional group of people associated with the planet Mandalore in the Star Wars universe and franchise created by Joe Johnston and George Lucas. Their appearance is often distinguished by gear such as battle helmets, armor ...
who serves under
Bo-Katan Kryze Bo-Katan Kryze (pronounced ; ) is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. She was introduced in the animated television series '' Star Wars: The Clone Wars'', in which she was voiced by Katee Sackhoff. Sackhoff subsequently reprise ...
as a member of the Nite Owls. In her final appearance as Sasha Banks, she was a celebrity contestant on an episode of the
USA Network USA Network (or simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Media Group division of Comcast's NBCUniversal. It was launched in 1977 as Madison Square Garden Sports Network, one of the first national sports ...
game show '' Barmageddon'', which aired on January 2, 2023. The episode was filmed before her departure from WWE.


Film

On January 13, 2023, it was reported that Varnado, alongside
Paul Ben-Victor Paul Ben-Victor (born ) is an American actor. He is best known for playing Greek mobster Spiros "Vondas" Vondopoulos on the HBO drama series ''The Wire'', Alan Gray in '' Entourage'' (2005–2008), and Ray in '' Body Parts'' (1991). Early lif ...
, had been cast for the 2023
action-thriller The action film is a film genre that predominantly features chase sequences, fights, shootouts, explosions, and stunt work. The specifics of what constitutes an action film has been in scholarly debate since the 1980s. While some scholars such as D ...
film '' The Collective'', playing a character named Nikita.


Music

"Song for Sasha Banks", written and performed by
The Mountain Goats The Mountain Goats are a United States band formed in Claremont, California, Claremont, California, by singer-songwriter John Darnielle. The band is currently based in Durham, North Carolina, Durham, North Carolina. For many years, the sole me ...
, tells the story of Varnado's childhood, watching
Chris Jericho Christopher Keith Irvine (born November 9, 1970), better known by the ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-Canadian professional wrestler, rock musician, and actor. As a wrestler, he has been signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) , where he ...
on ''
SmackDown ''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE. It airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on USA Network in the United ...
'', and then becoming a professional wrestler in her own right. It was released as a single digital track on June 18, 2018.


Others

Varnado, as Sasha Banks, served as honorary starter for the
2021 Daytona 500 The 2021 Daytona 500, the 63rd running of the Daytona 500, event, was a NASCAR Cup Series race that was held on February 14–15, 2021 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Contested over 200 laps on the Asphalt concrete, ...
. In September 2022, Varnado made her modeling debut at
New York Fashion Week New York Fashion Week (NYFW), held in February and September of each year, is a semi-annual series of events in Manhattan typically spanning seven to nine days when international Fashion design, fashion collections are shown to buyers, the pres ...
alongside
Naomi Naomi or Naomie may refer to: People and biblical figures * Naomi (given name), a given name and a list of people with the name * Naomi (biblical figure), Ruth's mother-in-law in the Old Testament Book of Ruth * Naomi (Romanian singer) (born 1977 ...
.


Filmography


Television


Film


Personal life

Through her father, Varnado is a first cousin of rapper
Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. ( ; born October 20, 1971), better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg), is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Rooted in West Coast hip-hop, he is widely regarded as one of t ...
, who helped develop her in-ring persona. She is a fan of
anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...
, citing ''
Sailor Moon is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi. It was originally serialized in Kodansha's Shōjo manga, ''shōjo'' manga magazine ''Nakayoshi'' from 1991 to 1997; the 60 individual chapters (later reorganized into ...
'' as one of her favorite series, and also a fan of
K-pop K-pop (; an abbreviation of "Korean popular music") is a form of popular music originating in South Korea. It emerged in the 1990s as a form of youth subculture, with Korean musicians taking influence from Western Electronic dance music, danc ...
, citing
BigBang BigBang (; stylized in all caps) is a South Korean boy band formed by YG Entertainment. The group consists of three members: G-Dragon, Taeyang, and Daesung. Originally a five-piece band, Seungri retired from the entertainment industry in March ...
as one of her favorite groups. Varnado has publicly discussed facing mental health struggles throughout her career. In an exclusive interview with ''
Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...
,'' she stated that after her first match, "I came back and I just started crying and bawling, just because I thought I did terrible. I cried after every single match when I was in the independents for my first two years. 'Cause I'm like, I suck. I wanna be the best. It wasn't this and that, but it's crazy how much of a competitor I am with myself. We're our own worst critics." She also described entering a "spiral of depression" due to personal guilt and backlash from fans after she accidentally seriously injured
Saraya Bevis Saraya-Jade Bevis (; born 17 August 1992) is an English professional wrestler. She is known for her time in All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where she performed mononymously as Saraya, and in WWE, where she performed under the ring name Paige. She ...
at a WWE show in late 2017. Varnado has also come out in support of other professional wrestlers who have publicized their mental health issues. Varnado has cited
Eddie Guerrero Eduardo Gory Guerrero Llanes (October 9, 1967 – November 13, 2005) was an American professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He was best known for his tenures in WWE, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and World Championship Wrestling ...
as her favorite wrestler and inspiration. She attended Guerrero's
memorial A memorial is an object or place which serves as a focus for the memory or the commemoration of something, usually an influential, deceased person or a historical, tragic event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects such as home ...
episode of '' Raw'' on November 14, 2005 in
Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...
; she was unaware that Guerrero had died before she arrived at the arena. On August 4, 2016, Varnado married retired professional wrestler and WWE costume designer Sarath Ton, widely known by his ring name Mikaze; the two met while they were both wrestling on the
independent circuit In professional wrestling, the independent circuit (often shortened to the indie circuit or the indies) is the collective name of independently owned promotions which are deemed to be smaller and more regionalized than major national promotions. ...
. Varnado and Ton amicably separated in late 2020, but kept the separation secret as she was concerned that she would face adverse
booking Booking may refer to: * Making an appointment for a meeting or gathering, as part of event planning/ scheduling * The intake or admission process into a prison or psychiatric facility. * ''Booking'' (manhwa), a Korean comics anthology magazine ...
from WWE's writers, including then-owner
Vince McMahon Vincent Kennedy McMahon ( ; born August 24, 1945) is an American businessman and former professional wrestling promoter. McMahon, along with his later-estranged wife Linda McMahon, Linda, is a co-founder of the modern WWE, the world's largest ...
; they officially filed for divorce in July 2024, and finalized on August 2.


Championships and accomplishments

*
All Elite Wrestling All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is an American professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. It is owned and operated by Shahid Khan, Shahid and Tony Khan, with the latter serving as President (corporate title), president an ...
**
AEW TBS Championship The AEW TBS Championship is a women's professional wrestling television championship created and promoted by the American promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Established on October 6, 2021, it is the secondary championship of the promotion's f ...
( 1 time, current) ** Women's Owen Hart Cup (
2025 So far, the year has seen the continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudanese civil war, and the Gaza war. Internal crises in Bangladesh post-resignation v ...
) *
CBS Sports CBS Sports is the American sports programming division of Paramount Global that is responsible for sports broadcasts carried by its broadcast network CBS and streaming service Paramount+, as well as the operator of its cable channel CBS Sports N ...
** Tag Team of the Year (2020) – *
Chaotic Wrestling Chaotic Wrestling, stylized as CHAOTIC, is an American independent wrestling promotion, which has been operating throughout New England since 2000; with its current home base in North Andover, Massachusetts. Chaotic Wrestling is known for p ...
** Chaotic Wrestling Women's Championship ( 1 time) * European Wrestling Association ** EWA Women's Championship (1 time, current) * ESPY Awards ** Best WWE Moment (2021) * Independent Wrestling Entertainment ** IWE Women's Championship (1 time) *
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Puroresu, Japanese professional-wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, and based in Nakano, Tokyo. It is currently majority owned by card-game company Bushiroad, with TV As ...
**
IWGP Women's Championship The is a women's professional wrestling world championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling promotion. The title is defended on shows promoted by NJPW in Japan, with talent from NJPW's sister promotion World Wonder Ring Stardom featuring as i ...
( 1 time) **
Strong Women's Championship The is a women's professional wrestling world championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. The creation of the championship was announced by NJPW on April 27, 2023. The title is exclusively featured on NJPW's Strong brand ...
( 1 time) * ''
Pro Wrestling Illustrated ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishing Group. The maga ...
'' **
Match of the Year This is a list of both active and inactive ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' awards created by professional wrestling and mixed martial arts (MMA) journalist Dave Meltzer. The first fourteen awards were created in 1980 as an informal poll betwee ...
(2015) **
Woman of the Year ''Woman of the Year'' is a 1942 American romantic comedy drama film directed by George Stevens and starring Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn. The film was written by Ring Lardner Jr. and Michael Kanin (with uncredited work on the rewritte ...
(2015) ** Feud of the Year (2016) ** Feud of the Year (2020) ** Tag Team of the Year (2020) – ** Ranked No. 2 of the top 50 female wrestlers in the '' PWI Female 50'' in 2016 ** Ranked No. 3 of the top 50 tag teams in the '' PWI Tag Team 50'' in 2020 – *
Revolution Pro Wrestling Revolution Pro Wrestling (RevPro/RPW) is a British professional wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion founded on 26 August 2012 by Andy Quildan after separating from International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom. Revolution Pro Wre ...
** Undisputed British Women's Championship ( 1 time, current) * Ring Wars Carolina ** RWC No Limitz Championship (1 time) * ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' ** Future Diva of the Year (2015) ** Ranked No. 4 of the 10 best WWE wrestlers of 2016 ** NXT Match of the Year (2015) ** Title Feud of the Year, NXT (2015) *
Sirius XM Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting corporation headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. The company was formed by the 2008 merge ...
Busted Open Radio ** Wrestler of the Year (2020) ** Tag Team of the Year (2020) – * ''
Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...
'' ** Ranked No. 8 of the top 10 female wrestlers in 2019 – ** Wrestler of the Year (2020) ** Women's Match of the Year (2024) * ''
Wrestling Observer Newsletter The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') is a newsletter that covers professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Founded in print in 1982 by Dave Meltzer, the ''Wrestling Observer'' website merged with Bryan Alvarez's ''Figure Four Wee ...
'' ** Worst Feud of the Year (2015) – Team PCB vs. Team B.A.D. vs. Team Bella ** Worst Feud of the Year (2018) vs. Bayley *
WWE World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...
**
WWE Raw Women's Championship The WWE Women's Championship is a women's professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, defended on the SmackDown brand division. It is one of two women's world titles for WWE's main roster, alo ...
( 5 times) **
WWE SmackDown Women's Championship The Women's World Championship is a women's professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, defended on the Raw brand division. It is one of two women's world titles for WWE's main roster, along ...
( 1 time) **
NXT Women's Championship The NXT Women's Championship is a women's professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It is defended on NXT, the promotion's developmental brand. The current champion is Jacy Jayne, who is in her fi ...
( 1 time) **
WWE Women's Tag Team Championship The WWE Women's Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling Women's Tag Team Championship, women's tag team Professional wrestling, championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion, promotion WWE. It is th ...
( 3 times, inaugural) – with Bayley (2), and
Naomi Naomi or Naomie may refer to: People and biblical figures * Naomi (given name), a given name and a list of people with the name * Naomi (biblical figure), Ruth's mother-in-law in the Old Testament Book of Ruth * Naomi (Romanian singer) (born 1977 ...
(1) ** Fourth WWE Women's Triple Crown Champion ** Third WWE Women's Grand Slam Champion **
NXT Year-End Award The NXT Year-End Awards is a concept used by WWE, where awards, similar to the Academy, Grammy and WWE's own Slammy Awards, are given to professional wrestlers who have competed in NXT in the previous year. There have been five editions of the c ...
( 1 time) *** Match of the Year (2015) **
Slammy Award The Slammy Awards, also known as the Slammys, is a concept used by WWE, where awards, similar to the Academy and Grammy Awards, are given to professional wrestlers and other individuals within WWE, such as commentators and managers. Introduced i ...
(2 times) *** Female Superstar of the Year (
2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...
) *** Double-Cross of the Year (2020) – Bayley attacks Sasha Banks on ''SmackDown'' (September 4) ** Bumpy Award (2 times) *** Tag Team of the Half-Year (2020) – with Bayley *** Best Match of the Half-Year (2021)


Awards and nominations


Notes


References


External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Moné, Mercedes 1992 births 21st-century African-American women 21st-century American actresses 21st-century female professional wrestlers 21st-century American professional wrestlers Actresses from Boston Actresses from the San Francisco Bay Area African-American professional wrestlers All Elite Wrestling personnel American female professional wrestlers American people of German descent American television actresses Living people People from Fairfield, California Professional wrestlers from Boston Professional wrestlers from California Professional wrestling managers and valets AEW TBS Champions IWGP Women's Champions NXT Women's Champions Strong Women's Champions Women's World Champions (WWE) WWE Grand Slam champions WWE Women's Champions WWE Women's Tag Team Champions 21st-century American sportswomen Undisputed British Women's Champions