RUMOR KILLER On Mercedes Mone's New Japan Payday

She’s worth it? One of the bigger moments of the wrestling year so far was the debut of Mercedes Mone, formerly known as Sasha Banks during her time in WWE, in New Japan Pro Wrestling. This was Mone’s first wrestling appearance in about seven months after walking out on WWE. It was a big acquisition for New Japan but now we know a little something else about the appearance.

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Before Mone’s January 4 debut, a rumor circulate that she would make more money per appearance than Chris Jericho during his most recent New Japan run. Jericho refuted the claim, saying that he was never given a guaranteed amount per appearance and was paid according to the show’s revenue. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the rumor, which has begun circulating again, is inaccurate, as Mone is not making as much as Jericho. She is also not making as much as she could make with WWE or AEW, but is working New Japan as a “bucket list” item. Mone makes her New Japan debut on February 18.

For the record, the money I reportedly made during my run with @njpw1972 from 2018-2020 online currently is completely wrong. I never had a flat per appearance deal, I was paid according to the event. And I made more per event than I did for MOST of my Wrestlemania matches.

— Chris Jericho (@IAmJericho) December 16, 2022

This could be a big one. Check out Mone’s New Japan debut and some of her time in the ring for WWE:

Opinion: That makes a bit more sense as Mone is a star, but not one on the level of Jericho. What matters is that she is getting to do what she wants and that should make for a special time in her career. Hopefully she is able to be happy with what she is doing, as she worked very hard to get where she is now. Her time in New Japan should be a lot of fun and her first match against Kairi has all kinds of potential.