Bayley: I Miss Having Mercedes Mone In WWE, I Always Hope She’ll Come Back

Bayley misses her best friend, but will always support her. 

Bayley is set for one of the biggest matches of her career at WrestleMania 39 when she teams with Dakota Kai & IYO SKY to face Lita, Trish Stratus, & Becky Lynch. Bayley has always had her best friend Mercedes Mone (formerly Sasha Banks) by her side at WWE events, but Mone is no longer with the company, opting to sign with NJPW at the start of 2023. 

Speaking on the Ringer Wrestling Show, Bayley discussed Mercedes’ path.

“I was just texting her today or yesterday and was like, ‘Man, I miss having you here.’ I miss her in this environment. I miss her for the biggest show of the year. She’s who I feed off of for inspiration or ideas or (someone) to vent to. I know I can trust her the most. At the same time, what she’s doing, she’s carving a new path, she’s following her craziest dreams, she’s doing it literally on her own. You don’t have the WWE banner behind you. She’s doing everything she ever wanted, so successfully. To me, that’s inspiring. If she can do that on her own, I can be here without her and I’ll be okay. You start to feel sorry for yourself. ‘I need her, I have ideas and I don’t know who to talk to.’ I wouldn’t be in this position if it wasn’t for her. Seeing her do all that and seeing her so happy, and she’s so happy for me. In a weird way, I wish she was in this match because her dream match has been Trish Stratus, and she may get it someday. I’m like, ‘Man, I want you here.’ She’s like, ‘This is the coolest thing ever. It’s one of the biggest matches in your career, if not the biggest.’ She is there for me and I’m there for her and it’s the best,” she said. 

Bayley continued, “I always hope she’ll come back. If she does or doesn’t, that’s fine. Whatever makes her happy. I think she’s definitely showing people there is more and there are other ways. If you get released, there is so much more you can do. You can go other avenues and be successful and be all over wrestling, globally, and show people that don’t get hired off their tryouts, ‘you can go over there and still be successful and have amazing matches.’ If WWE isn’t your thing, you can go over there and do that. She’s showing them that it’s okay and you don’t have to be in one place to feel like you succeeded. She’s doing so much.”

Bayley went to Japan to be present for Mercedes debut at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17 and was at NJPW Battle in the Valley to see Mercedes win the IWGP Women’s Championship from KAIRI. 

Mone is scheduled to be in Los Angeles as part of the Wrestlecon signings. 

Fans can check out the lineup for WrestleMania 39 by clicking here. 

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