WWE Hall Of Famer Criticizes Mercedes Moné: “She’s Phoning It In”

On a recent episode of his Kliq This podcast, WWE Hall of Famer Kevin Nash shared his thoughts on BET.com’s list of the top 15 greatest Black professional wrestlers of all time, specifically commenting on AEW TBS Champion Mercedes Moné, formerly known as Sasha Banks in WWE.

Moné ranked fifth on the list (not third, as Nash mistakenly claimed), and while Nash acknowledged her past accomplishments, he was critical of her recent performances in AEW.

“They had Sasha Banks like three – all-time,” Nash said. “I don’t think Bobo Brazil made the list. Sasha, whatever her name is now, CEO… she was third, so I watched her match, man. She’s fcking—she’s phoning her sht in big time. That’s not the same girl I watched tear down the house in Brooklyn with Bayley.”

Moné made her AEW in-ring debut earlier this month and has been a centerpiece of the TBS Championship division, though Nash’s comments suggest he believes her performance level hasn’t matched her WWE peak.

Nash also discussed a recent hardcore spot involving Jon Moxley, who took a back bump onto a barbed “spike bat” wielded by Adam Copeland (formerly Edge) on AEW programming.

“It’s one thing if you get color on your forehead, because you’re going to go right in the back and put peroxide [on it]. You’re going to clean the hell out of that thing. But your back? You gotta buddy system that and have somebody clean you up,” Nash explained. “It wasn’t as bad as when Cody got burnt by that table—it wasn’t that bad.”

As always, Nash pulled no punches, offering blunt assessments of AEW talent and creative direction, drawing a contrast between safety in execution and performance quality.