Mercedes Mone, who wrestled in WWE under the name Sasha Banks, recently had her first full-length interview with Njpw and took the opportunity to throw a little bit of shade at her former employer. The 31-year-old made her long-awaited return to the wrestling ring on January 4 at New Japan's Wrestle Kingdom 17 show. She didn't wrestle and instead challenged Njpw Women's Champion Kairi to a match at Battle In The Valley. That show sold out, with Mone vs. Kairi being the only confirmed match, showing that the former Sasha Banks has plenty of drawing power outside of North America's two biggest promotions—the other being Aew, where Mone had been rumored to land.

During her interview with njpw1972.com, Mone spoke about how excited she was to join the all-women promotion, Stardom. She took a slight jab at WWE in the process, stating, "I've only gotten to experience WWE Evolution as an all women's show.