Mercedes Moné Crowned IWGP Women’s Title In Her NJPW Debut at Battle In The Valley

By
PWMania.com Staff
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Mercedes Moné has been crowned the new IWGP Women’s Champion.

Moné made her NJPW in-ring debut Saturday night, defeating KAIRI to capture the IWGP Women’s Title in the co-main event of Saturday’s NJPW Battle In The Valley pay-per-view.

Following the lengthy match, former Sasha Banks and former Kairi Sane shook hands and hugged in the middle of the ring. They exchanged a few private words before KAIRI introduced Moné as the new champion.

This is Moné’s first title reign in NJPW, as she made her ring debut with the promotion. KAIRI became the inaugural champion on November 20, 2022, after defeating Mayu Iwatani in the tournament finals at NJPW and Stardom’s Historic X-Over event. KAIRI held the strap for 91 days in a row. KAIRI only defended the title once, defeating Tam Nakano at Wrestle Kingdom 17 on January 4, the same night Moné made her NJPW debut to face KAIRI.

Moné’s outfit paid homage to the late Hana Kimura. Former WWE Superstars fought in and out of the ring in the match, which included a powerbomb through a table by Moné. During the match, Moné paid tribute to WWE Hall of Famer Eddie Guerrero, as seen below.

Click here for NJPW Battle in the Valley results. Here are highlights from the match:

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