Mercedes Mone Reflects On AEW Dynamite Return, Comeback Outfit & Collision Appearance

Mone entered the Owen tournament as the wild card, after now-former TBS Champion Willow Nightingale had to pull out of the event due to injury. Many fans speculated about her return, but even reports leading up to “Dynamite” that Wednesday were unclear if “The CEO” would be returning.

After Windsor made her way to the ring, Mone’s music hit, and the crowd in Richmond, Virginia went wild. She hadn’t been seen on “Dynamite” since her TBS title loss to Nightingale on the New Years Eve edition of the show. In “Mone Mag,” the star said that she and Windsor have “great chemistry.”

“But the CEO always collects,” Mone said. “And I made that b**** tap out. Just like she deserved.”

Mone said the best part of “Dynamite” was getting backstage and reuniting with everyone. She said she was thankful to work in the AEW environment and be surrounded by people she cares about, and welcomed her back. “The CEO” said after talking to AEW President Tony Khan, she decided to make a stop at “Collision” to “say hello” to Persephone, who defeated Mone for the CMLL women’s title, and Hazuki.

“After all… Everyone knows I run Wednesdays. But sometimes people need to be reminded that I run Saturdays too,” she wrote.

Mone and Hazuki will face off in the semi-finals of the Owen Hart tournament on “Dynamite” on June 17. The match will determine who goes on to AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door at the end of the month, where the winners of both sides of the bracket will compete for a shot at the AEW Women’s World Championship at All In: London.

Report Details Snag In Arbitration Process Between AEW & Ryan Nemeth

For most people, it would seem that Ryan Nemeth’s 2025 lawsuit against AEW, Tony Khan, and CM Punk came and went rather quickly, after Nemeth voluntarily dismissed the suit two months after filing, in favor of arbitration. A year later, however, the arbitration process is nowhere closer to being resolved, and AEW appears to blame Nemeth for that.

POST Wrestling reports that on June 5, the promotion petitioned the U.S. District Court in the Middle District of Florida to compel Nemeth to arbitrate the dispute at the Duval County, Florida offices of JAMS, a private company “designed to help resolve disputes and arbitrate.” AEW has previously designated JAMS to settle contractual disputes in their deals. In addition, AEW charges that Nemeth “misrepresented and misled” them with his conduct after both sides agreed to arbitration last April.

The renewed issues began after Nemeth had filed a demand to have arbitration take place at a JAMS office in Orange County, California, along with an assortment of unsupported claims under the California Labor Code.” AEW argued that those laws didn’t apply to Nemeth, as he was an independent contractor and not an employee.

This led to AEW attempting to move arbitration to Florida, a request denied by JAMS. Afterwards, the arbitration company presented both sides with a list of ten locations between California, New York, and Florida, allowing both AEW and Nemeth to strike two locations from the list, and rank the others “in terms of preference.”

Ultimately, the move didn’t work, with AEW arguing against holding arbitration anywhere in California, and insisting it be held in Duval County, leading to the recent petition. In addition, the promotion is also seeking “to prevent Nemeth from prosecuting an arbitration in violation of the agreement,” as well as attorney fees and other costs related to the proceedings. They also filed a separate motion, asking to seal confidential information regarding the agreements they made with Nemeth in both 2021 and 2023.

Nikki Bella Wants ‘Meaningful Story’ In WWE After She Returns From Injury

WWE’s Nikki Bella has been out of action since March after suffering an ankle injury, causing her to miss WrestleMania 42, where she was booked to win the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships with Brie Bella. Before reuniting with her sister, Nikki Bella turned heel in the pursuit of the Women’s World Championship, and during a recent interview with “Casino Guru,” she expressed wanting to play the villain again while being inserted into a noteworthy storyline before her contract expires in January 2028.

“I want a meaningful story. I’d love to be a heel. I just want to have that type of creative, that story that we used to have. I need that,” she explained. “I don’t want to show up every week and not know what’s going on, and let’s just get through TV … I want passion there, and I want something creatively that’s like, ‘Oh s***, she’s back.’ I really want to push myself outside the box. I would love to win a championship. It would be great to win a championship if it matches the story.”

Bella also labelled her injury status as “TBD,” but is hoping that she’ll be given the green light this month. “Until we get a look inside again through X-rays and MRIs, you just don’t know. I’m hoping in June at some point, and that’s why I’m working really hard on getting my strength back.”

Above all, Bella reiterated that she wants to be placed in an “epic story” before officially retiring from professional wrestling, but it remains to be seen if most of her final run will be alongside her sister, or if she will be chasing the goals she’s listed as a singles star. 

Backstage Update On Rumors Of Conflict Between CM Punk & WWE

Despite not being on “WWE Raw” since April, CM Punk is again the talk of the town after rumors circulated on Tuesday night that there was a conflict between him and WWE. And while several outlets indicated those rumors were false Wednesday afternoon, it hasn’t stopped those rumors, or others, from being speculated on. Fightful Select reports that, in addition to earlier rumors suggesting Punk and WWE had a dispute over something Punk “politicked” for at WrestleMania 42, Punk is also rumored to be upset over the “booking and treatment” of his wife, AJ Lee. It was also noted that there exist “vague rumors” over a WrestleMania incident involving Punk, though it was unclear if those rumors were related to Punk’s two altercations with fans that weekend.

Regarding the truthfulness of these rumors, it was noted that none of these claims had been verified, with at least dozens of WWE sources claiming they had heard nothing regarding Punk wanting out of his WWE contract, nor anything regarding him being asked to take a pay cut. It was also confirmed that plans did call for Punk to return to television, and that merchandise, dates, and a storyline were in place. However, there was no confirmation regarding why Punk had been kept off TV since the post-WrestleMania “Raw,” other than it was unrelated to disciplinary reasons. 

As for Lee, WWE sources scoffed at the idea that Punk would be upset with her direction, which was said to have been planned out and completed with no changes. Those who worked with Lee were also unaware of any issues Punk would’ve had with Lee’s creative. Finally, sources within WWE that were not friendly with Punk, nor keen on Punk’s return to WWE three years ago, also claimed they had yet to hear anything regarding a rift between WWE and Punk, or that Punk was looking to get out of the company.

Kay Lee Ray Reflects On Changing Her Name To Alba Fyre In WWE

Following her historic reign as WWE NXT UK Women’s Champion, Kay Lee Ray’s in-ring name would be changed to Alba Fyre shortly after making her debut for “WWE NXT” in Orlando, Florida. Once she was called up to WWE’s main roster, she continued to wrestle under Fyre despite many knowing her from the success she had in “WWE NXT UK,” and during a recent interview with the “Daily Star,” she explained how the name Alba Fyre was born.

“It was WWE’s idea. I pitched some names, but ultimately it was one that they suggested that we went with. And again, Alba Fyre, it’s Scottish Fire. That is what I am. They know what they’re doing. They’re WWE, and I always feel differently from independents. WWE, I’m an actor on their TV show. If they present a character to me, I’m going to play that character. But on the independents, I’m going to play the character that I want to play.” Ray also revealed the name she pitched to WWE before being given Alba Fyre. “Paisley was actually one that I suggested. I was born in Paisley, so some sort of like Paisley Ray or something like that, so it kind of went with the Kay Lee, but they were like, ‘No, you’re a badass. We need something fire.'”

This past April, Ray was part of WWE’s post-WrestleMania cuts, but the Scottish star recently shared an update on her release, revealing that her contract was expiring and that she made the decision not to re-sign with the company. Additionally, the 33-year-old just made her return to the independent wrestling scene last week when she defeated Molly Spartan at EVE 150: History Makers / Rule Breakers as Kay Lee Ray.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Daily Star” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.