Mercedes Mone has been one of the best performers in wrestling and her stint in All Elite Wrestling continues to prove that point. While some fans are purposely missing the point of her run as the “Ultimo,” it is setting up what will be an interesting 2026 for Mone and the rest of the women’s division. One such name is ATHENA who is Mone’s tag team partner at AEW World’s End 2025. Don’t expect them to win the tag team titles. Instead, this is the match that will lead to ATHENA being the one to take the TBS Championship.
Mercedes Mone and ATHENA versus The Babes of Wrath will be a fun match on December 27. Willow Nightingale and Harley Cameron are the perfect choice to hold the inaugural AEW Women’s Tag Team Championship and they will have a fun reign at the top. It is too early to see them lose those titles, even against a formidable pair like ATHENA and Mone. But these two women are excellent singles performers, and that is where their story against each other lies.
Mercedes Mone vs ATHENA will finally get the time it deserves in 2026
The story that Mercedes Mone is telling will be fun to watch in 2026. She’s going to lose all those precious titles one-by-one and will fall into madness along the way. By the time she’s holding only the TBS Championship she’ll be behaving like Gollum from The Lord of the Rings. That is where Athena will show up to snatch that title from her waist.
Athena is the perfect woman to take the TBS Championship from Mercedes Mone. She’s the longest-reigning champion in Ring of Honor history. Along the way, she’s done so much to elevate women’s wrestling in ROH. Seeing her become a “full-time” addition to the AEW main roster by taking Mone’s last title would be a career-defining moment for Athena; even though she’s already had a great career.
Mone and Athena would tell an amazing story against each other. They’ve had matches and moments against each other so far, but all of that will lead to the longer tail there is to tell. There’s no hesitation to recognize that they’ll have amazing matches along the way as well. These are two of the best women in wrestling in their physical primes. Fans are right to be excited.
Mercedes Mone and Athena are challenging The Babes of Wrath at AEW World’s End. Don’t look at this match as if there is anything long term planned for Athena and Mone as a tag team. Instead, this will be the match that leads to a major feud in 2026 where Athena will be the one to take that TBS Championship from Mone.