Britt Baker Felt Pressure From AEW Fans To Return When “Shiny New Toy” Mercedes Mone “Wasn’t So Shiny”

Britt Baker is back in the All Elite Wrestling spotlight to shine.

The longtime face of the women’s landscape in AEW since the company’s inception recently returned to begin a rivalry with one of the former longtime faces of the women’s landscape in WWE.

During the latest installment of “Close Up With Renee Paquette,” the former AEW Women’s Champion was asked about the arrival of the current TBS and NJPW STRONG Women’s Champion Mercedes Mone.

“First, and even now, it’s exciting,” she said. “She’s arguably one of the biggest names in women’s wrestling and has been for a very long time. It’s cool that she chose AEW first and foremost. My pride and my heart started beating. It’s rewarding. I’m a part of something. I’ve helped build something that a star like Bryan (Danielson), Mercedes, Jay (White), Adam Copeland. They chose to come here. That’s so cool. They didn’t have to and they did. That was super rewarding because she’s always been one of my favorite wrestlers, and I’ve been very open about that. I’ve said that in many interviews. It was always a dream match of mine. Then, I started really paying attention to the things she was saying. You always have to have your finger on the pulse. To sort of brag about, ‘I’m the highest paid female in wrestling. I’m this. I’m that.’”

She continued, “What are your intentions? What are your intentions? To be the highest-paid female and talk about everything you’ve done and accomplished somewhere else, or are you here to be part of the revolution here? What’s going on in your heart? What do you really want to accomplish here? That’s where I start asking myself the question of we are on the same page with what our goals are for AEW. If we are, great. If we’re not, I think we’re going to butt heads. I have a different vision for what contributing to AEW is than what she does.”

As the interview continued, Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. spoke about “The CEO” being “the shiny new toy” that turned out not to be as shiny as expected, in her opinion, and how she felt pressure from the fans to return so she could “put her in her place and show her what AEW is really about.”

“This might be, a little arrogant of me, but I’m going to say it anyway,” Baker said. “One of the best things that happened to me, in my career and my position in AEW and where I’m at, was Mercedes coming here. It was almost like I heard the bird calls for Britt Baker to come back because the shiny new toy isn’t so shiny when it’s right in front of your face.”

Baker added, “Let’s bring that old toy back that is tried and true and is always going to be there. For me, the best thing that happened for my career was Mercedes Mone starting her AEW career. It made people want to see me back and put her in her place and show her what AEW is really about.”

Check out the complete episode of “Close Up With Renee Paquette” featuring Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. via the YouTube player embedded below. H/T to Fightful.com for transcribing the above quotes.