Mercedes Mone Reaches Major AEW Milestone, New AEW Tournament Announced, NJPW President Hiroshi Tanahashi Returns To AEW
Mercedes Mone has officially marked one full year as the AEW TBS Champion. She captured the title from Willow Nightingale at AEW Double or Nothing 2024.
Over the past year, Mercedes has established a dominant reign, successfully defending her title 17 times. Her list of victories includes wins over top names like Kris Statlander, Hikaru Shida, Britt Baker, Stephanie Vaquer, Anna Jay, and many others.
In addition to her title defenses, Mercedes remains undefeated in singles competition in AEW.
At AEW Double or Nothing 2025, she added another accolade to her resume by winning the Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament, defeating Jamie Hayter in the finals.
At AEW Double or Nothing 2025, chaos reigned supreme when The Don Callis Family — Josh Alexander, Kyle Fletcher, and Konosuke Takeshita — secured a victory over Paragon’s Kyle O’Reilly, Roderick Strong, and Adam Cole. Fletcher sealed the win by delivering a brutal Brainbuster to O’Reilly for the pin.
In the aftermath, the ring descended into an all-out brawl as Lance Archer, Rocky Romero, and Trent Beretta stormed in, launching an assault on Paragon. Just when things looked bleak, backup arrived in the form of Brody King, Tomohiro Ishii, and the return of none other than NJPW President Hiroshi Tanahashi.
The trio battled their way to the ring, clearing out The Don Callis Family.
Tanahashi’s return is especially noteworthy as he enters the final chapter of his legendary career. The former IWGP World Champion is scheduled to retire on January 4, 2026, at AEW Wrestle Kingdom. Though he’s already wrestled his final match on U.S. soil, fans may get one last glimpse of “The Ace” in action as AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door heads to London this year.
.@tanahashi1_100 is here! #AEWDoN
➡️ https://t.co/v0czAv7nvl pic.twitter.com/8mqPFNYoe5
— TDE Wrestling (@tde_gif) May 26, 2025
Sling Blade from @tanahashi1_100! #AEWDoN
➡️ https://t.co/v0czAv7nvl pic.twitter.com/gCY5yZ5BNl
— TDE Wrestling (@tde_gif) May 26, 2025
Kenny Omega will defend his AEW International Championship in a four-way match at AEW Fyter Fest on June 4.
The three challengers will be decided through singles matches on upcoming AEW episodes.
On May 28, Brody King faces Josh Alexander, and on May 31, Claudio Castagnoli competes against Komander while Hechicero battles Mascara Dorada. The winners will face Omega on June 4.
And finally, you can check out the post-AEW Double or Nothing 2025 media scrum below:
