hekla is not putting her Japan run in the same box as Mercedes Moné’s, and she made that very clear during her conversation with TMZ’s Inside the Ring.
The topic came up when Thekla was asked about Mercedes leaving the United States to try her hand in Japan. The question was whether Thekla saw any similarities between their paths, since both women took a risk outside the American wrestling system. Thekla didn’t even let that comparison breathe.
“No. No. No. She’s done a couple of like stunts over there, a couple of gigs. That’s about it. Like, she never had to go like she didn’t, she never did the grind like that. I was over there for five years. I had years where I had 120 matches per year, you know.”
Thekla did give Mercedes some credit as a worker, but she still made it clear that there is a big difference between working select dates in Japan and actually living through the grind full-time.
“I mean no, you know what, fair enough. I mean when it comes to like workhorsing, Mercedes is definitely doing the thing. Honestly, I do have to give her that. But not like Japan’s just different, man. Like they will beat the hell out of you in front of 20 people. And I’ve done that, you know, and it’s like sometimes you think, damn, should have gotten into MMA. Maybe that would have paid better, you know. I don’t know.”
Then Thekla drove the point home. She said the emotional toll of living in another country for five years changes a person in a way that a short run simply does not.
“But no, no, no. Me and her, no, it’s not the same thing, man. Like the ups and downs of living in a foreign country for five years, you know, you lose yourself, you find yourself, you get humbled. It’s like, I’m sure she did go through her own stuff, but we’re not the same.”
That is a pretty direct line from Thekla. She is not saying Mercedes Moné didn’t work hard, but she is absolutely saying Mercedes did not go through the same Japan war that she did. Thekla has always leaned into the idea that Japan toughened her up, and this was another example of her making it clear that she earned every scar the hard way.
What do you think about Thekla’s comments on Mercedes Moné’s Japan run? Was she being fair, or did she take it too far? Drop your thoughts in the comments.
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