Booker T shares his thoughts on Mercedes Mone's debut at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17.
The former Sasha Banks had been absent from WWE since she and Naomi walked out of the May 16 episode of WWE Raw. Her status had been unclear for months until multiple outlets reported that she was expected to appear at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17. On January 4, Mone indeed made her NJPW debut at the show, where she confronted IWGP Women's Champion KAIRI and challenged her to a title match.
Speaking on his "The Hall of Fame" podcast, Booker T discussed Mone's arrival in NJPW debut. He described how he felt like the Japanese crowd somewhat hindered it because their reaction was fairly quiet. Booker T stated that the fans didn't know what Mone was saying, so she should have learned Japanese. He explained how she could have at least incorporated some Japanese into her promo in order to connect with the crowd.
"It had a good look… nothing bad about it or anything like that, but just one thing, the crowd, man. It’s just hard to navigate that Japanese crowd because it was quiet, it was silent. You know they don’t understand what you’re saying [laughs]. I don’t mean the language barrier. That part sucks right there. Normally, going to Japan, it’s a wrestling company. They just want to see some action. Then, when you can talk and speak the language, that helps a whole hell of a lot. If she just would have knew a few Japanese words, if she just would have studied in Japanese what she wanted to say, or maybe not what she wanted to say. Say the first part in English, but just the outline in Japanese. [imitates speaking Japanese] Give me some of that [laugh]," Booker T said.
The WWE Hall of Famer continued by describing how Mone's debut could have been the moment of the night if she had spoken at least a little Japanese. He emphasized that doing so would have helped her fully connect with the crowd. Booker also stated that it's important to be able to switch gears as a performer.
"My thing is, that outline could have been very important, just to be able to relate with the Japanese people for a second. Even if it was just one line, you know what I mean? I’m serious. That’s what I’m talking about from the entertainment perspective, being able to switch gears and go there. It’s tricky, and for her, when I talk about those moments, that would have been a moment. That could have been the moment of the night," Booker T said.
Booker T went on to describe how Mone's in-ring success will be the "icing on the cake". He stated that he believes the former champion has the tools that are needed to work with anyone. Booker then noted that Mone is top dollar and commented on her upcoming match against KAIRI, formerly known as Kairi Sane in WWE.
"What she does in the ring is gonna be the icing on the cake for what she does over in STARDOM and in Japan because I feel like Sasha Banks has all the tools to work with [anybody]. I mean come on, you think she can’t go over and tap out Kairi Sane? So yeah, she’s definitely top dollar," he said.
NJPW announced that Wrestle Kingdom 17 drew record viewership for NJPW World.
Mone will challenge for the IWGP Women's Championship at NJPW Battle in the Valley. More information is available here.
Dax Harwood recently described how Mercedes Mone wants to be looked at like Steve Austin and The Rock. Check out his comments here.
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