Mercedes Moné made her debut for AEW earlier this month, nearly two years after leaving WWE.
But at Big Business in her hometown of Boston, the former Sasha Banks was supported by members of her WWE family, with Bayley, Tamina Snuka, and Naomi all in attendance for her AEW debut.
Speaking exclusively to Digital Spy, Bayley shared why it was important to her to make the trip to Big Business and show her support for Mercedes.
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"[Mercedes] is the best, I wouldn't be here without her," Bayley said. "She's done so much for me.
"Even after she was done with WWE, she's been there for me in my big moments. So I know I need to be there for her continuously throughout the years.
"It was incredible, I'm just happy that she was on a Wednesday where I'm like, 'alright, I can actually make a Wednesday, that's one of our few days off.'"
Bayley and Mercedes both signed with WWE back in 2012 and came through developmental territory NXT together before moving to the main roster.
Along with many memorable feuds and matches against each other, in 2019 they were the inaugural Women's Tag Team Champions as the Boss 'n' Hug Connection.
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Given the pair's long friendship, Bayley admits it's "bittersweet" to see Mercedes gone from WWE but she's very proud of her friend.
"It was really special to see her celebrate with her family and her friends and people she started wrestling with and see her welcomed by a new family," Bayley added.
"It's bittersweet, but I'm very, very proud of her and just so grateful we got to be there."
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Reporter, Digital Spy
Stephanie is a writer who specialises in pro wrestling, covering everything from AEW and WWE to NJPW.
After graduating with a degree in history from Queen Mary University, London, she went on to study journalism at Birbeck University.
Outside of her journalism work Stephanie is also a YouTube content creator focusing on AEW and interviewing talent from AEW, WWE, and across the indie wrestling scene. She has also worked for Revolution Pro Wrestling as a backstage interviewer and commentator.
