"99% of that crowd didn't know who she was" – Former WWE star on Mercedes Moné's (fka Sasha Banks) debut at Wrestle Kingdom

Former WWE Superstar Rene Dupree recently commented on Mercedes Moné's (fka Sasha Banks) debut at New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Wrestle Kingdom 17.

After spending nearly a decade in WWE, during which she became a Grand Slam and Triple Crown Champion, Moné walked out during an episode of Monday Night RAW last May. After months of speculation, the 30-year-old confirmed her departure from the company earlier this month. Hours later, she made her NJPW debut at Wrestle Kingdom to confront KAIRI and challenge her to an IWGP Women's title match at Battle in the Valley.

Despite being a star in the United States, Moné did not receive a pop from the Japanese crowd when she made her debut. During the latest episode of his Cafe de Rene podcast, Rene Dupree addressed the Japanese crowd's unexpected reaction to The CEO's appearance.

"The reason why they were quiet for Sasha Banks, I guarantee you 99% of that crowd didn't know who she was. That's the truth. It's a total different world in Japan. Even though WWE goes there and they draw very well, New Japan fans are New Japan fans. They follow New Japan. It's like a sports team and they're totally into Japanese wrestling and that brand. I guarantee you, you have Edge show up, the majority of the crowd would not know who he is. That's the truth," he said. [1:32:36 - 1:33:22]

Mercedes Moné once confessed her attraction to a current Bloodline member. Check out the story here.

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Mercedes Moné had a major botch during her first post-WWE wrestling appearance

As many reports have speculated, Mercedes Moné returned to the wrestling ring at Wrestle Kingdom. However, her confrontation with the IWGP Women's Champion, KAIRI, seemingly did not go as smoothly as they would have hoped. As The CEO attacked her future opponent, she clearly botched the move.

Commenting on the segment on his Jim Cornette Experience podcast, wrestling legend Jim Cornette also slammed Moné for her promo on her debut night.

"I don't know what the f**k happened, they just – they fell into a crumpled f**king heap, like a Salvation Army drop box. And then, Mercedes Moné gets the microphone and does – and you can't call that a promo – she spoke words on the microphone."

Cornette continued:

"Was she drugged? Was she hypnotized? Was she having a medically induced coma suddenly come on? Was she shocked that she had just fumbled everything? Because that's the equivalent of a g*d d**n basketball player coming out on a f**king court and the first play, grabs the ball, does a dunk and breaks his f**king leg." [10:39-11:35]

Jim Cornette explained why Mercedes Moné received a dead reaction from fans upon debuting outside WWE. Check out his comments here.

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Please credit Cafe de Rene and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling if you use the above transcription.