Tony Khan to sign ex-WWE star to AEW and immediately pair her up with Mercedes Mone? Analyzing the chances

Mercedes Mone is still undefeated in AEW since her debut at Dynamite: Big Business 2024. She has defended her titles against every challenger who has stepped up against her so far. The CEO will soon face a former WWE Superstar on the indies, and in the aftermath of their bout, Tony Khan could potentially sign Mone's opponent in question - Indi Hartwell - to an All Elite contract.

Hartwell signed with WWE in 2019, initially making her television debut in NXT and gaining prominence through her performance as a member of The Way alongside Candice LeRae, Johnny Gargano, Austin Theory, and later her kayfabe husband Dexter Lumis. She was called up to the main roster in 2023, wrestling initially on Monday Night RAW before being drafted to SmackDown last year. However, the former NXT Women's Champion would be released by the Stamford-based company this past November.

Shortly after her WWE exit, Hartwell unexpectedly popped up in a social media post shared by Mercedes Mone, who revealed that she had trained with the Australian to prepare for her Worlds End 2024 TBS Title bout against Kris Statlander. This led to speculations that Indi could soon be AEW bound, perhaps as an ally of The CEO's, or as a member of her rumored 'Mone Corporation' faction.

Interestingly, it was recently announced that Mercedes will square off against Hartwell at the upcoming House of Glory event, City of Dreamz, on March 15. The two women have never wrestled each other before, and the bout is undoubtedly a huge opportunity for Indi. Should the 28-year-old succeed at impressing AEW and Tony Khan with her performance against the erstwhile Sasha Banks, she could very well receive a contract offer from the Jacksonville-based company.

Whether All Elite Wrestling will actually consider signing Hartwell - considering the pre-existing wealth of talent in the company's women's division - remains to be seen.

What AEW's Mercedes Mone and ex-WWE star Indi Hartwell have been up to

Indi Hartwell wrestled her last WWE match on an October 2024 taping of Smackdown, unsuccessfully teaming with Candice LeRae against Bayley and Naomi. Following her exit from the sports entertainment juggernaut, the former NXT Women's Tag Team Champion returned to the indies earlier this month, defeating Aysha to win the ROW Women's Title at ROW We Are Renegades.

Mercedes Mone, on the other hand, completed another successful title defense this past Sunday at AEW Revolution 2025, where she retained against Momo Watanabe. The Boss is currently in the crosshairs of Billie Starkz, which indicates that a feud with Athena could be just a matter of time.