Early Wrestling Career
Mercedes Varnado was born on January 26, 1992, in Fairfield, California. Her family moved around the country fairly often during her childhood, eventually settling down in Boston, Massachusetts. Varnado grew up as a wrestling fan and was particularly found of All Japan Women’s Pro Wrestling.
In 2008, Mercedes began training to be a pro wrestler. She spent about four years on the independent circuit, working for promotions like NECW and the NWA under the ring name Mercedes KV.
NXT Tenure
After participating in a tryout camp for WWE, Mercedes signed a contract with WWE on August 18, 2012. She was then sent to NXT and adopted the ring name Sasha Banks. On December 12, 2012, Banks made her televised debut in a losing effort to Paige (AKA Saraya).
At NXT TakeOver: Rival on February 11, 2015, Sasha defeated Bayley, Charlotte Flair, and Becky Lynch in a fatal fourway match to become NXT Women’s Champion. She held the title for 192 before dropping it to her biggest rival, Bayley, at NXT TakeOver: Respect. The match went down in WWE history as the first women’s 30-minute Iron Man Match and is widely regarded as one of the best matches to ever take place in a WWE ring.
The Rise Of The Boss
After being promoted to the WWE main roster, Banks aligned herself with Naomi and Tamina to form Team B.A.D. Their alliance lasted until January 2016, when Banks turned babyface and was consequently attacked by Tamina and Naomi. As a solo act, Sasha went on to become a fan favorite in the women’s division.
On July 25, 2016, Sasha defeated Charlotte for the Raw Women’s Championship. However, she was never able to enjoy a long reign with the title, even after capturing it for a second time.
In July 2018, Sasha reconciled with her old friend and rival Bayley to form a tag team, the Boss n’ Hug Connections. Together, they became the inaugural WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions.
In Spring 2019, Sasha took a hiatus from WWE to take care of her mental health. Upon her return four months later, Sasha reunited with Bayley and the two of them turned heel together. Sasha stayed at Bayley’s side through her historic reign as Smackdown Women’s Champion until September 4, 2020, when Bayley turned on Sasha.
At Hell in a Cell 2020, Sasha defeated Bayley to become Smackdown Women’s Champion. She then lost her belt to Bianca Belair in the main event of WrestleMania 27, marking the first time two Black women competed in the show’s main event.
Final WWE Storylines & Departure
In 2022, Sasha reunited with her Team B.A.D. partner, Naomi. They quickly became a fan-favorite duo and went on to win the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship at WrestleMania 38.
However, shortly after they won the belts, Naomi and Sasha walked out of WWE due to a creative dispute. They were consequently suspended, and negotiations failed to bring either woman back into the fold of WWE.
NJPW Debut
At Wrestle Kingdom 17 on January 4, 2023, Varnado made her NJPW debut. She also adopted a new ring name, Mercedes Moné. Immediately after her debut, Mercedes called her shot for the IWGP Women’s Championship by attacking the inaugural champion, Kairi. At NJPW’s Battle in the Valley on February 18, 2023, Mercedes defeated Kairi to win the title.
