Marina Shafir has answered Mercedes Moné’s verbal shots with a fierce warning of her own following AEW Dynamite: Blood & Guts.
The confrontation between Shafir and the AEW Women’s World Champion intensified on Dynamite, where Moné belittled her prospective challenger and attempted to define Shafir through her connection to Jon Moxley. Moné referred to Shafir as Moxley’s “bi**h” and argued that Shafir only found relevance through aligning herself with the Death Riders leader.
Shafir did not back down during the in-ring exchange, making clear that she does not fear anyone. After the show, she expanded on that stance in a social-media message aimed directly at Moné, attacking the champion’s presentation, resources and self-image while framing their upcoming Full Gear match as a personal reckoning.
View the referenced post on X
Moné and Shafir are set to meet in their first singles match against one another at Full Gear on November 14. The AEW Women’s World Championship will be at stake, giving Shafir her first opportunity to compete for a world title since 2022.
For more background on this topic, read WrestleCon Owner Floats AEW Forbidden Door Weekend During WrestleMania 43 in Saudi Arabia.
Shafir rejects Mercedes Moné’s definition of her
Moné has built her career around a larger-than-life level of confidence, repeatedly referring to herself as “The CEO” and presenting herself as one of the defining stars in women’s professional wrestling. In her exchange with Shafir on Blood & Guts, that confidence became openly dismissive.
Rather than treating Shafir as a threat in her own right, Moné sought to reduce her challenger to someone who exists in Moxley’s shadow. It was a particularly pointed attack given Shafir’s association with the Death Riders, a group that has been central to some of AEW’s most aggressive and divisive actions.
Shafir’s response was not simply a denial of Moné’s insult. Instead, she turned the criticism into the foundation of her own argument. Shafir said she has never had the financial backing, elaborate production or spotlight that Moné has enjoyed throughout her career.
“Mercedes, Miss CEO, you spoiled little s***,” Shafir said. “Yeah, I don’t have the lights. I don’t have the money. I don’t have the production of an entire company telling the world how special I am.”
For Shafir, the gap in presentation is not evidence that she is beneath Moné. She argued that it is precisely why she has become the person and competitor she is. While Moné’s image has been built around marquee status and a polished championship identity, Shafir positioned herself as someone shaped by a very different path.
“If I had any of that, I wouldn’t be the woman that I am today,” Shafir added before mockingly repeating Moné’s characterization of her as “Mox’s little bi**h.”
The message was deliberately confrontational, but it also established the contrast that will likely define the Full Gear championship match. Moné represents prestige, success and self-assurance. Shafir is presenting herself as the challenger who has been hardened by working without the same advantages and who believes that makes her especially dangerous when the bell rings.
The Death Riders connection remains central to the rivalry
Although Moné used Shafir’s relationship with Moxley as an insult, Shafir insisted that the champion fundamentally misunderstands her role among the Death Riders. Rather than portraying herself as a follower who benefits from Moxley’s notoriety, Shafir claimed she has been one of the driving forces behind the group.
She challenged Moné to ask Moxley directly whether Shafir is merely someone’s subordinate. Shafir extended that challenge to other Death Riders members as well, naming Claudio, Yuta, Daniel and Gabe while arguing that they would all describe her as an instigator and motivator.
Shafir’s claim was that she helped push a group that changed professional wrestling forever. It is a statement designed to reframe the entire criticism from Moné. In Shafir’s view, her presence around the Death Riders has not been passive. She believes she has had influence, encouraged the group’s actions and embraced the destructive edge that has made the unit such a formidable presence.
That dynamic matters heading toward Full Gear. Moné may see Shafir’s ties to the Death Riders as evidence that she cannot stand independently. Shafir sees those same ties as proof that she is comfortable amid chaos, violence and intimidation. The champion’s attempt to embarrass her may therefore have given Shafir even more motivation to prove that she belongs in the world-title picture.
There is also a notable difference in how each woman has approached the conflict. Moné’s words on Dynamite were aimed at status: who has greater visibility, who is more important and who truly belongs at the top of AEW’s women’s division. Shafir’s response was focused on resolve. She did not claim to have Moné’s spotlight. She claimed that she does not need it.
A first-ever singles meeting with championship stakes
Full Gear will mark the first singles encounter between Moné and Shafir, adding an additional layer of uncertainty to a match that already carries major consequences. There is no established one-on-one history between them to point toward a proven formula or a familiar answer.
Moné enters as the AEW Women’s World Champion and as a wrestler accustomed to enormous expectations. Her confidence in confronting Shafir reflects the belief that she has already overcome the kind of challenger Shafir represents: physically imposing, emotionally intense and determined to turn a championship contest into a fight.
But Shafir’s title opportunity is meaningful on its own terms. This is her first world-title match since 2022, and the November 14 bout represents a chance to establish herself at the highest level of AEW competition. A victory would not just answer Moné’s insults. It would dramatically alter Shafir’s standing and give the Death Riders another major source of power.
Shafir has made the emotional aim of the match very clear. She told Moné that, despite the champion’s insistence that she answers to no one, Full Gear will end with Moné in tears.
“At Full Gear, I’m gonna make you cry like one,” Shafir said.
It is a severe promise, and one that reflects how personal this has become in a short period of time. Shafir is not talking about simply surviving a match with a decorated champion or even earning a competitive loss. Her language suggests she wants to break Moné’s composure and make the self-proclaimed CEO confront an opponent she cannot dismiss.
Can Moné keep control of the narrative?
Moné’s ability to control a room, a conversation and a championship rivalry has been one of her strongest assets. By calling Shafir irrelevant without Moxley, she attempted to establish the challenger as an accessory to a larger act rather than a world-title-level threat.
Shafir’s response ensures that approach will not go unanswered. She has embraced the insults rather than running from them, and she has made it clear that she considers Moné’s comfort, resources and public image vulnerabilities rather than strengths.
That does not change the reality that Moné will enter Full Gear with the championship and the pressure that comes with defending it. Shafir, however, now has a clear mission: prove she is not defined by Moxley, prove that her role in the Death Riders has substance, and prove that a lack of production and polish does not prevent her from becoming AEW Women’s World Champion.
The tension between them will continue to build as November 14 approaches. Moné has challenged Shafir’s credibility. Shafir has questioned Moné’s toughness and promised to humiliate her on one of AEW’s biggest stages. At Full Gear, their first singles match will determine whether Moné’s dismissal was justified or whether Shafir can transform her anger into the most important victory of her career.
In pictures
Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.