Throughout the month of February, Diva Dirt will spotlight one (or more) Black women’s wrestler a day. This won’t be a countdown, but just a way to shine light on the past and present Black women of the industry. With that said, these daily articles will not be in any particular order.
Representation matters to marginalized groups, and here at Diva Dirt we focus on giving those individuals the recognition they deserve.
- Jan. 30 – Jacqueline
- Jan. 31 – Lash Legend
- Feb. 1 – Nyla Rose
- Feb. 2 – Sharmell
- Feb. 3 – Awesome Kong
- Feb. 4 – Alicia Fox
- Feb. 5 – Kelani Jordan
- Feb. 6 – Queen Aminata
- Feb. 7 – Cameron
- Feb. 8 – Maya World
- Feb. 9 – Willow Nightingale
- Feb. 10 – Jazz
- Feb. 11 – Michin
- Feb. 12 – Kristal Marshall
- Feb. 13 – Trish Adora
- Feb. 14 – Mara Sade
- Feb. 15 – Jaida Parker
- Feb. 16 – Red Velvet
- Feb. 17 – Fire ‘N Flava
- Feb. 18 – Kiana James
- Feb. 19 – B-Fab
- Feb. 20 – Athena
- Feb. 21 – Sol Ruca
- Feb. 22 – Kali Armstrong
- Feb. 23 – Jada Stone
- Feb. 24 – Jade Cargill
- Feb. 25 – The Wingo Sisters
The Bo$$ promoted to the CEO and Feb. 26 is for Mercedes Moné.
Moné made her in-ring debut in 2010 following two years of training. Now approaching a 16-year career, she has become one of the most popular and accomplished women’s wrestlers in the business. After spending two years on the independent circuit, where she won the Chaotic Wrestling Women’s Championship and held it for more than a year, she went on to sign with WWE.
Moné signed with WWE in 2012 and made her debut that same year. Her first match came against Paige under the ring name that would define her early career, Sasha Banks. During her time in NXT, she initially aligned with Summer Rae as part of the BFFs before breaking out as a singles star.
Her ascent in NXT not only established her as a top talent but also helped elevate women’s wrestling across the company. She became widely recognized as one of the Four Horsewomen alongside Bayley, Becky Lynch, and Charlotte Flair, delivering some of the most acclaimed women’s matches in WWE history. Her rivalry with Bayley stands out in particular, as they competed in the first women’s Ironwoman match, also marking the first time women headlined a WWE pay-per-view, albeit in NXT.
At NXT Takeover Rival, Banks won the NXT Women’s Title in a Fatal 4way which involved the other three horsewomen. Banks dropped the title to Bayley in Brooklyn.
In 2015, the women’s revolution officially started when Banks (Flair and Lynch) made her main roster debut on Raw. She formed Team B.A.D. with Naomi and Tamina and fought against the likes of Paige, Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch (PCB), and The Bella Twins and Alicia Fox (Team Bella).
Despite never competing in a match for the WWE Divas Championship, Banks became number one contender after two matches against Becky Lynch in 2016. The first match ended in a double pin while the second saw itself as a double disqualification. This put both women as number one contenders at WrestleMania 32 as they faced Charlotte Flair for the new lineage of the WWE Women’s Title, which soon became the WWE Raw Women’s Title. Flair won that match.
Banks would later enter a lengthy rivalry with Flair, making history together as the first two women to main event a main-roster WWE pay-per-view and to compete in the inaugural women’s Hell in a Cell match which has garnered 64 million views on YouTube.
Banks continued to be part of numerous milestones, including entering at No. 1 in the first women’s Royal Rumble, competing in Abu Dhabi alongside Alexa Bliss for the first women’s match in the region, and taking part in the first women’s Elimination Chamber bout. Her rivalry with Flair also marked the beginning of her title success, as she captured the Raw Women’s Championship five times.
Banks became one half of the inaugural WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions with Bayley. She won the tag belts again during her WWE twice, once with Bayley (2) and once with Naomi at WrestleMania 38. This marked Banks and Naomi as the first-ever Black women’s team to win the tag titles.
The Boss became SmackDown Women’s Champion in a Hell in a Cell match against former tag team partner Bayley. She would then hold the gold until another historical moment happened. Banks defended the SmackDown Women’s Title against Bianca Belair during night one of WrestleMania 37 in the main event. This marked a first-ever two Black women main eventing a pay-per-view and WrestleMania. Belair won that match.
Banks would leave WWE after a decade in 2022. She would compete in Japan under the name Mercedes Moné before signing with her current home of AEW in 2024. The CEO was born. Moné continues to dominate the wrestling industry as she has held up to 13 championship belts at one time. She is the longest reigning AEW TBS Champion at 584 days and has competed in the first-ever women’s Blood And Guts match. Barely two years into her AEW career, she is just getting started. She has become an international star in Japan, Mexico, France, Italy, the UK, and more.
At a young 34 years of life, Moné is often a polarizing talent that has transcended the industry, not just as a Black woman but as a woman with significant talent and world wide appeal.