Blake Monroe is better known to fans as Mariah May, the former AEW Women’s World Champion who debuted on the June 3, episode of NXT. Monroe wrapped up her AEW tenure earlier this year with her final All-Elite match being against Toni Storm at AEW Revolution.
Speaking to Bully Ray on Busted Open Radio, Monroe was asked about her decision to leave AEW and join WWE.
On exiting AEW: “I had a fantastic experience and I did things that I’m so proud of and cherish. I had a really short contract and when it came to an end, there were positives and negatives. It got to the point in wrestling where, I did have an amazing story, but that was the one thing. I didn’t have much else. I just thought, ‘Is this everything I want?’ I also considered going to Japan, which nobody knows. It’s something I talked to them about.”
On arriving to WWE: When my deal was up, people were like, ‘Just talk to WWE and see.’ I wasn’t considering it. That’s not an insult to WWE. I always just try to focus on one thing at a time and I just hadn’t considered it. When I talked to them and they cared so much about The Glamour and all these different things. I was like, ‘Okay, now I do have a big choice to make.’ I sat and thought about it. It was a really tough decision. It just came down to, I did everything I needed to do. I feel like I told a great story, and I made people feel something, and it’s time to close that chapter and start a new one. Getting a new name and a whole new experience. There are so many women here. Women’s wrestling is very important in WWE. As a woman, that’s something I want to be a part of. All these different matches and possibilities, to me, it was a great deal. It was a challenge, and I want a challenge.”h/t to Fightful for the transcription.
