Backstage WWE and AEW Rumors on Batista, Mercedes Mone and More

Batista is one of the biggest names of the last two decades in professional wrestling, but his WWE Hall of Fame induction, originally slated for 2020, has long been delayed.

An update on his enshrinement headlines this collection of insider rumors and reports, which also includes the latest on TBS champion Mercedes Moné and another member of the talented AEW women's division.

Batista-WWE Hall of Fame Update

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Six-time world champion Batista was originally slated to enter the WWE Hall of Fame five years ago, only for the COVID-19 pandemic to prevent it from happening.

The 56-year-old has yet to be inducted.

Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select reported The Animal has not taken his place among the immortals because of scheduling issues.

Under his real name, Dave Bautista has appeared in 26 different projects since 2021 alone, making it incredibly difficult for him to find time for a long-deserved induction.

Perhaps that happens next year in Las Vegas, where Stephanie McMahon is the only inductee already announced for the ceremony. Or maybe it waits until later.

Whatever the case may be, Batista is one of the biggest and most decorated stars of the past two decades and one of the faces of the Ruthless Aggression Era of WWE.

The Hollywood star long ago earned the recognition and acknowledgement that comes with the induction and will almost undoubtedly deliver one of the better speeches in HOF history when his time comes.

Mercedes Moné Update

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Dave Meltzer reported on Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Cageside Seats) that, contrary to popular belief, Mercedes Moné does not have a problem losing in All Elite Wrestling.

Moné has lost just seven matches in her AEW career, five of which were in tag team or trios action.

Meltzer said: "I know some people jump on Mercedes, but Mercedes loses when the time is right, and I've never heard of any problems with Mercedes losing, but you shouldn't be beating Mercedes often."

As one of the biggest stars in AEW, and one of its top performers, it tracks that company president Tony Khan would want to protect her aura and star power by not having her suffer a ton of unnecessary defeats.

Mone is the longest-reigning TBS champion in AEW history, so that is not a trend that should, or is likely to, change anytime soon.

Update on Anna Jay's AEW Contract

Sapp reported for Fightful Select that Anna Jay's contract is coming up and "she's keeping her options open."

The 27-year-old made her first appearance for AEW on January 4, 2020 when she lost to Hikaru Shida. Since then, she has been a member of The Dark Order and The Jericho Appreciation Society, has competed in singles and tag team action and partnered Tay Conti in the AEW Women's Tag Team Championship tournament.

Jay has been a babyface and a heel, and she has worked extensively in Japan where she vastly improved her in-ring skills.

The question may be whether AEW makes the right offer and if Jay thinks she still has plenty to prove in the company that took a chance on her five years ago.

While WWE would almost certainly have interest in bringing her on board, its main roster women's division is packed and NXT is brimming with young prospects waiting for a shot at television time.

Jay would slot in perfectly with Blake Monroe, feuding with her fellow AEW export, but it would be difficult to imagine much upward trajectory in WWE.