Mercedes Mone did her first interview with New Japan Pro Wrestling following her debut at Wrestle Kingdom 17 earlier this month.

Now back in the United States following a few weeks in Japan, Mone said wrestling in Japan at the Tokyo Dome has been a dream of hers and she’s excited to be part of a group that is hungry for success.

“It’s a star in my heart, and it feels so great to be excited about wrestling again,” the former Raw and Smackdown Women’s champion said.

Mone said that she always knew she could make an impact but didn’t know it would be that big and that fast. With WK 17 getting record views and Battle At The Valley selling out, Mone said that the quick turnaround from Sasha Banks to Mercedes Mone surprised even herself.

The Boston native mentioned that she had a lot of nerves leading up to January 4 and her debut but now that she’s done with that, she’s really excited about February 18 and her match against Kairi for the IWGP Women’s title.

Mone revealed that she traveled to Mexico for a month in October to prepare for her Japanese adventure and went to train in different wrestling schools. She said that ever since she left WWE, she worked non-stop doing different things.

In the interview, Mone also talks about the difference in women’s wrestling between WWE and Japan, wanting a world tour, wrestling for STARDOM, and more.

“I’m not a boss anymore. I’m a CEO. I’m going to run every division that I step foot in,” Mone confidently said.

You can read the full interview at njpw1972.com/141736.