Maya World Weighs In On Facing Her Idol In Mercedes Mone at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door

Maya World has the biggest match of her career at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door tonight, and she says it hasn’t yet sunk in that she could be going to All In: London. World is set to face Mercedes Mone in the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament finals at tonight’s PPV after she beat her mentor Athena in the semifinals.

World is coming into the match with a lot of emotions, having lost her brother just a few weeks ago. She spoke with MuscleMan Malcolm for The Sportster about the match and what it would mean to beat Mone. You can see the highlights below:

On What the Match Means To Her:

“I mean, it means everything to me. Just of course, because she’s someone who I’ve took a lot of inspiration from. It hasn’t fully settled in for me what I’m doing. I just know that I’m going in and I have this mission in mind to win for my brother. So, I’m just very excited, and I’m very excited to see what’s going to happen on Sunday.”

On Handling the Emotions Of the Opportunity:

“Mentally for sure, it’s been really tough. But it’s just something that like, I know that a lot of people are looking to me and seeing how I’m getting by. And I’m just trying to be strong for myself, for my family, and for my brother just because like I said, I’m doing it for him.

“It’s just — a lot of it again hasn’t even fully settled in for me, which is probably why it’s a little bit easy. I’ve been feeling a lot of numbness. So I’m just kind of like, it feels like I’m just like on a mission and it’s just full steam ahead, honestly. So I’m just using that momentum that’s in my heart and my brain to get through all these matches. And I’ve beat my mentor and now I’m going on to face my idol.”

On What It Would Mean To Make It To All In: London:

“If you told me in like January, February that I would be facing my like idol at Forbidden Door as one of the main events [for] Owen. Like, if anybody told me that, I would definitely not believe them. Especially like, I haven’t even settled in on when I win — because I am going to win on Sunday — I haven’t even settled on that whenever I do, I’m going to All In in Wembley….

“Last year at All In, it was in Texas and I was in the audience as one of the extras for the wrestling. And so I never thought like a year from then I’d be at in this position, doing what I’m doing in this kind of fairy tale of a scenario. So it just hasn’t even fully settled in for me that that’s what my fate could be this summer.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit The Sportster with a h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.