Maya World Reflects on Sharing the Ring With Her ‘Idol’ Mercedes Moné at Forbidden Door

AEW star Maya World recently reflected on competing against Mercedes Moné at Forbidden Door 2026.

The 23-year-old battled Moné in the final of the 2026 Women’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament in San Jose, California, last weekend. Despite a spirited performance, Maya World failed to defeat The CEO, eventually tapping out to the Statement Maker.

However, despite the result, it was a memorable experience for World, as she got to share the ring with her “idol,” and it’s something that she’ll cherish for the rest of her career. World shared her thoughts on competing against Mercedes during a recent signing session for Highspots. She agreed with the host’s assessment that her match with Moné is easily the highlight of her career so far.

“Oh, definitely! It probably won’t be a blip. Mercedes is like my idol, so, honestly, probably one of the things I’ll probably be chasing that feeling of being in the ring with her the rest of my career. But yeah, it was an amazing time,” Maya World said.

Check out her comments below:

Notably, World wasn’t even supposed to compete in the 2026 Women’s Owen Hart Cup. She was a last-minute replacement for the injured Sareee in the first-round match against Skye Blue. She went on to win that match and subsequently defeated her former mentor Athena in the semifinal to punch her ticket to Forbidden Door.

Maya World picked up a huge win on this week’s Collision, beating Julia Hart to secure the second spot in next Wednesday’s Women’s Casino Gauntlet Match. The winner of that match will challenge Thekla for the AEW Women’s World Championship at the inaugural Redemption pay-per-view later this month.