While questions swirl as to Mercedes Mone's contractual future with NJPW and Stardom, there has been some clarity given as to the reason her former tag team partner hasn't joined her to this point.

According to Dave Meltzer in this week's Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Trinity Fatu (fka Naomi in WWE) is not in NJPW/Stardom yet due to pressure to keep spending down within Bushiroad's wrestling division.

From the newsletter:

"The hard part about a longer commitment (to Mone) is that Bushiroad’s wrestling division, even though Stardom has grown greatly, has overall taken a major financial hit because of New Japan’s declines related to the pandemic, even with New Japan World up. Because of that, the wrestling division is under pressure to keep spending down. An example is that they were told they could bring in Trinity Fatu, but it was felt it would cost too much for the return and thus far hadn’t made that deal."

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Mone (then Sasha Banks) and Fatu famously walked out of WWE prior to a May 2022 episode of WWE Raw due to creative issues. Mone eventually became a free agent, signed a short-term deal with NJPW/Stardom, and is the reigning IWGP Women's Champion. 

Fatu is also a free agent, but has yet to wrestle for any other group since May 2022. Last month, she filed a trademark for the name Trinity Starr, perhaps a nod toward what her new name will be when she returns.

On the Mone contract situation, Meltzer said Bushiroad confirmed their original deal was to end with this weekend's Stardom pay-per-view but that an extension has been discussed. Mone had also said in an SI interview that her contract wasn't expiring which could indicate they have already come to a new deal.