Mercedes Justine Kaestner Varnado (born January 26, 1992) is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where she performs under the ring name Mercedes Moné (muh-NAY) and is the current AEW Women's World Champion in her first reign. She also appears for AEW's partners Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) and New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), as well as promotions on the independent circuit. Varnado rose to prominence during her time in WWE from 2012 to 2022, where she performed under the ring name Sasha Banks.
Varnado began her wrestling career in 2010 on the independent circuit, most notably for Chaotic Wrestling. She signed with WWE in 2012 under the ring name Sasha Banks and was assigned to the developmental territory NXT, later winning the NXT Women's Championship. Her match against Bayley at NXT TakeOver: Respect in October 2015 was the first women's match to ever headline an NXT TakeOver and the first iron woman match in WWE history. Their match was named "Match of the Year" by Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI), with Varnado also being named "Woman of the Year".
In 2015, Varnado was promoted to WWE's main roster, where she won the WWE Raw Women's Championship five times. In 2016, she and Charlotte Flair became the first women to headline a WWE pay-per-view event, compete in a Hell in a Cell match, and win PWI's Feud of the Year. She won the inaugural WWE Women's Tag Team Championship with Bayley, and in 2020, won the WWE SmackDown Women's Championship, becoming a Grand Slam Champion and Triple Crown Champion. That year, Sports Illustrated named her "Wrestler of the Year". In the main event of WrestleMania 37 – Night 1, Varnado and opponent Bianca Belair became the first two African Americans to headline WrestleMania, WWE's flagship event.
After creative issues in 2022, Varnado left WWE, debuting as Mercedes Moné in NJPW/Stardom at Wrestle Kingdom 17, becoming a one-time IWGP Women's Champion, and signed with AEW in 2024. In her AEW in-ring debut, she won the AEW TBS Championship, her reign with which is the longest in the title's history. In 2025, she was named "Woman of the Year" by PWI for a second time, ranked No. 1 in the PWI Women's 250, and became the most simultaneously-decorated wrestler of all time, at one point holding 13 belts comprising 11 championships. In 2026, she won the AEW Women's World Championship, making her the only wrestler to become world champion across the major promotions of WWE, AEW, NJPW, and CMLL.
Outside of wrestling, she portrays the recurring character Koska Reeves in the second and third seasons of the Disney+ space western series The Mandalorian.
Mercedes Justine Kaestner Varnado was born on January 26, 1992, in Fairfield, California. Her mother Judith (née Kaestner) is of German descent, while her father Reo Varnado was African American. Her family moved to various places around the United States, including Minnesota, to find schools and hospitals for her autistic brother Joshua, while she attended online schooling; they ultimately settled in Boston, where she would launch her professional wrestling career. Varnado was an early fan of professional wrestling and grew up watching All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling (AJW), and idolizing Manami Toyota, Aja Kong, Rey Mysterio and Eddie Guerrero. She had a particular affinity for Guerrero, and was overjoyed in October 2005 to win tickets to a live WWE Monday Night Raw taping on November 13 in which Guerrero was scheduled to appear. When 13-year-old Varnado arrived at the show she was informed that Guerrero had died days previously. Varnado recalls having no idea until that moment, and weeping into her mother's arms. Later in life, Varnado would frequently pay tribute to Guerrero during her matches.
Varnado began training in 2008 with independent promotion Chaotic Wrestling in Woburn, Massachusetts. Among her trainers was fellow future WWE wrestler Todd "Ivar" Smith; she has alluded to her training regimen being harsh. Varnado made her debut on August 8, 2010, working under the ring name "Mercedes KV". Her first official match, put together by Smith, was a tag-team bout at the National Guard Armory in Quincy, Massachusetts, before a crowd of roughly 70 people. Varnado spent the next two years wrestling in the independent circuit, primarily for Chaotic Wrestling, New England Championship Wrestling (NECW), and the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). She recounts being highly self-critical and competitive in her performances.
In December 2011, Varnado won the Chaotic Wrestling Women's Championship by defeating Alexxis in a "I Quit" match. She held the title for 378 days, vacating it in December 2012 after signing a contract with WWE.
In June 2012, Varnado participated in a WWE tryout camp and on August 18, it was announced that she had been signed to a contract. She was assigned to NXT, WWE's developmental territory, where she adopted the ring name Sasha Banks, and made her televised debut on NXT on December 12, losing to Paige. Banks then entered a storyline where she received letters from a secret admirer, who was eventually revealed to be Audrey Marie, who returned and attacked Banks on the February 20 episode of NXT, due to Marie's jealousy of Banks' success. Marie went on to defeat Banks in a match later that episode. Banks' feud with Marie came to an end on the April 3 episode of NXT, when Banks teamed with Paige to defeat Marie and Summer Rae. On the June 19 episode of NXT, Banks competed in the NXT Women's Championship tournament to determine the inaugural champion, but lost to Rae in the first round.
After Banks turned heel in September, she started a new gimmick, calling herself "The Boss". Under that gimmick, Banks wrestled Bayley, Becky Lynch and Charlotte, being known as the 4 Horsewomen.
Banks promptly began feuding with NXT Women's Champion Charlotte, leading to a match between the two at NXT TakeOver: R Evolution on December 11 with Charlotte's championship on the line, which Banks lost. Banks wrestled Charlotte twice for the title, but was defeated both times.
On February 11, 2015, at NXT TakeOver: Rival, Banks won the NXT Women's Championship by pinning Charlotte in a fatal four-way match that also involved Lynch and Bayley. Banks successfully retained the championship against Charlotte twice, Alexa Bliss, and Becky Lynch.
At NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn on August 22, Banks dropped the NXT Women's Championship to Bayley, thus ending her reign at 192 days. The match was highly praised by critics and won Match of the Year at the NXT Year-End Awards. At NXT TakeOver: Respect on October 7, Banks was defeated by Bayley in the main event in the first women's 30-minute iron man match in WWE history, losing two falls to three.
Banks made her official debut on the July 13, 2015, episode of Raw along with Naomi and Tamina, being known as Team B.A.D. (Beautiful and Dangerous) and feuding with Team Bella (Alicia Fox, Brie and Nikki Bella). In her WWE pay-per-view debut on July 19 at Battleground, Banks competed in a triple threat match against Charlotte and Brie Bella, which Charlotte won. Banks went on to defeat Paige twice, first by submission on the July 20 episode of Raw, in a tag team match where Banks teamed with Naomi for the first time, and again on the July 27 episode of Raw in a singles match. After defeating the Divas Champion Nikki Bella by submission in a non-title match on the August 17 episode of Raw, Following this, Banks rekindled her rivalry with Paige and defeated her twice on the September 7 and 14 episodes of Raw. Although she lost in a fatal four-way number one contender's match for Charlotte's Divas Championship in November, Banks was not pinned and began a winning streak, defeating the likes of Brie Bella, Alicia Fox, and Becky Lynch on various shows.
After a month off television, Banks returned at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view on January 24, 2016, attacking Charlotte and Becky Lynch after their championship match, showing her intentions to gain the Divas Championship, leaving Team B.A.D. and turning Banks into a fan favorite. At Fastlane on February 21, Banks and Lynch defeated Banks' former partners Naomi and Tamina. At WrestleMania 32, Banks participated in a triple threat match also including Lynch and the WWE Divas Champion Charlotte. At the event, the Divas Championship was retired and replaced with the new WWE Women's Championship, but Banks was unsuccessful in capturing the new title.