Thekla No-Sells Mercedes Mone At AEW WrestleDream 2026 Amid Social Media Frenzy

Thekla and Mercedes Mone had one of the better matches of an entertaining AEW WrestleDream 2026 , but it's Thekla's actions after the match that have fans talking.

Following a pinfall loss to Mone after taking the Mone Maker, Thekla was seen rolling out of the ring and throwing up two middle fingers as she danced her way up the aisle. Wrestlers are generally expected to "play dead," and sell their opponent's offense after any hard-fought match, let alone a world title match that went 15 minutes.

In today's surveillance era, where smartphone cameras are ubiquitous, many fans took notice of Thekla's post-match actions, which drew a wide range of reactions on social media from amusement to some suggesting the Toxic Spider was being disrespectful.

"LMAOOOO Thekla not selling the finish of the match. I love her. [sic]," read one post.

"What happened here? Anyway, Thekla should have sold the damage from Mercedes Moné's finisher," said another Twitter account.

Thekla No-Sells Mercedes Mone Match At AEW WrestleDream 2026 | Fan Reaction

Thekla Vs. Mercedes Mone Escalates Amid Social Media Speculation

Further fanning the flames of the Thekla vs. Mercedes feud, Mercedes Mone seemed to dismiss her otherwise strong match against Thekla during the WrestleDream 2026 media scrum.

"Uh, I mean, it's not one of my favorite matches," said Mercedes before seeming to deliver an in-character response to her rival. "I told you guys that I'm not scared of a little spider. She's more like a chihuahua that doesn't stop talking and just (makes chihuahua noises.)"

"She's not toxic ," Mercedes continued. "I'm sick of toxic people."

"Mercedes Mone flat out buried Thekla. I'm crying son," read a tweet in response to Mercedes' apparent jab.

Whether or not Mercedes Mone and Thekla have any real-life animosity remains to be seen, but it doesn't matter if that's how fans perceive it. One of the oldest phrases in professional wrestling is "personal issues draw money." Typically that quote speaks to the spirit of simulated drama, but if real-life issues can be safely incorporated into wrestling storylines, all the better.

Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch famously went off script during a belt exchange ceremony on SmackDown in 2021. In what was supposed to be an innocuous exchange of championship belts with both stars switching brands, tensions ensued when Charlotte Flair dropped the WWE Raw Women's Championship on the ring mat. While the moment soured their once-tight bond, it led to increased interest in their ensuing Survivor Series match.

"We were supposed to exchange the titles. I grab it out of her hand unknowingly, I'm 'Becky Two Belts' for a second then I toss her the title, then she tells Sonya (Deville) to pick it up. Then she challenges me to a fight, and I back out of it and I go. So everybody was supposed to get their moment there," said Lynch of how the segment was supposed to go before it went left.

"The title dropped," explained Charlotte. "I didn't drop it on purpose."

"If anyone knows how important the [WWE Raw women's title] is to me—I would never be dismissive of the title in the way that it was presented that I did."

AEW is no stranger to backstage drama. CM Punk's Brawl Out / Brawl In saga remains the subject of some of AEW's most notorious lore. Punk's yearlong crashout on his ex-employer continues to be the subject of heated discussions within the wrestling community.

Punk returned to WWE for an unlikely and successful run that continues to this day. Social media continues to speculate about Thekla and Mercedes Mone, and if there's more to their feud than meets the eye. This is half the battle in a wrestling promotion's goal to engage an audience.

The other half is to remain professional enough to do business in the ring.