09/16/2025
In a new, in-depth interview with WrestlingNews .co's "The Main Moment" with Emily Mae, independent wrestling star Maya World () opened up about her breakout year, her goals for the future, and her relationships with two of the biggest names in women's wrestling.
She called 2025 a year that is "shaping up to everything I wanted it to be," after achieving her goal of wrestling for major Joshi promotions. She also discussed her mentorship with ROH Women's World Champion Athena, who she says has a "tough love" approach and has "opened the doors for me" to new opportunities, including getting her backstage at AEW. "I think she seen a lot of myself, a lot of her in me from the first few training sessions," Maya said.
Maya also told the full, emotional story of meeting her idol, Mercedes Moné, a surprise that was orchestrated by Athena. "I walked up to her, and we made eye contact... and it was just like, nope. All my social went out the window," she recalled. "I was just like, 'Nice to meet you. Thank you.' I just kept saying that over."
A few weeks later, Moné made a surprise appearance at Athena's all-women's show, where Maya was wrestling. Now, Maya has her sights set on a dream match with the current TBS Champion. "I really need that match," she stated. "I have a few championships she could try to take. She's not going to. But if she wants to add it to her collection, she got to go through me first."