AEW Women's Champion prefers Liverpool over 'completely bought club' in title race

Reigning AEW Women’s World Champion Mariah May's passion for sports extends far beyond the wrestling ring as an avid supporter of Arsenal.

While the Premier League table sees Arsenal chasing silverware in a second-place tie with Chelsea, the London native and qualified Gunner joined the heated debate to question whether Liverpool or Manchester City poses the bigger threat to her favorite club as title contenders.

"I’m not afraid of anybody because I’m Mariah May. So I’m not," she said with confidence exclusively to Liverpool.com. "Honestly, I would just prefer it to be Liverpool because Man City is a completely bought club. It’s just not fun. It’s not fair."

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Capology reports that Man City's payroll exceeds $261 million for the 2024-25 season, with Manchester United in second place at $240 million. Arsenal remains third on the list with $223 million, while the Reds fall fifth with $167 million.

May's distaste for Manchester City’s financial dominance aligns with a belief that several football purists share. This year, after winning five titles in six seasons, the club has faded away from its usual dominance with two wins in its last two appearances across all competitions.

"I don’t like to get too into soccer [debates], though," she added. "If you think wrestling fans are intense, soccer accounts are terrifying. If I ever open Twitter and see someone with Ronaldo as their profile picture, I'm out."

As Arsenal fans dream of winning the league this season, May's persistent faith in her team is unquestionable. "I just want Arsenal to win a trophy," she said, which led to her kissing her own world title.

May's sentiment aligned with previous comments from Premier League legend Teddy Sheringham, who said that Arsenal is fortunate that Liverpool holds the top position in the league instead of the powder Blues. While the Reds continue to dominate under Arne Slot's rookie season with the club, Sheringham likes Arsenal's odds to close the gap.

"Arsenal are the other ones in the title hunt as well, and they will want to close the gap quickly so that they're not out of the race as well," said Sheringham. "I think the good point from Arsenal is that it's Liverpool out in front and not Man City because Man City are the ones that know how to close things and Liverpool are still under a new manager."

While Man City's results have been underwhelming, Liverpool continues to see success in the league and in Europe. Before a 3-3 draw to Newcastle on Wednesday, Liverpool came on league wins against Southampton, Aston Villa, and Brighton, and Champions League wins, including a 2-0 win over Real Madrid and a 4-0 dominant display against Bayer Leverkusen.