Athena Says ‘Certain People’ Don’t Want Her On AEW Television

WWE released several Superstars from their roster over the pandemic years. Athena was Ember Moon with WWE, but now she is back to her former name with AEW. That being said, her progress has been somewhat limited.

When Athena made her debut for AEW in May 2022, there was widespread anticipation among fans that she would emerge as one of the prominent figures in the company’s women’s division.

Following her debut, Athena predominantly appeared on episodes of Dark and Dark: Elevation for the remainder of the year. However, she made a significant impact by capturing the ROH Women’s World Championship from Mercedes Martinez at the ROH Final Battle pay-per-view in December. With the title still around her waist, Athena became a vital fixture for Ring of Honor as the brand transitioned to airing weekly television episodes.

During a recent interview on Fightful’s Grapsody podcast, Athena was questioned about her aspirations in AEW. In response, she expressed that the promotion might be hesitant to push her further due to concerns about potential injuries she might cause to her opponents.

“Absolutely. I’ve wanted to for a very long time, but apparently, ‘Athena doesn’t play well with others.’ [laughs]. I don’t know what you’re talking about. All of these lovely women signed beautiful waivers saying, ‘I’m going to be challenging Athena to a match, I understand what I am doing. I am putting my life, body, everything at risk going into this match.’ They understand what they’re walking into. They understand that they might not walk out. Because of that, I feel like there might be a little hesitation (returning to AEW) because everyone doesn’t want me to break their favorites. It’s kind of a thing I do. I would love to challenge my buddy Kris Statlander. I would love to challenge Toni Storm.”

“I would love that opportunity, but right now, Ring of Honor is my priority. I kind of feel like I’m getting to the point where I’ve broken all the porcelain, which is why I really wanted to be in the Owen, to showcase what I can do within in a different platform, and I got what I wanted. Of course, my priorities are straight. I’m wrestling on Collision this week. I’m crossing over all of that right now. I would love to do more, but honestly, we all know there are certain people who don’t want Athena on the show because they are afraid they’re going to be on the injured list.”

Athena shared the names of several individuals she had defeated during her tenure in Ring of Honor. Remarkably, all of these individuals later made their return to AEW.

Athena’s list included several notable wrestlers that she beat in Ring of Honor. It is intriguing to point out that these individuals, after their encounters with Athena, ultimately found themselves back on AEW television. This pattern adds an interesting dynamic to their respective career trajectories and suggests a connection between their past matches and their eventual return to AEW.

“We got Skye Blue. Hell, I beat her so bad she went back to AEW. Everyone that I’ve beaten in Ring of Honor has left and they don’t come back. They can’t cut it in Ring of Honor, so they go back to AEW, they go and hide there, but what’s going to happen when Athena comes there? Oh no. Their time is ticking. I’m going to come and clean house. If they want to run away from my brand, that’s fine. Eventually, I will come and find them.”

“Right now, Ring of Honor is my priority. This championship means the world to me. Making an entire division step up means the world to me. Literally every person I’ve wrestled has left Ring of Honor. Sure, they come back, but they don’t even attempt to wrestle me again. I would at least try for a champion again, but I guess they don’t want it that bad. Lady Frost went and left. Vertvixen, Willow, the list goes on.”

We will have to see what Athena does next. She has a lot of potential, but she hasn’t been able to connect with the AEW fans quite yet. Perhaps an added focus on her smash mouth character might give fans a reason to pay attention.

Athena could still be a top star in AEW’s women’s division, but does she have what it takes to become AEW World Champion? Sound off in the comments to let us know what you’re thinking!