Athena Forwent Ring Gear For Recent AEW Dark Match

Athena has undergone a drastic character change in recent weeks. On the November 18 edition of "AEW Rampage," the beloved babyface began a string of assaults on not only her competition, but a referee as well. There, she squared off with Impact Wrestling veteran Madison Rayne in a relatively back-and-forth bout, until Athena later clinched the win. Following her victory, though, "The Fallen Goddess" unleashed a fury of strikes on Rayne, prompting AEW official Aubrey Edwards to intervene. Instead of backing off, Athena then applied a vicious crossface submission to Edwards, before ROH Women's Champion Mercedes Martinez made the save.

In her most recent outing on "AEW Dark: Elevation," the once cheerful superstar seemingly traded in her wings for streetwear. "Fun Fact: I didn't even bother getting in my gear for this match," she wrote on her Instagram.

Though Athena frequently sported lively, custom ring gear in previous AEW appearances, her new ring gear — or lack of it — may be indicative of her new onscreen demeanor. Through the respective match, the AEW star continued her mean streak on independent talent Laynie Luck. "The Party Unicorn" managed to reverse her momentum at one point with a rollup, but it proved unsuccessful, as Athena then followed up with a superkick and another crossface to secure the victory against Luck. Prior to Monday's episode of "Dark: Elevation," Athena was featured in a backstage interview, "apologizing" for her previous attack on Edwards. After that, she revealed she was "waiting" and "game" for Martinez to put her ROH Women's Championship on the line.