Athena Feels She And Thunder Rosa Are Being Held To Double Standard

Athena prides herself on being an all-around competitor in the ring. The Texas native has cultivated a high-flying finisher known as the Eclipse, manages to intertwine her opponents into submissions, and has no hesitation to unleash some hard hits in the ring. Though she's become a respected wrestling trainer as well, "The Fallen Goddess" often falls victim to some criticism for the stiffer components of her in-ring performances.

In October, the AEW star drew mixed reviews following a match with Canadian independent wrestler Jody Threat, with some backstage even informing Athena she was "too aggressive" during the respective bout. During a recent appearance on "Busted Open Radio," Athena opened up about the criticisms she and former AEW Women's Champion Thunder Rosa have both received regarding their stiff work. "People forget that the girls can hit just as hard as the guys ... I guarantee you, if I was a man, I feel like there wouldn't be as much backlash or anything about that." Athena further explained her frustration with the double standard from "old, bloated farts" when men and women "hit the tar out of each other." She believes those people who project their concerns with women hitting hard, are often the same who tell female performers they just "need to go out there and look pretty."

"Get over it," Athena said. "We're out here to be just as good as the guys and we give it our all. We put in all this time and effort to hone our craft and I feel we're under-appreciated when we do things like that." Athena later admitted she didn't know why women drew more criticism for hard-hitting work but feels that with "every step we take forward, it takes one comment on the internet, the trolls, whatever, to set the entire women's wrestling category back."

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Busted Open Radio" with a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.