Athena Explains Why AEW Is A Better Fit For Her Than WWE

ROH Final Battle marked a significant night in the career of Athena. The AEW star, formerly known as Ember Moon in WWE, defeated Mercedes Martinez in a physical battle to capture the ROH Women's World Championship. This marks Athena's first title since signing with AEW and ROH. In her previous home of "WWE NXT," Athena held the "NXT" Women's Championship and "NXT" Women's Tag Team Champions with her partner, Shotzi. Her time in WWE ultimately didn't pan out and she was released from her contract in 2021. However, it seems that she prefers AEW to WWE.

During the media scrum following ROH Final Battle, Wrestling Inc. Senior News Editor Nick Hausman asked Athena why she personally believes her current home of AEW/ROH is a better fit than WWE. According to Athena, she is now taken more seriously as an in-ring competitor. 

"When I got to the other place, it wasn't necessarily about the wrestling, it was about the entertainment, which isn't bad," Athena said. "We tried that, it wasn't a fit for me, but I think a big difference here is that, one, I know I'm good in the ring and it's taken a while and I think I've proven myself to TK and just showed that I can do both. But mostly for me personally, especially with a Ring of Honor championship, this is a wrestling championship. I am a wrestler."

As noted, a new ROH Honor Club will debut soon with ROH and NJPW working together to provide new content. This will likely be where Athena defends her title, while still possibly making appearances on weekly AEW television.