Athena arrived in AEW at AEW Double or Nothing, immediately stepping to AEW TBS Champion Jade Cargill.
Athena was released by WWE in November 2021 after stop and start pushes on television on both the main roster and NXT. She was immediately looked at as one of the top free agents on the market, but took her time before joining AEW, opting to work various Independent dates before signing.
Speaking on Busted Open Radio, Athena was asked about the transition from WWE and AEW, and how she's been adjusting.
"I'm still acclimating. I don't want to say I'm fully formed and jumped right into the mix. I'm still trying to find my place. I'll say this the locker room is great, it's awesome, its very uplifting. All the women in our locker room want to see everyone succeed. As a locker room we want to seep pushing that boundary of what women's wrestling can do and that's where I'm hung ho, 'let's go to war, let's do it.' That's one thing I absolutely love. I remember feeling like everyone thought we were porcelain princesses, 'don't fall, don't get hurt.' Mickie (James) can attest to this because she's been through way worse and way better than I have. We want to continue to evolve women's wrestling and push boundaries of what women can continue to do. In AEW, I feel the women are getting that platform and pushing through. I love to see everyone...there are times when women come in and go, 'I saw this move, I think you should do it' or 'here's this gear idea, it doesn't work for me but it'll work for you.' Having the support of a locker room and feeling like it's us vs the world, it's an awesome feeling. Not saying it wasn't like that on the other side, but just more so, I genuinely feel sometimes they think AEW is the underdog and a lot of us have been wrestling for a long time and we don't want to feel that way," she said.
Athena continued, "The transition, I'm always worried of getting lost in the shuffle a bit because you do have so many phenomenal talents but for the first time my wrestling and what I do in the ring speaks for me. Promos are great, I love promos and getting to talk and for the first time I'm actually getting to talk without a script and show people that I can actually tell a story and have that intensity vs having someone else's words. Not saying that's bad, it's just different. It feels different, feels raw, just a proving ground more so than the other place, not saying it's not there. It feels raw and different. For the first time in a long time, I look forward to hopping on a plane and doing the hellacious drives and look forward to walking into the building and seeing what's next for me. I absolutely love that. It's something I haven't felt in a very long time."
Athena previously discussed the safety when it came to women compared to men in WWE. You can find her full comments by clicking here.
Athena is set to challenge for the Interim AEW Women's Championship at AEW Dynamite Grand Slam when she competes against Interim Champion Toni Storm, Britt Baker, and Serena Deeb.
Fightful will have live coverage of AEW Dynamite Grand Slam beginning at 8 p.m. ET.
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