For many years women fought to be showcased on TV for ROH. Many iterations came and went. Many had visions of what the division should be with many different people holding the reins over the years. Very few stayed dedication to that mission. And as it often happens many come and go. But one thing remains - the demand for deserving women to earn the right to be prominently featured in ROH!
Throughout its tenure be it ROH, WOH, or any revamp therein, there has always be a demand for women's wrestling in ROH and in the wrestling industry as a whole predating Sara Del Rey in ROH as part of the Kings of Wrestling, Daizee Haze, the Minnesota Home Wrecking Crew. On a wider scale predating Malia Hosaka. The Jumping Bomb Angels or the first WWF Women's Tag Team Champions Velvet McIntyre and Princess Victoria. Or even Mildred Burke in NWA. Many throw shade at the Diva's Era, but not me. I think the Diva's were a necessary part of our journey and they did open certain doors we all can learn from even today. And there's never been more opportunities for women in wrestling than there is today.
At some point in wrestling it somehow became taboo to be feminine as a female competitor. That somehow if you portrayed or embraced your femininity as a female wrestler you were somehow deemed unworthy or to be taken less seriously. It sounds bizarre and at first I'll admit I fell for that as many others did as well. There are some that have a vested interest in that particular status quo. But eventually with some sage advice and some of the best wrestling training of my career, I saw through that and at a certain point I thought wow, how did I ever rationalize that? And to this day, I still don't understand it.
I think embracing your femininity makes you stand out from your male counterparts in all aspects - especially in wrestling. That doesn't mean you are somehow less of a competitor as a female. I reject that stigma. It just means you're different. As a female wrestler you don't take away spots from male wrestlers. You add extra depth to the plethora of amazing talent on a show and in the industry. In short, just as a simplified example, if you're on safari and your guide is driving you down a dusty path with open land on both sides and you see a huge group of elephants and suddenly one giraffe in their company. You're going to notice the one giraffe and you probably wouldn't be able to instantly tell me different characteristics of all the elephants without having to take a second or possibly third and fourth look… Being a uniquely beautiful woman who embraces her femininity and can wrestle with the best of them and compete with a sense of fierceness and dedication to your craft without sacrificing an ounce of femininity - that's the giraffe.
And that brings me to the current reigning and defending ROH Women's Champion - Athena! I've made no secret of my long-standing appreciation for Athena. I even wrote a Fightful.com feature piece last year about the next chapter of Ember Moon - Rediscovering Athena. In Athena as your current ROH Women's Champion in her first reign, I get to see a dream materialize. An endeavor fought for by so many come to fruition. In Athena as ROH Women's Champion, I get to see all of the hard fought victories, setbacks, literal broken bones, tears, and blood that we poured into a collective dream of everything we believed the ROH Women's Title and subsequent division to stand for, could be, competed for, and wanted to see. And always knew it could be…
The path to becoming your current reigning and defending ROH Women's Champion was not an easy one for Athena. And that is deserving of even more respect. It's in the dark times that we truly find ourselves and where strength of character is built. It's in those lonely moments of nagging self-doubt that build a solid foundation upon which to rebuild our dreams. When one dream ends we work harder than ever before to dream an even bigger one. An even better one. One that suits who we are now instead of who we thought we'd be before we had any life experience. Yes, easy is not a word I'd use to describe Athena's journey going from Athena to Ember Moon and then rediscovering who Athena truly is at the core of her being both as a pro wrestler, female competitor, and as the woman behind it all.
Athena's journey into AEW saw her on a trajectory that ultimately became a direct collision course for ROH Championship gold. She'd find herself competing for the ROH Women's Title. In a successful effort she defeated the longest reigning ROH Women's Champion in recent ROH History at a reign of over 218+ days. Athena went toe to toe up against the immovable measuring stick of female competition in the form of the veteran competitor, The Latina Sensation herself, Mercedes Martinez! Honesty, if you're going to win a title like the ROH Women's Title, a competitor you want to beat to do so, would undoubtedly be Mercedes Martinez. Martinez represents one generation in wrestling that's still giving to other talents. A generation that was handed nothing and earned everything. This championship match was not just a passing of the torch but also an opportunity to earn all that she'd worked for for so long. And Athena did exactly that with Mercedes Martinez.
Since her win I cannot help but be extremely elated. I've said it in several different ways in the previous piece and in this piece as both a published author, female varsity athlete, and former ROH women's wrestler, and I'll say it again as a Fightful Contributing Writer to further cement my point to you the readers. Athena is exactly what an ROH Women's Champion should be. She is tough. She is beautiful. She is fierce. She is capable. She is versatile. She is entertaining. She is confident in her own skin. She is dauntless. She is unfazed. She is talented. She is experienced. She is healed. She is wiser. She is living her best life. She is her most authentic self. She is representing the expected quality of women's wrestling. She is the new gold standard for women in ROH. She is exciting. She is a credit unto herself. She's hard-hitting. She's calculated. She is without restraint. She embraces her femininity. She is the fighting spirit that represents the lifeblood of women's wrestling in ROH. Her name is Athena. She is your ROH Women's Champion. Long may she continue to reign…
Taeler Hendrix Links:
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The Hopeful Spider by Taeler Hendrix: https://a.co/d/c1qxSFG
It's Not Easy Being A Sloth by Taeler Hendrix: https://a.co/d/3nuzPfC
