Tony Khan comments on Athena potentially competing outside of ROH.
Athena won the ROH Women's World Championship at ROH Final Battle 2022. Initially, she defended the title on AEW Dark and Dark: Elevation. But in recent months, her title matches have been exclusive to ROH, and Athena has infrequently wrestled on AEW programming. She recently expressed her interest in defending the gold in NJPW or STARDOM. Athena has also made it clear that she would like to compete in AEW.
Speaking on the ROH Final Battle media conference call, Tony Khan was asked whether there was a reason Athena has only defended the title in ROH recently and whether the champion after ROH Final Battle could put the title on the line in AEW going forward.
"I’m certainly open to Athena appearing in AEW and other places. I think it’s really great to have somebody who is a great ambassador for the company like Athena. One thing that has been consistent and great about ROH is that Athena has been very much a part of that show and focused on that show. Her work has been one of the strongest things about the show. If Athena is focused on ROH and AEW, that’s great too. With Billie Starkz, you have a great challenger that would be a great champion for ROH, but also somebody people would be excited to see in AEW. Both Billie and Athena offer something to any wrestling company. In reflecting on the year in 2023, I believe Athena’s work on ROH was quite possibly, likely, the strongest and most consistent thing throughout the year and it’s been really nice having that anchor," Khan said.
Athena recently discussed her feud with Billie Starkz. Check out her comments here.
Click here to see what Athena had to say about hitting one year as ROH Women's World Champion.
Fightful will have live coverage of ROH Final Battle as it airs on Friday, December 15.
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