Former WWE star set for blockbuster debut outside AEW
A former WWE Superstar and current AEW star is set to make her debut outside the Jacksonville-based promotion. The star in question is Athena. The 35-year-old is the reigning ROH Women's World Champion. She performed for WWE under the ring name Ember Moon between 2015 and 2021.
Athena is a former NXT Women's Champion. She joined All Elite Wrestling in May 2022. After a feud with Jade Cargill, she started featuring prominently on Tony Khan's Ring of Honor. The Texas native won the ROH Women's World Title in December 2022. The talented performer has held the title for over 627 days. Given her in-ring dominance, it should come as no surprise that other promotions are also interested in Athena.
Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling just announced that Athena will make her debut appearance at the promotion's Forged In Excellence event on October 19 and 20, 2024.
"BREAKING: ROH Women’s World Champion @AthenaPalmer_FG is set to electrify #MLPForgedInExcellence coming to you LIVE from Windsor on October 19-20! Exclusively on @FiteTV! Less than 50 reserved seats remain! Get tickets NOW!'' the post read.
Former WWE star Athena is in talks with Tony Khan about returning to AEW
Despite being signed to All Elite Wrestling, Athena has featured in only one match for the promotion this year. She last performed for AEW at Battle of the Belts X in April 2024. The 35-year-old retained her ROH Women's World Title against Red Velvet.
During a recent interview with Stephanie Chase on YouTube, the former WWE star mentioned that she was currently in talks with Tony Khan regarding more appearances on AEW television.
"It's something that Tony and I talk about quite a bit in person. It's like, 'Ok, we did Battle of the Belts X; you know, we're sprinkling it here and there. We've done pre-shows on multiple pay-per-views with myself and Billie Starkz, and Lexi Nair in there as well.' I think it's just a matter of time,'' Athena said. [From 9:50 to 10:08]
It will be interesting to see if Athena returns to AEW TV in the coming weeks.