Athena (Ember Moon) Addresses Possibility of Joining AEW and Reveals Why She Didn't Sign New WWE Deal
Athena (formerly Ember Moon) is once again tearing up the competition on the independent scene after being released from WWE last year, taking on some of wrestling's biggest names and even recently defeating Thunder Rosa to become the new Warrior Wrestling Women's World Champion. Some have wondered if Athena will ever end up joining All Elite Wrestling, and it's actually kind of surprising that she hasn't jumped in an AEW ring yet. In a new interview with Chris Van Vliet, Athena talked about choosing not to re-sign with WWE, which led to her release, and the possibility of signing with AEW.
Athena said she was offered a new deal in the summer of the 2021, adding that WWE offered her five times more than what she was making at the time. She still chose not to sign a new deal, saying "I think they're afraid of the talent they possess and they can take elsewhere. It was literally up until maybe, I want to say, August-September, they were still trying. I was like, 'I would love to sit here and take your money, but you haven't given me a reason to stay.' That was my point of dispute with them. 'I want to stay, I want you to make me stay."
She also noted that during that time she was paying attention to what was going on in AEW, even talking with Dustin Rhodes occasionally. WWE frowned on people talking about AEW backstage or even watching it to keep tabs on the competition, and Athena says she also watched it because she was a bit envious of what was going on over there and the fun being had.
"I was seeing everything going on at AEW and I was like, 'That looks fun. That looks like what I thought I was going to do.' For a while, we couldn't even talk about it backstage because they were like, 'You shouldn't be watching the competitor.' I was like, 'How do you expect us to outshine them?' It was different because I wasn't watching for film. I was watching because I was envious of what was happening there. I would text Dustin (Rhodes) on occasions and he would respond back, 'We sure are having fun over here.' I'm like, 'I see that you're having fun, Dustin! How are you, how is life? Don't rub it in.' Dustin was one of those people that, when I was on Raw and SmackDown and still trying to figure out my identity within that new roster, he was the only one who would sit there and give me character advice. 'You need to do this and that. Fuck what they say.' That's Goldust. That's the ultimate character. My man survived throughout everything. He took such an interest in my character-work when no one else would. I saw him and my friend Leva (Bates) is like, 'I'm having a great time over here.' To see genuinely how happy everyone was," Athena said.
As for joining AEW, when she was asked about the possibility Athena didn't rule it out, saying "That's up to them, technically. I've been very open and being like, 'Whoever offers, let's do it.' I just want to wrestle and have fun."
Perhaps we'll see her join AEW at some point down the line, and she would be a force to be reckoned with immediately if that happened.
H/T Fightful