Athena defended her title at ROH Supercard of Honor on July 11, then competed in the AEW All In Women’s Casino Gauntlet match the following day.

As the longest-reigning ROH Women’s Champion at more than 940 days, Athena fights for every part of the journey that brought her here. Known as “The Fallen Goddess,” she once competed in WWE under the ring name Ember Moon. Today, she reigns supreme in Ring of Honor (ROH), the sister promotion to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), which offers a platform where rising stars and seasoned veterans alike can shine.

If Texas had to claim one as our defining hero, Athena would be a worthy contender. This Garland native and current Arlington resident has fought opponents all over the state of Texas and has represented the Lone Star State both at home and abroad. Athena says, “I’ve wrestled everywhere in Texas: Brownsville, McAllen, San Angelo, Houston, Dallas, El Paso and Tyler. You name it.” 

Athena and others in the industry deserve their flowers. These athletes put in the work 52 weeks a year with no off-season. They push through injuries, endure relentless travel and are constantly tested physically, mentally and emotionally. Professional wrestling isn’t just a spectacle; it’s a grind, and Athena embodies what it means to rise above it with heart, grit and purpose.

AEW Took Over Texas

AEW’s five-day residency featured live shows, a fan convention, and two major events — Supercard of Honor and All In: Texas, the latter marking AEW’s first major domestic stadium show, its first pay-per-view held in Texas and the first professional wrestling event at Globe Life Field.

Amidst this monumental residency, all eyes were on Athena as she defended her championship at Supercard of Honor, then entered the Casino Gauntlet match the next night at All In.

Coming Full Circle in Arlington

In December 2022, Athena won her ROH Women’s Championship in her own backyard of Arlington at Final Battle. Fast forward nearly three years, and she would be defending her title in the same city. Not only is this a full-circle moment for her professionally, but also personally.

During her college soccer days at the University of Texas at Arlington, her dorm room overlooked the College Park Center, although it was not built until 2012 — the same venue where she won her title at Final Battle. 

After she won her championship, she recalls, “I remember just going outside and holding my championship, and just looking up at my dorm, and I said, ‘This is pretty wild.’ So, coming back to Arlington means a lot. Arlington is a very lucky city for me.”

ROH Women’s Championship on the Line at ROH Supercard of Honor

Kicking off the weekend festivities in Arlington, hometown hero Athena and AEW’s Thunder Rosa, who also resides in Texas, were placed in the co-main event of Supercard of Honor with the ROH Women’s World Title on the line. 

For Athena, stepping into the ring in North Texas holds multiple truths. The moment she returns to her hometown, the stakes feel impossibly high. “I don’t want to let anyone down,” she says. “There are people who’ve believed in me my entire career—my family, my friends, my students. They all look up to me. The last thing I want is to walk into my hometown and lose a championship match. I’d rather lose anywhere else than here.”

When asked if she was worried that the crowd would be behind her opponent, Athena said, “She lives in San Antonio, sure. But I grew up in Garland. I went to school in Arlington. I had my first match in Marshall, my first title in Houston, my second in Austin. I’ve put in the work all across Texas. She may have moved here, but this is my state.”

The Fallen Goddess carried this attitude into her bout against Thunder Rosa, and secured a victory with a side surfboard submission that made the latter tap out.

Now known as “The Forever Champion,” Athena is closing in on her next milestone: 1,000 days as ROH Women’s Champion, a mark she’s expected to reach in September. If she gets there, she already has a new nickname ready—“Athena 1000.” She now stands alone as the longest-reigning champion, male or female, in ROH history.

The Ultimate Test — AEW’s Women’s Casino Gauntlet

Fresh off her victory the night before, Athena entered at #9 in the Women’s Casino Gauntlet, where competitors join the match at timed intervals. The first to secure a pinfall or submission wins a guaranteed future shot at championship gold.

When her music hit, the 27,000 fans in attendance erupted. Thunderous applause echoed through the stadium, a powerful testament to Texas being firmly in her corner.

Athena stormed the ring with her signature aggressive, hard-hitting style, clearing the competition before sealing the win with her devastating O-Face finisher, earning her a shot at the AEW Women’s World Championship.

A Childhood of Resilience

To understand the full weight of Athena’s success and history-making, it must be traced back to where it all began: a living room, where a young girl watched wrestling beside her grandfather. In their house, wrestling was sacred, right alongside religion and chores. “If I got out of chores, it was because I was watching wrestling,” she said. “So essentially, I got out of chores a lot.”

Athena was drawn to wrestling because “It was this magical, colorful world where people could say what they wanted, do what they wanted and defend what they believed in. That really resonated with me, because I couldn’t do that at the time. I remember thinking, ‘One day I’m going to fight for what I believe in.'” At 13, the seed of becoming a wrestler was planted.

Athena learned at a tender age that some passions come with a cost. “It was like a weird, nerdy thing if you watch wrestling. You had to keep it secret. I got bullied a lot—shoved in lockers for liking wrestling, anime and comic books.”

She found a connection in an unexpected place: another wrestling fan who defended her and, in turn, got shoved into the same locker. The two became best friends, acting out skits and finding escape in the performative world of wrestling.

A Grandfather’s Final Words 

Athena’s bond with her grandfather deepened over the years, woven together by their shared love of wrestling. Every summer, every Monday and Friday, they watched it together. But during her senior year of high school, he fell ill.

Athena vividly remembers sitting beside his hospital bed, watching women wrestle on TV. She recalls, “He looked at me and said, ‘You really love this, don’t you?’ I said, ‘Yeah, I’m going to do that one day.’ And he told me, ‘Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t. If that’s what you want to do, go and do it.'” It was their final conversation, and he passed away the following week.

The profound loss of her grandfather, a pivotal figure in her life, left a void that wrestling filled. Her grief only strengthened Athena’s resolve, and she decided to honor herself and her grandfather by pursuing her dream of becoming a wrestler.

Humble Wrestling Beginnings

When Athena turned 18, she began training with wrestling legend Skandor Akbar in the DFW Metroplex and later with Booker T’s Pro Wrestling Alliance (PWA) in Houston, now known as Reality of Wrestling. Her early days were far from glamorous. Training began in a public storage unit, and she wrestled wherever she could — including venues that defy belief.

Athena recalls, “I remember there was one time I performed in the middle of two highways. And I couldn’t even tell you where this was. It was a truck stop. It was a very rundown gas station. The locker room was like a blue tarp that they just put a stick in the middle of. And I mean, it was like a two by two space, so one person had to go in and change at a time, but the entryway was the backdoor exit from the gas station. It was in between two freeways and it was outside in the middle of a Texas summer.”

These experiences weren’t just physically challenging — they demanded mental toughness. Athena says, “You’re driving 8–12 hours to get an opportunity. You’re just trying to get your name out there to have people take a risk on you, which I feel is the hardest part of pro wrestling.”

Surviving the Grind

Athena describes the indie wrestling grind as similar to breaking into any competitive industry — you start small, hoping to get noticed, but opportunities can be few and far between. Unlike traditional jobs, indie promotions might only run a handful of shows a year, making the path to recognition even more uncertain and demanding.

What got her through was staying connected to her authentic self and committing to her purpose. She reflects, “Everyone has a good self-awareness of what their strong points are and what their weak points are… When you’re stuck in these tiny little arenas, with 10 people in the crowd, you’re like, ‘I want so much more than this. I deserve more than this.’ That’s where it gets draining and taxing.”

Still, she pressed on with long drives, uncertain pay and a full-time job waiting on Monday. She humbly states, “It takes a strong mind. We used to call ourselves ‘weekend warriors.’ We have a real job throughout the week, and on the weekends, we go and fight.”

Women Fighting for Space in Wrestling

Early in her career, Athena was part of a small, tight-knit group of women carving out space in Texas’s male-dominated indie scene. At the time, there were only a handful of female wrestlers, and camaraderie was essential, not just for support, but for opportunity. Athena says, “If you make someone too mad they’re not going to wrestle with you anymore. And now that’s money, that’s a booking.”

With so few women on the circuit, Athena often competed in “special attraction” matches against men, despite being just 110 pounds. These matches were physically demanding but necessary stepping stones.

Today, the landscape has changed. There are now dozens of women wrestling in Texas alone, and women are no longer viewed as secondary to men in the ring. Athena has helped lead that charge. On why she has become a history maker in ROH, Athena states, “Because I put in the work, and I put my heart and soul into what I do.”

She also credits her success to the trailblazers who came before—Trish Stratus, Lita, Jazz, Jacqueline, and pioneers in Japan like Manami Toyota and Akira Hokuto. She declares, “They showed the world we can hang with the guys, if not do it better.”

Athena has main-evented multiple pay-per-views, breaking barriers that once felt impenetrable. She credits AEW’s CEO, Tony Khan, for giving women the platform to shine, and she’s determined to continue proving that women belong at the very top.

Texas Influence

Texas has left an undeniable mark on wrestling history, from the Von Erichs to The Undertaker. Athena draws inspiration from these Texas legends, but one wrestler stands out most: WWE Hall of Famer Jacqueline Moore, who hails from Dallas.

Athena fondly says, “She was my size, and she’d go and she’d hit guys and hit girls, and she looked really powerful doing it.”

When reflecting on how Texas wrestling differs from other regions, Athena proudly explains, “In Texas, we have the legacy of the Sportatorium, the Von Erichs, the old NWA territories. There’s a certain style that you have to learn before you get into the intricacies in other places. We’re very old school, as far as our storytelling goes. We are also very audience-driven. It’s about the story that you want to tell as a performer, the story you want to tell as an athlete, the story that projects to the audience, that captivates them.”

Why Texas Will Always Be Home

Athena’s deep connection to Texas is rooted in its people. She says, “I know that sounds generic, but I’ve been all over the world, lived in Florida, traveled the country, and nowhere compares.”

She recalls one specific moment after moving back from Florida. “I had this huge suitcase that was bigger than me—about 180 pounds. I had been everywhere—Philly, New York, California, Oklahoma—and finally landed back in Texas. I was struggling to get the bag off the belt, and suddenly strangers around me jumped in to help. That’s Texas. That’s what I missed.”

It’s the culture of generosity, pride, and unity that defines her devotion to the Lone Star State. “We’re a community. We look out for each other. If you hear ‘The Stars at Night,’ someone’s clapping two rows over in the grocery store. That’s Texas. There’s just no place like it.”

Giving Back to Future Wrestling Superstars

When Metroplex Wrestling’s (MPX) former owners chose to sell the promotion a few years ago, Athena stepped in to buy the company and ensure the Texas wrestling tradition would continue. Based in Bedford, the independent promotion has been running for nearly 15 years and still holds the distinction of being the only wrestling show in the state to run weekly events.

Athena is a coach at MPX and strives to instill all her hard-earned knowledge in the next generation. When discussing this endeavor, Athena says “I wanted to provide a platform where these women can learn how to work TV style, learn how to wrestle with some of the best in the world and learn from them as I’ve had that opportunity by traveling around the world, but make it in Texas and provide a platform to show who they are and tell their stories. It’s paying it forward and leaving the business better than when you got in.”

Athena gracefully balances a demanding wrestling career while helping a new generation pave the way for the future of wrestling. On August 9, MPX will present an all-women’s show called Who Runs the World? featuring top talent from across the Lone Star State.

The Path to Dual Gold

Athena continues her path of greatness with two goals in mind — to make it to 1,000 days as the ROH Women’s Champion and to secure the AEW Women’s Championship. This newfound pressure is driving her as she pushes forward in the next chapter of her career. 

Athena says, “I am forever. I have done this time and time again, being the Forever ROH champion, and now that I’m in AEW, that is not going to change. I am here not only to make a legacy for myself, I am here to show the world that I have been the best wrestler in the entire world for years. I am here to bring AEW to new heights.”

Athena’s passion, resilience, humility and commitment to lifting others are the mark of a true unsung hero. Texas is proud to call her one of our own.

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Cover photo courtesy AEW.

Sara Aguinaga is a dedicated massage therapist and editorial contributor at Texas Lifestyle Magazine. She loves indulging in spa treatments, exploring diverse cuisines and traveling. Follow her on Instagram @sweetsaraadventures.