“I feel like I’ve given the world to Ring of Honor. I’ve given years of my career being the ‘forever’ ROH champion. I’ve given so much to be the longest reigning champion in the modern day era, the most violent champion of the era. But when it comes to me, I want to do more with AEW.

I want to be AEW women’s champion. I want to be AEW TBS champion. I want to be an AEW tag champion to show the world that everything that I’ve done, holding a whole company on my back, climbing to the top of the mountain with it, was all worth it.”

The post Athena is looking to do more: “I want to be AEW women’s champion” appeared first on NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW Coverage.

Athena addressed the incident in a post via Twitter/X…

“Yeah…. so ….had an asthma attack mid match…. glad my minions had my back!!! A major thank you to AEW & ROH staff for the quick response… keeping the #ForeverROHChamp in peak condition.”

Likejshsjsjxbxfdeaxbn https://t.co/AJBM8etgCd pic.twitter.com/4akNVu6tRs

— aaliyah the funky pansexual (minion #7714937) (@velvetbrainhaze) August 22, 2026

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“I love that they want to see me on All Elite Wrestling, you know, but at the same time, I’ve always wanted more, I’ll say that first and foremost. Tony and I have had several conversations about, ‘Hey, I’d like to do more with AEW. Hey, I’d love to do more with Dynamite, Rampage, whatever.’ We’ve had those conversations, so let me say that first and foremost. Those conversations have been had and there is a time period where that’s going to happen. It’s changed a lot, I will say that, but it’s still happening. I love the fact that the anticipation is killing people where it’s like, why is Athena there and not here. Because Athena has her own damn show minions, that’s why. Athena runs ROH. When people think of Ring Of Honor now, it’s me. When I was growing up, It was Bryan, it was Nigel, it was Samoa Joe, it was AJ, it was the Briscoes, it was Taven, it was Adam Cole, it was all of those guys but now it’s Athena. Now it’s Athena and this is my show, it’s my brand. When I was young on the independent scene, that’s the place I wanted to work. I managed to earn a spot on the Ring Of Honor roster. For me, this is roots for me, right? I don’t want to leave ROH high and dry, not even a little bit, but at the same time, I know that time is coming for me soon to kind of do more, let me put it that way. Do more and make an even bigger impact that what I already have.

I love that people are talking about me, it warms my my heart, my minions, my support. Someone that’s been doing this 19/20 years at this point, it means a lot that my fan base is still there and still appreciates everything that I do and they want it so bad but when you finally get it, yall don’t complain when I kick all these teeth in. When this finally happens, when all of your favorites end up on the shelf, when all of their favorites prove that they can’t hang with a real wrestler and champion, I want you guys to remember that you guys wanted this, okay? Be careful what you ask for, I’m warning you now. They’re going to be like, ‘Oh my god, we missed Athena, it’s so great.’ Then be like, ‘Oh my god, why why.’ I want you to know, remember what you’re asking for. When Athena comes to AEW, we are ending mediocrity. We are raising the bar, okay? So be careful what you ask for.” (quote courtesy of Skylar Russell)

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“I think the next step for me would be to take a crack at AEW TV again. My first time around was not great, and I lost to the all powerful Jade Cargill. I think now, with me being the forever ROH Women’s Champion, I want to be a triple crown champion by the end of 2024. I’m going after all of the belts, the TBS Championship, Julia Hart. the AEW Women’s Championship, Toni Storm. I’m not content with just beating up these fragile broads left and right. This is your warning, I am coming for you guys in 2024. It doesn’t matter what anyone says, you got an X on your back and it’s only a matter of time before we get there.”

During the 2023 ROH Final Battle PPV media call, AEW President Tony Khan commented on Athena potentially making more AEW television appearances…

“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.” (quotes courtesy of Fightful.com)

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What’s Changed

In the previous article, I mentioned the lack of time and stories presented in the women’s division in multiple companies. Both women’s titles in WWE have become more special, the TBS Title in AEW has many potential competitors, and Trinity remains an attraction in TNA. Women wrestlers are becoming more captivating characters in stories, even beyond the title pictures. Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics created a fantastic graph (link here) breaking down the percentage of women’s matches on WWE, NXT, AEW, and Impact(TNA). The graph is broken down by television programs and shows the progress women’s wrestling has made recently. 

There has also been an interesting development with Joshi wrestling in North America. Sukeban, a Joshi wrestling promotion based out of New York, has hit the scene and has great reviews about it. Just recently, Sukeban announced the signing of Sareee for their promotion and have been streaming their shows via TikTok. Could this be a sign of connecting to a younger crowd? There have been numerous positive things said about Sukeban, and if you get the chance, definitely check it out. 

Perception of Women’s Wrestling

Fans are praising the success of women’s wrestling, whether it’s based on star ratings, match quality, or storylines. Over the past few WWE and NXT premium live events, a consensus has been that the women’s matches have been the fan-favorite matches of the night. Even the Halloween Havoc special NXT ran, Becky Lynch and Lyra Valkyria put on one of the best matches of the year. 

Outside of matches and storylines, one of the biggest talking points recently has been the different signings for the promotions. Jade Cargill officially signed with WWE on September 26, 2023, and though she has not had a match on television, she has still been making an impact through social media with just her presence. Kairi Sane recently returned to the WWE at the Crown Jewel PLE in Saudia Arabia. Another big signing recently revealed was that of Mariah May to AEW. Mariah May has been a standout in Stardom over the past few years and it will be great to see what she can do in an AEW ring. These signings have increased the interest of fans and we are all anxiously waiting to see what happens next.  

Needs Improvement 

Though there have been many fantastic changes since my previous article, there are still some things that need to change. There is no need to bang the “AEW needs more than one women’s match per show” because it has been a constant since the start of the company. WWE has also fallen into that category of “one women’s match per show” but the difference is there are fewer matches on the show. Also, WWE has been focusing more on character development and storytelling than they have been focusing on in-ring competition. But this has been a common complaint with numerous talking heads online and hopefully, we will see a change some time soon.

Another change that needs to take place is the importance of women on the shows. Rhea has become a big deal on Raw but she is the only one to appear on that level that is equal to a Roman Reigns or a Seth Rollins-type main eventer. For fans to become more invested, WWE needs to focus on making the women’s division feel more like “Main Event”. Even on AEW, they have featured all the ROH champions on AEW television except for Athena. Athena is the greatest thing in the AEW umbrella, but fans wouldn’t know that if they were not watching ROH. Perhaps the addition of a second women’s match on AEW television would open some doors for Athena to showcase the exceptional work she has been doing in ROH for the AEW audience. 

Conclusion

In the five months since my original article, there have been some amazing things happening in the North American women’s wrestling scene. Personally, I’m absolutely over the moon that so many people have spoken up about the want and need for women’s wrestling to be more prevalent on television. I am not asking for another Evolution pay-per-view (though it would be fun) and I am not asking for there to be a separate show just for women. What I am asking for is for wrestling companies to see the value in their women’s talent and to treat them on the same level they treat their men.

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Pillar #1-Nick Wayne

The first “New Pillar” will be Nick Wayne. Wayne officially signed with AEW on July 12, 2023. This 18-year-old wrestler, since signing, has appeared in programs with Darby Allin, Swerve Strickland, Christian Cage, and Adam Copeland. Trained by his father Buddy Wayne and Nick’s mentor Darby Allin, Nick Wayne has been wrestling since the age of 12. Nick wrestled for DEFY Wrestling, GCW, and performed on the card for Ric Flair’s Last Match. Coming to AEW was an easy fit for Wayne because of his connections with Allin and Strickland.

The way Wayne has seamlessly connected with the AEW crowd since his debut has been a testament to his relatability as a character. The slow metamorphosis from underdog baby-face with Darby to the smarmy heel with Christian has been a fun development for him. There is a possibility Nick Wayne will win a title in AEW by July 2024. This would mean he would become a title holder within one year of his debut. Barring any serious injuries, Nick Wayne will be in AEW for a long time and it would make sense to focus stories around him.

Pillar #2-Hook

Even though Hook has been in AEW since November 2020, this 24-year-old can still be a “New Pillar” of AEW. With a career record of 38 wins and 2 losses, Hook has already solidified his position as a fan favorite. Not only through his matches, but Hook’s personality has captivated the AEW audience as the “Cold-hearted Handsome Devil”, as Excalibur calls him. Hook was trained by Cody Rhodes, QT Marshall, Brian Meyers, and Pat Buck but also learned a lot from being thrown onto television with the other wrestlers in AEW. 

Hook is still in the early stages of his career. Only being a wrestler for about three years, Hook has a long career ahead of him. With his look and charisma, Hook can be a crossover star competing in the ring and starring in movies or on television. Assuming he does not make the jump to WWE, Hook has the potential to be a long-reigning FTW champion and collect other titles along the way. 

Pillar #3-Julia Hart

The past year has been stellar for 21-year-old Julia Hart. Julia spent time training at the Nightmare Factory while making her debut in 2021 as the valet for The Varsity Blonds (Griff Garrison and Brian Pillman Jr.). During her time with The Varsity Blonds, Hart was a bubbly cheerleader rooting on her stablemates and having matches of her own sporadically. Fans wanted to see something more happen with Hart because of the progression she made since her debut. It wasn’t until May 29, 2022, at Double or Nothing that fans saw a huge change in character.

Double or Nothing marked Julia Hart officially joining The House of Black. With her new dark character on screen, the audience noticed a change in her in-ring as well. She was not only a manager for Buddy Matthews, Malakai Black, and Brody King, but also a full-fledged member of The House of Black. In recent months, whenever Julia Hart had a match, Kind would serve as her manager on the outside of the ring. Considering how far she has come since her debut, it is safe to say that AEW sees Hart as someone to invest their time and effort into.   

Pillar #4-Billie Starkz

A rising star of ROH, Billie Starkz has been doing amazing work as a minion (number 400,237 ¾) for ROH Women’s Champion Athena. Starkz, 19, trained by Raul LaMotta and Rudy Switchblade, wrestled on the independent circuit since 2018. She made her debut for AEW on Dark against Red Velvet in December 2022. Since her debut, she has competed in multiple high-profile matches like facing off against Jade Cargill for the TBS Title, participating in the Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament, and competing against Athena for the ROH Women’s Title.  

Though, as of this writing, she is not on the official roster page for AEW, Starkz has been a pivotal part of ROH. If AEW can sustain the momentum with Billie Starkz, there is no way she will not be a champion in AEW within the next two years. She has a long career ahead of her and already has become a fan-favorite with the online AEW crowd. Starkz has room to grow as an entertainer and also sharpen her in-ring skills while being in ROH and AEW. Billie Starkz rounding out the “New Pillars” makes sense because of the effort put into her presentation.  

Pillars-Honorable Mentions

I would feel remiss if I did not include some honorable mentions. First, Willow Nightingale is someone a company should get behind. The audience loves her, and she is a delight to watch wrestle. The second wrestler would be Wheeler Yuta. Though his in-ring work has not had to change much, his character work has been great since his debut and the Yuta Heads have been eating good recently. The same goes for Daniel Garcia, the third honorable mention. His Garcia Dance has become a high point of any show he is on. Speaking of high points, Skye Blue has been a great staple to the women’s division over the past few months. She has showcased her in-ring abilities and also grown as a character in front of the fans. There are still plenty of talented people who can be considered a “New Pillar” for AEW, but these are the top names on my list.

Conclusion

The “Pillar” system has always been a laughable one to me. A company benefits more from building around more than just four people. I wrote this article to follow the “rules” established by the online community, MJF’s promo, and Tony Khan himself. In my opinion, a company should not and cannot be built around one group of people. This is a fun way to bring light to younger talent and a great conversation piece. Who do you think are the “New Pillars” of AEW? Do you agree with my picks?   

The post Who are the New Pillars of AEW? appeared first on NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW Coverage.

“When I left WWE, that was the one thing I wanted to do, I wanted to figure out a way to get to AEW. When I walked out of that building, I thought, ‘How in the blue hell do I get ahold of Tony Khan?’ Between my rep and everything, we had kind of been in talks in December to see if there was interest. During my 90-day situation where I couldn’t do anything, ‘Ah, just kind of threw away the dream job. Do I want to wrestle anymore?'”

“All of these requests came in from the Indies of, ‘we want you to come do our show, we want you at our show.’ ‘Well this is new,” she recalled. “I remember having to run to everyone else to get a booking.’ All these old promotions that I used to work for were like, ‘Hey come work with us. Come do this.’ ‘I don’t know man.’ I remember this promoter at Warrior Wrestling goes, ‘whatever match you want, I’ll pay your rate, you get to pick your opponent and who you want.’ ‘Thunder Rosa.’ I threw out a name because I recently met her and she was awesome. I went down to Mission Pro and worked out to see if I still wanted to wrestle. She got me some really good girls to roll around with. We went broadway, 30 minutes, and it was so much fun. I was so emotional after because it was like, ‘I thought I was going to throw this all away again.’ It got the bug going and that’s when I told my rep, ‘Let’s do it, if he wants me let’s do it.’ It became, IMPACT wanted me, there was interest at AEW but we could never get ahold of Tony because he’s so busy. IMPACT would be like, ‘Hey, hey girl, hey.’ ‘Yeah, yeah, I know, hold on.’ My friends would be like, ‘Girl, I heard you’re coming here.’ ‘We’ve not talked to them. We only said, hey, we’ll talk to you next week.’ It became this weird, where do I go? What do I do? I had two companies showing interest and it was like, ‘I think I want to go to AEW. I have friends at IMPACT, but I want to do AEW because I’ve had my eye on it for so long.’ Fast forward to May, it happened so quickly. Tony called my rep, ‘Let’s do it.’ Within the next week, I was on a plane to Las Vegas.” (quotes courtesy of Jeremy Lambert)

The post Athena comments on the process of her signing with AEW following WWE departure appeared first on NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW Coverage.

.@AthenaPalmer_FG drives the back of @RealMMartinez's head into the exposed turnbuckle!

Order #ROHFinalBattle on PPV now!@BRWrestling: https://t.co/EdGVni5sMA
Available on all major providers pic.twitter.com/p786LJ6yIa

— ROH – Ring of Honor Wrestling (@ringofhonor) December 10, 2022

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AEW is where it’s ok to hurt your opponents by accident and on purpose, pal.

pic.twitter.com/E9wk7y4x8q

— Vince McMahon’s Thoughts (@VinceMcMahonMan) October 18, 2022

During an appearance on Busted Open Radio, Athena addressed criticism of her physicality in recent matches…

“People forget that the girls can hit just as hard as the guys. I have to sit there and see Jon Moxley and [Chris] Jericho and who else? [Wheeler] Yuta and all these guys hit the tar out of each other and I guarantee you, if I was a man, I feel like there wouldn’t be as much backlash or anything like that. It’s all these old, bloated farts that wanna sit there and tell us, oh no, we need to go out there and look pretty and then they complain when it’s a dance, they complain when we hit hard. Get over it. We’re out here to be just as good as the guys and we give it our all, we put in all of this time and effort to hone our craft and I feel like sometimes, we are underappreciated when we do things like that.” (quote courtesy of PostWrestling.com)

Athena is scheduled to challenge Mercedes Martinez for the ROH women’s title at this Saturday’s Final Battle PPV.

The post Athena calls out the “old, bloated farts” that complain about her physicality in matches appeared first on NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW Coverage.

Results, Highlights and My Opinions

ROH World Championship

Claudio Castagnoli vs. Chris Jericho

In a match that met my expectations, this was a back and forth match, with counters and near pinfalls. After Claudio countered the Walls of Jericho he moved into the Big Swing. A dizzy Jericho grabbed the bat and attempted to use it but was stopped by Claudio and then removed by the ref. Claudio almost fell into a distracted referee in the corner and while she recovered and placed the bat down, Jericho hit Claudio with a low blow then a spinning elbow. Jericho with the pinfall.

Winner: Chris Jericho, New ROH World Champion

AEW World Tag Team Championship

Swerve In Our Glory vs. The Acclaimed

Let me just start by saying Keith Lee always surprises me with his speed and agility. That being said, this was an high energy match. Keith Lee showing his power, launching Bowens over the top rope and about 5 feet on to the ramp.

Keith Lee missed a moonsault off the top rope. Then Swerve accidentally hit Keith Lee with boom box. Anthony Bowens hit Keith Lee with flipping neck breaker from one corner and Max Caster took a fall from the other corner before hitting the mic drop due to a hurt knee. Several near falls throughout the match.

Swerve wipes out both Acclaimed members outside the ring and then has words with Billy Gunn. With a distracted ref, Billy Gunn hits the fameasser on Swerve. Back in the ring, Caster hits the Mic Drop and picks up the pinfall.

Winner: The Acclaimed, New AEW Tag Team Champions

Backstage Promo:

FTR interview interrupted and then mocked by The Gunn Club.

On Ramp Promo:

MJF interrupts Tony Schiavone and Wheeler Yuta and declares himself the devil and then a god. MJF mocks Yuta and says that he will never hear a crowd pop for him as they do for MJF. Wheeler calls him out on his engagement and states she will see him as AEW sees him, a spineless worthless piece of human garbage and she will walk out on him. MJF claims the “Blackpool Cuckold Club” competitors of tonight’s main event are fighting to lose to him. After the low mention of William Regal: “Hey willie can you teach me how to pop pills” MJF earns a smack from wheeler. MJF then strikes Wheeler and Schiavone. A brawl breaks out between the two and W. Morrissey joins MJF in taking out Wheeler.

Backstage Promo:

Jade Cargill and the Baddies. Jade states she will challenge for the main title when she’s ready. Trina interrupts and declare they will see each other Friday on Rampage.

AEW All-Atlantic Championship

Pac vs. Orange Cassidy

Yawn. Sorry, I’ve never been a fan of Pac.  Not now, not when he was known as Neville. To end the match, Pac used the ring bell hammer outside the ring to strike Orange Cassidy and then brought him back into the ring. Pac with the pinfall.

Winner: Pac

AEW Interim Women’s World Championship

Toni Storm vs. Serena Deep vs. Athena vs. Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D.

Four extremely talented women in a high energy, hard hitting match. A few near falls with Toni Storm picking up the pinfall.

Winner: Toni Storm

A bloody nosed Britt Baker attacks Toni Storm after the match. Jamie Hayte joins Britt Baker in beating down Toni Storm. Serena Deeb attacks Athena. It’s a 3 on 2 attack. Music hits and Saraya (fka Paige) arrives at AEW to a huge pop and the ring clears in awe. Athena and Toni join Saraya in the middle of the ring and the three former WWE superstars engage in a group hug.

Note: Toni Storm sure has come a long way since taking pies in the face from Charlotte Flair in her last appearance on WWE television before requesting her release.

Theatrical Trailer Promo

Darby Allin on Subway and NYC streets. Sits in a cab and states he’s going to a funeral.

AEW World Championship

Jon Moxley vs. Bryan Danielson

In what I, and I imagine most, anticipated, this was a competitive match. A few near falls. Hard hitting, submission attempts. A mix of technical wrestling and hard hitting. Jon Moxley faded Bryan Danielson out.

Winner: Jon Moxley, New AEW World Champion

Match of the Night:

Claudio Castagnoli vs. Chris Jericho

Best Interview/Promo:

Saraya (fka Paige) arrives in AEW

Best Men’s Match:

Jon Moxley vs. Bryan Danielson

Best Women’s Match:

Toni Storm vs. Serena Deep vs. Athena vs. Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D.

Final Thoughts

Overall a great show. This was equivalent to a pay-per-view on regular television. Every match a championship match. Predictable? Mostly.

What are your thoughts on tonight’s episode? Leave a comment below!

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