“The Fallen Goddess” Athena recently passed 900 days as the Ring of Honor Women’s World Champion. She has taken on all comers, including one of her own “minions,” Billie Starkz. After two-and-a-half years as champion, is there anyone left to dethrone the “Forever Champion” of Ring of Honor? Here are some ideas for Tony Khan to ponder.
“La Mera Mera” was the AEW Women’s World Champion for 172 days. It is one of seven singles titles that Rosa has held in her career. Ring of Honor is currently in the process of setting up a title match for Thunder Rosa, most likely for the Super Card of Honor in Texas in July. Rosa hasn’t always had the best chemistry with other wrestlers, and she has been slowed a bit since her return from a serious back injury. That said, she is very popular, and she lives in Texas. Tony Khan might go for Rosa winning the title in Texas for those reasons.
Elayna Black was recently released by WWE, where she was wrestling in NXT as Cora Jade. She has already announced indie dates, so her non-compete agreement has played out. Black has said that she would like to secure a full-time position somewhere and not just stay on the independent scene, and in a recent interview, she mentioned that she would be open to AEW. Khan has a knack for signing ex-WWE talent, and this would be a good deal to pull the trigger on. The Cora Jade character had a solid following in WWE, and Black would be a very recognizable face to put the belt on.
Kamille has been missing in action for months after being attacked backstage on AEW television, presumably by her ex-boss Mercedes Moné. While that storyline will have to play out first, “The Brickhouse” would make for a daunting challenger for Athena’s title. Khan will most likely put Moné over Kamille, so she should have some free time on her hands at that point. Kamille was the NWA Women’s World Champion for 813 days before joining AEW, and during her tenure, she had expressed interest in facing Athena. Now she can do it for Athena’s title.
WWE recently released Shayna Baszler, and her non-compete clause has expired. Baszler has been a cage fighting champion, a catch wrestling champion, a two-time NXT Women’s Champion, and a three-time WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion. “The Queen of Spades” has all the accolades to attract the attention of Tony Khan and Athena. This would be a huge pay-per-view matchup.
Moné has been collecting championship belts all over the globe. After winning the Women’s Owen Hart Cup, she now has a shot at “Timeless” Toni Storm’s AEW Women’s World Championship. Win or lose, it would make sense for Moné to set her sights on Athena after the program with Storm. Athena has said that she still holds a grudge against Moné for knocking her out of the Owen Hart tournament, so there is fertile ground there for a feud between the two.
You can’t mention Shayna Baszler without mentioning her close friend and former tag partner, Ronda Rousey. Rousey has been largely off the grid, except for a few sporadic indie dates, but she has stated that she remains interested in a return to pro wrestling. Rousey teamed with Marina Shafir (currently in AEW) against Athena and Starkz in late 2023 in both RoH and Wrestling Revolver, so there is some history there to build on. Rousey would be another massive signing for Khan if he were to pull the trigger on a deal. Having a former UFC and WWE Women’s Champion on any roster is a big deal.
Back in AEW for a second time, Megan Bayne is trying to build a name for herself in her Greek goddess gimmick, the “Megasus.” Bayne has won gold in places like House of Glory, Ohio Valley Wrestling, and Immortal Championship Wrestling, but she failed in her attempt to take the AEW Women’s World Championship from Toni Storm. A matchup against Athena would be a big one–the “Fallen Goddess” versus the Greek goddess.
After her release from WWE, Shotzi has jumped right back into the indie scene. That is her in the video above being power bombed off the top rope through plate glass onto a prone wrestler. Shotzi, too, has a history with Athena. During their WWE days, they were NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions. Shotzi also has a connection to Harley Cameron, which could be utilized if Shotzi needs backup against Athena’s minions during a title match. Shotzi would be a great signing and a grand champion.
Britt Baker was the cornerstone of AEW’s women’s division. She was the first female wrestler that Tony Khan signed when founding the company. Lately, though, Baker and Khan have been on the outs. Baker hasn’t wrestled since November, and at some point, Khan suspended Baker for a verbal incident with MJF and Alicia Atout. That suspension has been over for quite some time, and Baker has just been stuck on the sidelines ever since. If Baker and Khan were to make nice, she would be an excellent challenger for Athena. She could rehabilitate her image in RoH to work her way back onto AEW TV.
WWE released Dakota Kai (real name Cheree Crowley) in March, so her 90-day non-compete should be running out soon. She has already expressed an interest in signing with AEW. Whether Crowley would wrestle under her real name, or her name before WWE (Evie), the snake-bitten Kiwi would be a great fit for Khan. As Dakota Kai, Crowley had quite a rivalry with Athena (then Ember Moon) in NXT. She and her partner Raquel Gonzalez (now Rodriguez) beat Moon and Shotzi for their NXT tag belts. Crowley already lives in Florida, so the move to Ring of Honor/AEW could be quick.
Who better to end the legendary reign of Athena than another legend? Toni Storm is the only AEW wrestler to be a four-time AEW Women’s World Champ. It is currently 50-50 whether she will lose the title to Moné when they clash at All In Texas in July. Either way, the loser of that match will need a title to pursue next, and the winner could solidify their legacy by going champion versus champion with Athena to hold both titles simultaneously. Many forget that Storm lost her bid for the NXT title to then-champion Ember Moon (Athena), but Storm and Athena both remember.
There are numerous great internal and external candidates for Khan to choose from to end Athena’s reign. It does need to come to an end, though. Athena is a great champion, but she needs a bigger spotlight. Khan needs to dethrone her so he can set her up to win the AEW Women’s World Championship, whether it be from Moné or Storm. Khan needs the boost to the AEW women’s division that Athena would bring.
If it were me, I would have the winner of the Storm-Moné challenge, Athena, next. Whoever that is can be champion of both companies for a couple of months and then lose the ROH title to one of the other names mentioned above. Once the AEW Women’s champ drops the ROH gold, Athena can move in and take the AEW belt. When the dust clears, Athena is the AEW Women’s World Champion, and new blood, let’s say Kamille or Crowley, helms the RoH women’s division.
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