Athena reflects on her Chicago Street Fight against Kiera Hogan on the June 22 episode of ROH on HonorClub.
Athena and Kiera Hogan headlined the June 22 episode of Ring of Honor on HonorClub in a Chicago Street Fight. Athena is now reflecting on their rivalry and her history with Kiera Hogan in AEW.
"Kiera Hogan, I had my first match in AEW with. My very first match, my very first week on the job, was with Kiera Hogan," said Athena on Busted Open Radio. "She was a minion of Jade in the Baddies Club, she broke free of that, and she was looking to make a name for herself. When I went to the ring that time with her versus Vert [Vertvixen], I wasn’t even looking at Kiera, I was looking at Vert. She just happened to win the match and was in the way. Then she said some words, and I didn’t appreciate it. That’s how it all started. I will say this, she has a lot of fire, and she is hungry. That’s something that I look for when I’m picking my opponents and am selectively looking at the matches. Who is next, who has that fire, who wants to succeed? Kiera Hogan had all those elements. I don’t want to say it, but she got the better of me a lot of that time, and I haven’t had anyone to step up and get in my face. I didn’t appreciate it, first and foremost, but she showed me she wasn’t going to lie down and take anything. I showed her that I was going to pummel her into oblivion."
As for her experience with Kiera Hogan on June 22, Athena calls the match fun and painful, they made art on that night. Also, she reflected on the representation on display for both black women and the LGBTQ+ community.
"We had a street fight. It was fun, painful, vicious, and violent, and I’m so thankful that I got to share the ring with her and make that art and show the world that she’s still not on my level," she continued. "It’s one of those moments where you can’t help but to be like, ‘look at what we created.’ The crowd was going crazy, but they said a lot of ‘no no’ words that could not air on TV. It sucks, but at the same time, it was awesome to share that in Chicago, an old stomping ground from SHIMMER, and show the world what we could so on that platform. The representation of two, not only two black women, but being Pride month, I know it meant so much to Kiera. In the locker room, when I’d walk by, she’d be like, ‘I got my flag, I got my hair,’ it made me swell with pride on the inside to just know she was going to get that platform to show who she was as a person."
After that match, Athena sent a message to the Ring of Honor women's roster. See more at this link.
Athena will next be taking on Billie Starkz as part of the Owen Hart Foundation Women's Memorial Cup Tournament. Their match takes place on the pre-show before AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door 2. Fans can check out the full card here.
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