As many former WWE Superstars emerge on the other side of their contractual obligations they will fulfill their no compete clauses and ultimately embark on their own journeys of self-rediscovery. While not every former WWE star comes out on the same way they went in, I think it is fair to say that life continuously works that way in order to teach us valuable lessons. Lessons that, if way pay close enough attention, we'll see that each lesson in-and-of itself is laced with immeasurable intrinsic value. Value that is just waiting to guide us into who we are supposed to become some day.
As avid students of life every day we are presented with choices. Every day being filled with options. Some more palatable than others but option nonetheless. Choices that we consciously and subconsciously make. Our habits. Our thoughts. Our self talk. Our environments. Our friends. Our enemies. The successes. The silent battles. And of course those pivotal failures. Moments of self-doubt. Lack of motivation. The over-analyzing. Wondering what happened. What ifs. Day dreaming. Waiting for your next opportunity. Where it went wrong. In essence, the failures that are tantamount to our successes both seen and unseen every day.
Post WWE life varies for every former WWE Superstar. Some are prepared for it. Some even request it. The environment is not for everyone. Come to think of it, I'd be remiss if I didn't say that factually speaking, and from experience as well, that this business isn't for everyone either. But, that in no way diminishes the spectacular ability that WWE has to fulfill childhood dreams of the adults that flock to it. As I once said in a promo, "for too long this business is built on the back of suffering souls sucking the life out of childhood dreams." However, each and every single time someone like Athena succeeds, this business gets just a little bit brighter. A little more luminous. A shining example of what hard work, resilience, tenacity, self-belief, and timing working in tandem can do!
I was there the day Athena embarked on her journey into becoming WWE's Ember Moon. I stood side by side with some amazing men and women as we watched Athena get signed. None of us knowing where we'd be seven months from then, let alone seven years as I write this. Athena had no way of knowing the incredible journey she'd set foot on when she signed her papers with tears of joy in her eyes as she felt every single bump, training session, show, and road trip add up to that moment with pen in hand making her the woman she was in that moment. An irrevocably sense of anticipation and excitement flowing through her as she'd finally gotten her yes after years of hearing no…
I cannot say with any certainty exactly what happened to that woman from that day in 2015 to today in 2022. That's not my story to tell. But what I do know with absolute certainty is that I saw shades of that woman again. I saw her with a mic in her hand with those same meaningful all-knowing emotions in her eyes as she stood across from Thunder Rosa. I know those emotions. I know the places those emotions take you that your imagination can't even dream up with any accuracy. I know those feelings. I know just how deep those feeling cut. And I know that I know talent when I see it. I know passion when I see it. And I most assuredly know authenticity when I feel it.
I was so proud of Ember Moon. Steadfast in my support of her WWE career. Triumphing over her prior self to elevate herself towards her dreams. I'm proud of how she turned multiple no's into a yes by not accepting no for an answer. By creating her own opportunity at the perfect time proving her undeniable worth. With all that though, I'm even more proud of Athena herself! Proud of the battles she fought out loud in front of the WWE Universe. And even more so proud of the battles she fought silently that no one knows about. The adversity she faced as a dreamer in an unconventional industry. The promise of childhood dreams she chased. The levels she made it to. The memories she created. And ultimately the woman she'd become and still will someday.
There's no telling what new heights Athena will reach as she rediscovers who she is as she lays to rest Ember Moon. I hope she'll always be happy for the opportunities Ember Moon provided her and the lessons she taught her. I hope she finds the strength and gumption that Ember Moon built inside of Athena. I hope that at the end of each day and each new opportunity that Athena will reach a place of pure happiness and success in whatever that looks like for her and knows that Ember Moon was an amazing chapter - but not the end of her story. An important chapter nonetheless full of twists and turns leading to another amazing chapter worth experiencing. This is not the end for Athena, instead it's a new beginning. A new chapter. Made possible by Ember Moon with a far smarter, stronger, more fierce, and more formidable version of Athena that she could have ever imagined in 2015.
Cheers to the lessons that make us smarter! Cheers the failures that lead to our future successes! Cheers to the childhood dreams that inspired us to aspire to inspire! Cheers to the triumphs in the face of adversity! Cheers to overcoming obstacles on the way to living our best lives as the best versions of us! Cheers to the journey and to the downs that led to the best places to rebuild our passions! Cheers to the innate talents possessed by some of the best superstars in this industry, may it be so that when they win we all win! Cheers to the blessings disguised as the worst times of our lives! Cheers to the doors that we wished opened that stayed closed for us to find better doors to open! And cheers to Ember Moon! Welcome back Athena, I'm so elated to see all the amazing things you are about to accomplish…
For more Taeler Hendrix content check out the links below
Children's Book: "It's Not Easy Being A Sloth" By: Taeler Hendrix
http://amazon.com/dp/B089CVNSMF/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_M2K7Fb3S798F7
Children's Book: "A Fish With A Wish Is Trish" By: Taeler Hendrix
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Children's Book: "Nosey Rosie and the Secret Surprise" By: Taeler Hendrix
http://amazon.com/dp/B08YR534PM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_CQ57YJFDVBVBTPC
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