Athena, also known by her ring name Ember Moon, is a professional wrestler from Dallas, Texas. She began her wrestling career in 2007 and gained popularity in the independent wrestling circuit before being signed by WWE in 2015.
Under the name Ember Moon, she made her WWE debut in 2017 as a member of the NXT brand. She quickly made an impact in the division, impressing audiences with her unique wrestling style and finishing move, the Eclipse, which involves her leaping off the top rope and delivering a diving stunner.
During her time in NXT, Ember Moon held the NXT Women’s Championship once and was involved in several high-profile feuds with other top female wrestlers in the brand, such as Asuka and Shayna Baszler.
In 2018, Ember Moon was promoted to the main roster of WWE and became a member of the RAW brand. She continued to showcase her skills and was involved in memorable matches and storylines, including a feud with Alexa Bliss over the RAW Women’s Championship.
After her release from WWE in 2021, Ember Moon returned to the independent wrestling circuit under her original ring name, Athena. She joined the ROH promotion and captured the ROH Women’s World Championship in December of the same year.
As the first black woman to hold the ROH Women’s World Championship, Athena reflected on feeling like an outsider at independent wrestling events during an episode of “The Sessions.” podcast. You will recall that Athena claimed the championship title in December during the ROH Final Battle PPV.
Speaking to Renee, she stated
“I remember I was on the indies and it was just like, there was one black woman per state it seemed like. And it very much so seemed like, ‘Alright. We’ve got our token black girl here. We’re good guys.’ “And I remember going to other states and being like, ‘Oh, we booked you because you’re really talented and you’re African American.”
“You see Bianca Belair, Mercedes Mone, Trinity, myself, Kayden Carter. You see all of these women … Willow Nightingale, Trish Adora, Queen Aminata. We are powerful, we are strong, and we are not going to be denied any longer. It’s not a marketing thing anymore, it’s a, ‘Hey, if you’re good, you’re good, and you deserve to be there.’”
