Ring of Honor Women’s World Champion seemingly suffered an injury during a match that could have dire implications for her historic title reign.
The incident in question took place during Athena’s match with Viva Van which took place as part of the recent AEW Collision taping. Athena charged at Van who ducked the attack and pulled down the middle rope with Athena taking a bump between the ropes and landing on the outside.
When Athena returned to the ring, she was limping but had enough in her to drill Van with a forearm smash and pin her opponent. Van kicked out the first time but stayed down the second time so it appears that Athena relayed to the referee that she had been hurt.
This situation share some similarities with what transpired in late 2023 between Jon Moxley and Rey Fenix. During their AEW International Title match, Moxley suffered an injury and called for the match to be ended early. Unfortunately, the referee Rick Knox did not quite understand and stopped a pinfall attempt by Fenix even when Moxley had not kicked out. Knox later counted the pinfall and reportedly earned heat backstage for not ending the match early.
What Does This Mean for Athena?
This situation will of course raise questions about Athena’s immediate future and the future of the Ring of Honor Women’s World Champion. The War Goddess has held the title for over 525 days after capturing the title at ROH Final Battle in December 2022. She holds the record for the most days as champions and has held the title for more days than all other champions put together.
