Athena reflects on first Stardom tour: This has ‘reawakened my passion’
Athena is heading back home to the United States after starting off 2025 with a tour of Japan.
The ROH Women’s World Champion made a successful title defense for Stardom on Monday, retaining against Thekla. Following the match, Athena told Thekla that she respects her — and she wants Thekla to come find her in the U.S. for a rematch.
Athena made her Japan debut for Stardom on January 3 and wrestled four matches for the promotion during this brief tour. She also competed at the Tokyo Dome as part of NJPW’s Wrestle Dynasty card.
In post-match comments after her victory today, Athena got emotional when talking about how much this experience meant to her.
“I am very sad to go because I love Japan and I love Stardom,” Athena said. “It’s very difficult for me to leave because I have had so much fun here. And it has reawakened my passion — not only as a fighting champion but as a wrestler who’s been doing this for almost 20 years. And normally in America, no one sees me cry — never. I’m tough, but this is very special. This is my dream, and I finally got to come here. Hopefully I can come back and compete in front of the most amazing fans with the most amazing women from around the world.
“So Stardom, you will see me again. The Fallen Goddess, the American Joshi, the Minion Overlord, the inspiration to every women’s division — but most importantly, today, I finally lived up to my nickname of the American Joshi. Thank you Stardom. Thank you everyone. I will see you again soon.”
Athena is on a historic run as ROH Women’s World Champion, holding the title for more than 760 days. It’s the longest-ever title reign in ROH.