Wrestling On FanNation

1000 Days Down, Forever To Go: A Detailed Look At Athena's Historic ROH Title Reign

In celebration of 1000 days as the Forever ROH Champ, The Takedown on SI has assembled a list of Athena's accolades and 10 best title defenses.
Lyric Swinton|
Athena has held the ROH Women's World Championship for 1000 days.
Athena has held the ROH Women's World Championship for 1000 days. | Ring of Honor Wrestling

Fallen Goddess. Minion Overlord. American Joshi. Forever ROH Champion. Athena goes by many names but today, she gets to call herself a history maker once again.

1000 days ago at ROH Final Battle 2022, Athena defeated Mercedes Martinez to become ROH Women's World Champion and begin a groundbreaking run in modern women's wrestling. Since becoming champion, her accolades include:

  • Being the longest reigning ROH Women's World Champion
  • Being the longest reigning champion of any kind in Ring of Honor
  • Being the first person across all Tony Khan-led promotions (ROH and AEW) to hold a title for 1000 days
  • Having the longest women's world title reign in a major North American promotion since The Fabulous Moolah in the 70s and 80s
  • Being undefeated in Ring of Honor singles competition (69-0)
  • Being the first woman (alongside Willow Nightingale) to main event a Ring of Honor PPV
  • Main eventing four Ring of Honor PPVs: Death Before Dishonor 2023, Final Battle 2023, Final Battle 2024, and Death Before Dishonor 2025
  • Wrestling in several historic venues during her reign including the Tokyo Dome, Korakuen Hall, Arena Mexico, 2300 Arena, and Hammerstein Ballroom
  • Defending her title in several promotions outside of ROH including AEW, Stardom, Maple Leaf Pro, and Prestige Wrestling

As amazing as each of those things are, Athena's greatest achievements over the last 1000 days lie within her impact on women's wrestling as a whole. Her time as champion has often been used as an opportunity to spotlight independent talent like Maya World and Mazzerati. Top stars from all over the world from Syuri to Mercedes Moné have highlighted her as one of the best in the world and a dream opponent long before they ever locked eyes in the ring.

She's also used her time at the top to pull others up, taking a young Billie Starkz under her wing as her "minion" and mentoring her to becoming the inaugural ROH Women's World TV Champion and a PPV main eventer all before her 21st birthday.

In celebration of 1000 days as the Forever ROH Champ, The Takedown on SI has assembled a list of Athena's 10 best title defenses. Long may she reign. Let's get into it.

10. Athena vs. Thekla - STARDOM New Years Stars in Korakuen (1/13/2025)

Athena defended the ROH Women's World Championship against Thekla at STARDOM New Years Stars in Korakuen.
Athena defended the ROH Women's World Championship against Thekla at STARDOM New Years Stars in Korakuen. | World Wonder Ring Stardom

After years of being lauded as the American Joshi for her hard-hitting style that was rare in North American women's wrestling in the 2000s, Athena finally made her Japan debut in the Tokyo Dome at January's Wrestle Dynasty. She came up short in the International Women's Cup 4-way match after a distraction from Thekla, then a member of STARDOM's H.A.T.E faction.

Soon after, the match was made official and on January 13th, Athena and Thekla faced off in a clash of two athletically gifted foreigners who have been heavily influenced by the joshi style. Athena picked up the win with a thunderous O-Face in Korakuen Hall and in a rare show of emotion, she shared with the audience how much it meant to her to finally wrestle in Japan after nearly two decades as a professional wrestler.

9. Athena vs. Alex Windsor - AEW Collision (7/26/2025)

Now regularly featured on AEW television in a rivalry with AEW World Women's Champion "Timeless" Toni Storm, Athena crossed paths once again with Alex Windsor, a close friend and tag team partner of Storm's. Earlier in the year before Windsor officially became All Elite, Athena successfully defended her title against the British standout at ROH Global Wars Australia.

Six months later, Athena and Alex Windsor would have a rematch in the main event of Collision and tore the house down in a bout that made you wonder why it took so long to have Athena on AEW television weekly. Few women can match Athena's aggression and stiffness in the ring but Alex Windsor rose to the challenge, gaining the support of the crowd along the way. Nevertheless, it wasn't enough to keep the Forever ROH Champion down after a clever distraction from Billie Starkz.

8. Athena vs. Mercedes Martinez - ROH On HonorClub (10/28/2023)

Athena defended the ROH Women's World Championship against Mercedes Martinez on HonorClub.
Athena defended the ROH Women's World Championship against Mercedes Martinez on HonorClub. | Ring of Honor Wrestling

The history between Athena and Mercedes Martinez goes back well over a decade to SHIMMER, when both women were mainstays on the North American independent wrestling scene in the early 2010s. Martinez was the more seasoned veteran of the two with more years of experience under her belt. They'd meet again at ROH Final Battle 2022, this time with Martinez as ROH Women's World Champion and Athena as the challenger who would dethrone her and embark on a historic reign that still continues today.

Nearly a year later, they'd have a rematch on Honor Club that would surpass their previous bouts, proving why they were "Women of Honor" long before Ring of Honor had a formally recognized women's division.

7. Athena vs. Kiera Hogan - Street Fight - ROH On HonorClub (6/17/2023)

Athena's rivalry with Kiera Hogan showcased her wide range as a performer. Athena would show off her comedic side, stealing one of Hogan's wigs and putting it on to mock her "That's on period!" catchphrase. After weeks of trading cheap shots and violent attacks, it was clear that the jokes were over and that a traditional wrestling match wouldn't be enough to settle the score.

The two women would have a Chicago Street Fight in the United Center, coinciding with the premiere of AEW Collision. Despite her aggressive style, this was a rare plunder match for Athena since joining AEW/ROH but she did not disappoint. Several weapons would be used throughout the match but the most memorable highlight was a jaw dropping superplex from Athena to Kiera Hogan off the ring apron into a tower of over 20 steel chairs on the outside.

6. Athena vs. Hikaru Shida - ROH Supercard of Honor 2024 (4/5/2024)

Athena defended the ROH Women's World Championship against Hikaru Shida at ROH Supercard of Honor 2024.
Athena defended the ROH Women's World Championship against Hikaru Shida at ROH Supercard of Honor 2024. | Ring of Honor Wrestling

When Athena first debuted in AEW in 2022, Hikaru Shida was immediately identified as a dream opponent that fans wanted to see her face. The women had met in the ring once before in singles action a decade prior in SHIMMER. Hikaru Shida walked away with the win during their first match in 2014. In 2024, the former AEW Women's World Champion laid down the challenge to the ROH Women's World Champion with the intention of picking up where they left off at Supercard of Honor.

With a Karlach cosplay inspired by Baldur's Gate 3, Athena answered the call and showed why she was nicknamed the "American Joshi" during her time on the independents. For over 20 minutes, the two standard bearers of the AEW and ROH women's divisions at the time battled for the right to call themselves the world champion but in the end, the Fallen Goddess retained.

5. Athena vs. Queen Aminata - ROH Death Before Dishonor 2024 (7/26/2024)

Athena defended the ROH Women's World Championship against Queen Aminata at ROH Death Before Dishonor 2024.
Athena defended the ROH Women's World Championship against Queen Aminata at ROH Death Before Dishonor 2024. | Ring of Honor Wrestling

Death Before Dishonor 2024 was easily the biggest match of Queen Aminata's career to that point. She was well liked by fans but hadn't gotten many big match opportunities to prove what she was capable of. Queen Aminata and Red Velvet had been warring with Athena and Billie Starkz for weeks. While Red Velvet would get a shot at Starkz earlier in the night for the ROH Women's World TV Championship (and win the title), Aminata would have to take down Ring of Honor's most dominant figure.

Athena and Queen Aminata had as violent of an encounter as you'd find anywhere. Their smashmouth styles melded perfectly with stiff strikes, vicious piledrivers on steel steps, and sickening headbutts. Somehow, Athena would again manage to remain the champion but not without picking up a few battle scars along the way.

4. Athena vs. Willow Nightingale - ROH On HonorClub (2/25/2023)

The first singles match between Athena and Willow Nightingale was much more than a standard title defense. It was a test run of how well a revived Ring of Honor could perform with women's wrestling at the forefront. On only the second episode of ROH on HonorClub, Athena and Nightingale were in the main event and delivered one of the most memorable bouts in Ring of Honor history since being purchased by Tony Khan.

With Willow being as pure as a babyface can be and Athena fully leaning into the role of the dastardly heel, this was a classic battle of wills and only the beginning of what would become one of the best in-ring rivalries of North American women's wrestling this decade. While Nightingale didn't emerge victorious, it was the first step of what would be a momentous 2023 for her with big name opponents. For Athena, it was her first true stance as the face of the Ring of Honor brand for years to come.

3. Athena vs. Mina Shirakawa - ROH Death Before Dishonor 2025 (8/29/2025)

Athena defended the ROH Women's World Championship against Mina Shirakawa at ROH Death Before Dishonor 2025.
Athena defended the ROH Women's World Championship against Mina Shirakawa at ROH Death Before Dishonor 2025. | Ring of Honor Wrestling

Out of all of the great matches that Athena has had as ROH Women's World Champion, her Death Before Dishonor 2025 main event versus Mina Shirakawa was one of the most personal. A month prior at All In Texas, Athena broke Shirakawa's hand in the women's Casino Gauntlet match, merely one night after Shirakawa won the Interim ROH Women's World TV Championship at Supercard of Honor. To add insult to injury, Athena won the Casino Gauntlet and went to antagonize Shirakawa's partner, "Timeless" Toni Storm in the weeks leading to Athena challenging for the AEW Women's World Championship at Forbidden Door London.

After losing to Storm in a rare blemish on her record, Athena was hungry for revenge and so was Mina Shirakawa. Main eventing 2300 Arena after an outstanding ROH Men's World title match, both women went in the ring with a chip on their shoulders and exceeded all expectations. Athena relentlessly targeted Shirakawa's bandaged hand and Mina Shirakawa looked to neutralize Athena's legs to hopefully lessen the impact of her O-Face finisher. At several moments in the match, it seemed like Shirakawa could genuinely stop Athena's reign just one week shy of 1000 days but ultimately the Forever ROH Champion etched her name in the history books once again.

2. Athena vs. Billie Starkz - ROH Final Battle 2023 (12/15/2023)

Athena defended the ROH Women's World Championship against her protege Billie Starkz at ROH Final Battle 2023.
Athena defended the ROH Women's World Championship against her protege Billie Starkz at ROH Final Battle 2023. | Ring of Honor Wrestling

The relationship between Athena and Billie Starkz has been the longest ongoing story of Ring of Honor since its relaunch. After defeating Starkz in the opening round of the Owen Hart Women's Tournament in 2023 at Forbidden Door Zero Hour, Athena would take the then-teenage sensation into her Minion In Training (M.I.T.) program along with ROH backstage interviewer, Lexy Nair. They functioned well as a unit for a while but as Athena became more frustrated with Starkz's performances, the cracks began to show.

Billie Starkz's growing frustrations with Athena's leadership would lead to her challenging for the ROH Women's World Championship at Final Battle 2023, against the pleas of Lexy Nair. In the build to the match, Starkz would be responsible for breaking Athena's nose a week before the show, further fueling the champion's ire. Wearing a face mask, Athena took on her protege in a brutal brawl of a Final Battle main event. Starkz had clearly learned more than a few tricks from her mentor but the student was unable to overcome her teacher in the end. Athena held on to her title and reconciled with her greatest mentee to close out a spectacular show in her backyard of Garland, Texas.

1. Athena vs. Willow Nightingale - ROH Death Before Dishonor 2023 (7/21/2023)

Athena defended the ROH Women's World Championship against Willow Nightingale at ROH Death Before Dishonor 2023.
Athena defended the ROH Women's World Championship against Willow Nightingale at ROH Death Before Dishonor 2023. | Ring of Honor Wrestling

Sometimes in wrestling all the stars align for a match you'll never forget even if you tried. Athena versus Willow Nightingale at Death Before Dishonor certainly fits the bill. The two matches they had prior to this, one on HonorClub and one on AEW Rampage, left their singles record deadlocked at 1-1 and most importantly, it left fans eager to see them go one more round. The only proper place to complete their trilogy was in the main event of Death Before Dishonor 2023, the first time a women's match would main event a Ring of Honor PPV.

The stakes were high and the pressure was on. Yet, both women performed like main evening big shows was nothing new to them. For 20 minutes, Athena and Willow Nightingale clashed in a match that doubled as a love letter to the women who laid the foundation for the Ring of Honor women's division with nods to women like Allison Danger, Sara Del Rey, Daizee Haze, MsChif, and more. Producing one of the finest North American women's matches this decade, Athena was the big bad villain who beat down the beloved babyface in Willow Nightingale, carving her name into the Mount Rushmore of Ring of Honor's most influential figures of all-time.

The Latest On AEW, WWE, & More

New Report Reveals Kenny Omega's Status Ahead of AEW All Out

Riho Makes Triumphant Return On AEW Dynamite

AEW Announces New PPV Streaming Option, Earlier Start Time For All Out

Brock Lesnar's Travel Plans Fuel Speculation Ahead Of WWE SmackDown In Chicago

Published
Lyric Swinton
LYRIC SWINTON

Lyric Swinton is a proud graduate of the University of South Carolina with a Bachelor’s in Sport & Entertainment Management. Her lifelong passion for wrestling has taken her around the world, primarily writing about alternative and international promotions for several major wrestling and media outlets, such as Pro Wrestling Illustrated Magazine, Blavity, Fightful, and more. She has covered wrestling for seven major promotions in some of the most famous venues in the world, including Wembley Stadium and the Tokyo Dome.

Share on XFollow lyricwrestling
Home/AEW