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Athena Confronts Mercedes Moné As Both Women Join Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Field

The Fallen Goddess and The CEO are joining a stacked field for this year's Owen Hart Foundation Tournament. Will we finally see Mercedes Mone and Athena square off in AEW?
Rick Ucchino|
Athena on ROH 91 ahead of her match with Leila Grey
Athena on ROH 91 ahead of her match with Leila Grey | Lee South - All Elite Wrestling

It finally appears to be happening.

After weeks of teases, both on television and social media, ROH Women's Champion Athena made her long awaited return to AEW programming Saturday night on Collision.

Minutes after she defeated Robyn Renegade in her first ever match on Collision, Mercedes Moné grabbed a microphone to declare that the four belts she currently possesses are no longer enough. She wants to add the AEW Women's Championship to her collection and the first step toward accomplishing that goal is winning the Owen Hart Foundational Tournament.

The CEO began to run down Billie Starkz, whom she defeated on Dynamite last week, and 'whoever trained her'. It was at that moment that Athena had heard enough.

The Fallen Goddess made her way to the ring and stood center ring with the CEO as the crowd erupted at just the mere thought of these two longtime champions finally squaring off with one another.

Mercedes ended the moment by attempting to clock Athena with one of her title belts, but she ducked and then dropped Moné with a right cross.

Later in the night, Athena would also declare her entry into the Owen Hart. She became the fifth woman to join the field Saturday night, alongside Moné, Thunder Rosa, Kris Statlander and Jamie Hayter.

Current Women's Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Field:

  • Athena
  • Thunder Rosa
  • Kris Statlander
  • Mercedes Moné
  • Billie Starkz
  • Jamie Hayter

The winner of the tournament will receive a shot at the AEW Women's Championship at AEW All In: Texas.

The full brackets for both the Men's and Women's Owen Hart Foundational Tournaments will be unveiled this coming Wednesday on Dynamite.

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Rick Ucchino
RICK UCCHINO

Rick Ucchino is the Assistant Editor & Content Coordinator for The Takedown on SI. He also works full-time for 700WLW Radio in Cincinnati, Ohio as a local news and sports anchor, in addition to his time covering the Cincinnati Bengals for Sirius XM. Rick has been on the professional wrestling beat since 2019, having provided coverage for a number of outlets, including Fightful, SB Nation’s Cageside Seats and the Bleav Podcast Network. With an educational background in theater, creative writing and journalism, Rick focuses primarily on the storytelling aspect of pro wrestling, but he’s no stranger to the squared circle himself. He had the privilege of training with former WWE & WCW cruiserweight Jimmy Wang Yang for nearly two years and retired early due to back issues with a perfect 1-0 record in singles competition. Rick is a married father of two incredibly adorable children, who are budding pro wrestling fans themselves. Much to the chagrin of their mother. You can reach Rick at rwucchino@gmail.com

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