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ROH: ATHENA makes history, but the celebration will have to wait

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ROH: ATHENA makes history, but the celebration will have to wait

As a long-time wrestling enthusiast with a keen eye for history in the making, I must say that ATHENA’s achievement is nothing short of phenomenal! She has not only broken records but also shattered stereotypes and paved the way for future generations.

AThena has achieved another historical milestone, outlasting Samoa Joe to establish a new record as the longest-reigning Ring of Honor (ROH) World Champion in the organization’s history. Currently, she stands at 652 days as the titleholder.

The “Fallen Goddess” boasts an unbeaten record of 54 victories in matches authorized by ROH, making her the first woman to headline not just one, but two ROH pay-per-views. During these main events, she and Willow Nightingale made history as the first duo of Black women to achieve this feat. Additionally, it’s worth noting that ATHENA was the pioneer among Black women to headline AEW’s Dark, Rampage, and ROH (Honor Club and pay-per-views).

After surpassing Samoa Joe’s record, Ring of Honor (ROH) shared an article about this achievement on their official website. They highlighted that ATHENA successfully defended her title 22 times against a total of 18 diverse opponents. Throughout her tenure, she has participated in 27 Proving Ground matches and four eliminator matches. The only losses she’s experienced within ROH were in two tag team matches. Additionally, the only match outside of ROH sanctioning during her reign took place against Nightingale in the Owen Hart Cup tournament back in July 2023, where Nightingale emerged victorious.

I recently wrote about the fact that ATHENA was closing in on the record and how no one was talking about it. I’ve lamented several times about ROH and AEW not making a bigger deal of her milestones in the past. When she surpassed 600 days as champion, not a peep from either account. On Sunday, ROH posted a graphic to their social media. 

In their YouTube channel, they produced a nearly six-hour timeline video about ROH (Ring of Honor), which follows ATHENA’s career journey, starting from her early days in AEW and culminating in her victory over Mercedes Martinez at the 2022 Final Battle event to become champion. However, it skips a significant match that kick-started her path – her match on ‘Dark’ with Jody Threat. This bout significantly altered ATHENA’s course, as it was reportedly met with disapproval in the locker room and generated plenty of buzz online. Capitalizing on this momentum, ATHENA rose to fame and ultimately became the champion we admire today.

It was nice to see ROH making a bigger deal about ATHENA than normal. Of course, AEW didn’t acknowledge it on Dynamite. I had wondered if maybe they’d do it on Rampage and/or Collision and air footage of her celebration. That won’t happen as THERE WAS NO CELEBRATION on episode 82. On Sunday, she posted a video with the caption “In celebration of #AthenaDay(my day) I may have did a thing yesterday… Maybe I’ll make an official statement later as your Longest Reigning #ForeverROHChamp of all time!!!”

It’s generally thought that the event will take place during this week’s broadcast. To put it mildly, her followers were disappointed when it didn’t happen. Rumor has it that this episode was filmed during ALL OUT week. Here’s hoping we get a celebration soon for ATHENA, who truly deserves one. This is a significant achievement and should be given the recognition it deserves.

As a dedicated gamer following ATHENA’s journey, I can’t help but ponder what lies ahead for our champion. An intriguing article from ROH sheds light on several potential milestones. The next monumental feat could be surpassing Jay Lethal’s record of 707 days across his two World Title reigns. That’s not all, as there’s also the challenge of breaking his 798-day streak spanning two World TV Championship runs. But here’s where it gets truly epic – ATHENA could shatter The Briscoes’ record of 1486 days amassed from their impressive 13 tag title reigns, establishing a new record as the Forever Champion. This is an exciting prospect that I can’t wait to witness!

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2024-09-20 20:45

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