AEW Match Gets "Too Aggressive", Management Intervenes
Backstage update on Athena vs. Jody Threat, which went awry on AEW Dark: Elevation.
All Elite Wrestling management spoke to Athena and Jody Threat after their singles match on this week's Dark: Elevation appeared to go awry.
Airing on Monday, the bout was taped in Threat's Toronto, Ontario, Canada hometown last Wednesday. As a result, Threat, the enhancement talent in this situation, got a good ovation. According to Fightful Select, Athena decided to work heel in the bout because of this.
But the match became "too aggressive" for AEW management. Clips of Athena landing stiff strikes on Threat started doing the rounds on social media earlier in the week, going borderline viral in the process. Per Fightful, this led to management speaking with Athena and Threat afterwards to ensure everything was fine.
Threat slipped when attempting to enter her comeback phase. At one stage, she lost her way, asking Athena for guidance on what was next, which is when the bout became more physical. Fightful's sources had confidence that Threat had no issue with dealing with the increased physicality, though they believe clearer communication would have prevented something that shouldn't have happened from happening.
A source stated their belief that the match went this way as a result of Athena working heel in the wake of Jody's strong babyface reaction. Fightful notes that not every spot "being micro-analyzed on social media" was born of this situation.
Threat offered no complaints about how the match panned out. There has been no indication of a post-bout confrontation between her and Athena either. Athena, who scored the victory, helped Jody to her feet and raised her arm after the bell.