10 AEW Wrestlers Who Are Almost Unrecognisable Since Debuting
3. Athena
Much like a couple of notable others on this list that have experienced a substantial creative upgrade after a shaky start, it was Ember Moon that debuted in AEW when Athena landed in the organisation at Double Or Nothing 2022.
That's not to say the former NXT Women's Champion didn't have a fantastic run at one time (and, as was the case too many times over the years, was before her career was under the stewardship of Vince McMahon), but the babyface Moon gimmick had run its course before she'd even departed the company. Beyond the surprise of her signing, there wasn't much fresh about a character that had criminally been allowed to go stale for years up to that point.
Athena - the Ring Of Honor Women's Champion and the performer that embraced an awesome heel turn in late 2022 - walks, talks and wrestles like an entirely different person. Full of sardonic hatred for her opponents rather than reverence, it's as if she's beating the tar out of the industry that nearly derailed her peak years rather than the poor challengers being lined up to eat a loss.