Current AEW Star Reveals "WWE PTSD"
Starting with Tony Khan's AEW was deceptively stressful for this ex-WWE star.
Current AEW wrestler Athena has admitted that she suffered from some "WWE PTSD" when she first arrived in Tony Khan's promotion back in May 2022.
The one-time Ember Moon told Renee Paquette's 'The Sessions' podcast that she didn't really know what to do with herself after the initial buzz died down. She'd debuted amidst much fanfare at Double Or Nothing, then launched into a feud vs. unbeaten TBS Champion (and All Elite original) Jade Cargill.
After that, Athena...sat around in catering waiting for her next moment to shine, and she was really anxious about that. It didn't help that everyone in AEW was super-positive about her prospects and just kept telling her that she was awesome and "doing great".
The ex-WWE star wanted to do more, and had a hangover of worry from her days under Vince McMahon's watch elsewhere. Basically, she always wanted to be featured as much as possible on TV, and worried what was happening when she wasn't.
That anxiety has calmed somewhat over the past year or so. Now, Athena is comfortable with her role in the company as reigning ROH Women's Champion, and says she loves working shows like Dark.