Athena, The Wrestling Goddess, The NeXT step...

 Thank you Shana for your thoughts on Athena, if you missed them you may want to read that first here for it to connect. It is all one story---->Enter the Land Of Athena

Standing Tall!

Athena, The Wrestling Goddess, has done so much and has so many fans, it will be sad to to see her go but she is moving up to bigger and better things! I have been a fan of hers almost since I first watched her battle.  For Shana aka @Literarygrrrl she was more than just a fan, she got in to all of INDIE wrestling in a huge part thanks to Athena.

I am going to start with a history lesson, to see where I am coming from. Hope I don't bore you.

She has wrestled for all sorts of companies, from Anarchy Championship Wrestling(ACW), Absolute Intense Wrestling(AIW), XCW, Booker T/PWA,  St. Louis Anarchy(STL), Shimmer, PCW, Ring of Honor(ROH) Inspire Pro Wrestling, and many others. I will discuss some of her opponents and matches in a bit, first I want to talk about where and when I first saw her and where I mostly saw her wrestle. This would be in Anarchy Championship Wrestling where she made her debut in 2008 at  From Innocence to Insanity where she battled Rachel Summerlyn and even got the win. All shows I mention from here on out will be ACW unless I say otherwise.

The first time I saw her in the ring is Delusions of our Childish Days on December 20th, 2009, and one of my earliest shows. She was teamed up with Erin Starr taking on Rachel Summerlyn and Jessica James who got the win. It was an impressive fight, but there was quite a break between her debut and this show, not sure what happened but I was glad she returned. By February 21st, 2010 at Please Allow Us to Re-Introduce Ourselves at Hooligans in Live Oak, Texas she got her first title shot at the Joshi title vs Rachel Summerlyn. She didn't win but she had a shot soon after being added to the roster, pretty impressive.

 Peace, Love, and Anarchy 2010, she fully became part of the faction called The Submission Squad. A group which consisted of several wrestlers, mostly if not all from the St. Louis area, she teams up with them at the same show by  supporting Evan G. and Pierre A. as they won and retain the Tag Titles. Then she went on to be part of a battle royale for the 1st Anarchy TV title champ at  Nothing is a Real as A Dream in May of 2010. We got a rather unique match with Athena at The Realization of Mortality where two matches were going on at the same time, Athena was fighting Lillie Mae while at the same time Davey Vega is fighting Rachel Summerlyn all at the same time in the same ring. You could hit and fight whoever you wanted but only Lillie could pin Athena or vice versa. Same with Vega and Summerlyn.

ATHENA AS ACH!

The big one came in June of 2010 where she enters the American Joshi Queen of Queens where in the FIRST round she got to fight MsChif, she didn't win but it was an AMAZING fight and a hell of a battle. Jump to September, 2010 and Evolution of the Revolution where in an unscheduled match, Athena gets a shot at the Joshi title against champion Portia Perez, sadly she did not win but I think between this and her match against MsChif she had put all the other Joshi's on notice.

This lead to her getting another shot at Beyond Good and Evil in October taking on 3 other Joshi's for a shot at the title. Portia Perez was still champ and gunning for the belt was Athena, Amanda Fox, and Jen Alise.  Quite the match up but Portia managed to retain the title. To close out an awesome 2010, at Delusions of our Childish Days the JOSHI's were the main event and it was a 6 Joshi Elimination tag match with Athena, Portia Perez, and Amanda Fox on one side and Rachel Summerlyn, Jessica James, and Serena Deeb on the other with Portia Perez being the last Joshi standing meaning Athena's team won.

Even a Goddess can not lift Thor's Hammer

Then we really kick it into a whole new level. We hit Guilty by Association 5 in 2011, we got the match that I think changed things and I believe others would agree, the 10,000 thumbtack match against the AMAZING Rachel Summerlyn and MAN O MAN was this brutal. It MADE Athena step up her game and I think it surprised and raised the bar for Rachel as well, which is what a great match and a perfect opponent in that match should do, both parties should come out better or different than when they went in and in a shock for the fans I think Athena got the win, NOT a bad shock just shocked. Rachel didn't lose all that often and Athena was almost still a newcomer, at least compared to Rachel.

Fly with us to O'Fallon, IL in March of 2011 in what would be the official/Unofficial start of St. Louis Anarchy and Athena was there, taking on Lady Poison in a title shot. Lady Poison left still the champ but their feud had JUST begun. At The Chain Reaction of Evil we saw the start of JT LaMotta's feud against all the Joshi's and he started by battling Athena.  May 15, 2011 and it is Prom Night, Nothing is as Real as a Dream and the Joshi's have decided to prove that the Indies DO IT BETTER and have an evening gown match! It was a 6 Joshi elimination evening gown match with Athena, Amanda Fox, Sara Del Rey vs Jessica James, Portia Perez, and Rachel Summerlyn. Then Athena made it to the FINALS of the 2011 Queen of Queens tournement beating Amanda Fox and Angel Blue. She faced Rachel Summerlyn in the finals but came up short.

I AM THE CHAMPION MY FRIENDS

Then in August at Distrust, Dismay, and Anti-Social Behavior she was in a huge Battle Royal to get a chance at the ACW Heavyweight Title!  But she FINALLY won her first title, The ACW Joshi Title, at Evolution of the Revolution 5 on September 18, 2011 Athena beat Lady Poison to win the title! Her first title defense was at Beyond Good and Evil in October facing Barbi Hayden, Portia Perez, and Lillie Mae but she retained the title. Then at Delusions of our Childish Days 2011, to close out that year we got the Ladder Match for the Joshi Title with Portia Perez, Rachel Summerlyn w/Machiko, Jessica James, Angel Blue, and Lillie Mae, a brutal match! 
 

First round QofQ

In 2012, Athena won the Queen of Queens

tournament she beat Su Yung, Christina Von Erie, and in the finals Jessica Havok. Now that is a varied and brutal group and the winner of that is super impressive! It made her the 2012 Queen of Queens! At Distrust, Dismay, and Anti-Social Behavior in 2012 she took on former referee Jeff Gant to get the win. She came back to St. Louis Anarchy when it officially-officially opened at Circus Maximus in 2011 teaming with Dorian Victor and Mrs. Victor beating Rachel Summerlyn.

After all those achievements she had one more debut to make in Austin, Texas with the newly formed Inspire Pro Wrestling and what a debut. It was at In Their Blood on 5/25/2014 where she fought Veda Scott to advance to the finals of the XX Division Championship to crown the first ever XX Belt holder. She won but somehow Veda would end up with the belt anyway...figure that out.
 

Often copied, never duplicated

But enough history, Athena took the most recent shows at both ACW at Distrust, Dismay, and Anti-Social Behavior 2015 and Inspire Pro BattleWars 2 to say goodbye to her fans and to Texas for the forseeable future but while sad it was her going on to bigger and better things, things we can not discuss right now. But before leaving Inspire Pro we had on huge heartfelt moment at Fade to Black 2015 when Matthew Palmer proposed to Athena and she said Yes. One of the moments that really speaks volumes to what the fans mean, what wrestling means and how more then any other sport or entertainment how close they become.

When GODS collide!

Now let us talk about what I thought and my feelings during Athena's matches.  Having covered how we got here and seen what Shana "Literarygrrrl" H. thought of her. I won't lie, when I first saw The Wrestling Goddess she was good but I was not yet overly blown away or beyond-words impressed. She was good, but man she got better and better. Even in her entrances she started having flags, armor, flag bearers and more, taking on bigger and better challengers.

I have had the honor of watching her almost since her start, at least in Austin and Texas, I missed her ACW debut but saw her second match where she teamed up with Erin Starr against RAJETT. She came up short that night but it was just the beginning of her rise to the top of many promotions from ACW to AIW. Even making it to ROH Tv several times but I, like many others, really sat up and took notice when she got a one on one match with Rachel Summerlyn in a 10,000 thumbtacks match. Even without the thumbtacks this one would have been brutal as both wrestlers went all out, then you added the 10,000 thumbtacks and we kicked it up to ANARCHY levels.

After this match she had the respect of anyone who she didn't before and she climbed the ranks, facing JT Lamotta when he called out the Joshi's and battled Lady Poison during her reign. Getting her first run in Queen of Queens but not winning it until 2012 and that is where I want to start really.






On Queen of Queens 2012 she had to battle Su Yung, a wrestler she would have a feud with at the end of her time in Anarchy but for this show she won and for the second round she took on Christina Von Erie in a intense but evenly matched...well match...and managed to pull out a win.  The Final Match of that Queen of Queens was Athena vs Jessica Havok, and HOLY SHIT! This one kicked everything up several notches. They BEAT the hell out of each other inside and outside the ring using chairs, the ring, walls, and more to it seemed almost KILL each other. I am not a good enough writer to put this into better words, most of us liked Athena and we knew Havok but this is where I feel Athena finally hit her stride and became who we know today, the whole show but this match more than any other.

We started getting flags and honor guards and with Athena as our 2012 Queen of Queens we were watching her go all out after whoever she wanted to and taking on champions and others.  When she finally came to Inspire she was set and everyone knew how tough she was and having her face down both tough vets like Veda Scott and up and comers like Kat Green who gave her a match I think she was not expecting.

Sadly though all things must end or grow and that is true in wrestling as well as anywhere. We are excited to see Athena move up and live her dreams, to showcase for the whole world but sad to see her go, no matter what the reason. Don't get me wrong I am thrilled her dreams are coming true, and I hope she keeps moving on up.

She has been amazing, taking on all opponents, going toe to toe both in the ring on and on the mic against people like Rachel Summerlyn, Christina Von Erie, JT Lamotta, Jessica Havok, Jessica James, Jeff Gant, Kat Green, Veda Scott, Portia Perez, Angel Blue, Su Yung, Leva Bates and Lady Poison. But her last feud in ACW was with Su Yung over the Joshi title, when Su won the title she vanished for quite some time and Athena kept calling her out each month.

ThunderBOLT

Finally Su returned and Athena got her shot, finally winning back the ACW belt and her final match, for awhile anyway, was against Su Yung and it went all out, a hell of a battle which became Athena the Charmender vs Su "Pikachu" Yung then Athena the Supergirl vs Su Catwoman Yung and they played the parts perfect. It ended with Athena getting the win and leaving as the Joshi Champ, she lays the belt out and tells us all goodbye and warns the remaining Joshi's that they need to respect the belt as she will one day visit or return.

Over in Inspire she had accepted Matthew Palmer's proposal and took on a Joshi she had battled since the beginning in Jessica James and Athena did not hold back even though they are friends and Jessica gave as good as she got. It was exactly the match I or anyone could have expected. Great, full of pure mat wrestling as well as some high powered moves and they both gave us their all with Jessica pulling at the win.

Did he go to Jareds?

 

She said YES

Athena was amazing and will be amazing no matter where she goes or ends up. From being Trouble to becoming a Wrestling Goddess she has had the fan support pretty much from the start, she can handle any match from a one on one to a ladder match, a Anarchy Family Deathmatch, evening gowns, even a yoga pants battle. She had battled for almost every title that ACW had and won several of them, we wish her all the best and KNOW that her new fans will love her.

    

Merch Master Becca is...PINNED DOWN

Take me out to the Ballgame!

In trying to keep things fresh and get all different views and opinions in the wrestling world, I do by best to surprise my readers now and then and get people in the wrestling world from outside the ring, there are many people involved in a show and promotion that sometimes don't get credit or even if they do, seeing things from their point of view can be fun or informative.

For this Pinned Down, I went to the place where Merch is sold, wrestlers mix with fans and promotions sell their stuff. While the whole Merch area has grown to include several tables and people to help sell it but the first and main person I have dealt with at several shows as the Merch stand is Becca.  

She helps push the Merch, she knows the wrestlers, has been a friendly driver, had them crash at her place when needed and is all around the person who tries to help in any way she can, including helping push and sell the pictures, T-Shirts, and unique items the wrestlers come up with to sell.  So what is her take on the Indy and WWE/TNA wrestling world?
 

Also, she sells Merch. With Vega

History: My wrestling journey began in 2003-2004 when I trained for a short time with Tugboat Taylor in Houston. Fast forward to March 2007 and I was able to join the staff at Anarchy Championship Wrestling. In 2013 I was asked to join the staff at Inspire Pro Wrestling. Over the last 8-plus years I've done so many things in the wrestling business. Getting to work with people I have admired, and to interact with all of the fantastic fans, has been nothing short of incredible. I've learned a lot not only about wrestling, but about myself. One of the best things wrestling has given me is self-confidence.

 

1. What was the toughest thing to give up or sacrifice to be part of the wrestling world?

That's a tie between time and money. Traveling to and from shows, getting to a venue early to set up and staying late to tear down, all of this infringes on your sleep and takes money to make it happen. I know when I got a job where I began working "normal" hours I had to scale back on my involvement in wrestling and it was a really tough decision. Choosing between something you love, your family, and the thing that ultimately pays your bills is hard. 2. Do you think its harder or just equally as hard to get to the big leagues of wrestling as it is say Basketball or Football?

In my opinion it's equally tough to make it to the big leagues in professional wrestling as it is any other professional sport. People discount pro wrestling without understanding how much dedication the profession takes from the athletes. There's no Little League, AAU, or organized high school/college "pro wrestling team" to guide an aspiring pro wrestler. Even many parents don't support their aspiring pro wrestling athlete they way they would if the person had chosen basketball or baseball. Everything these athletes accomplish is because they have the desire and drive to do so.

She even sells Hugs!

3. Do you feel that wrestling has more premature or just a surprising number of earlier then expected deaths compared to other sports and does this influence you in any way?

Unfortunately, yes it does and every single time, it hurts. If you don't know the person, it hurts to know that somewhere along the line, one of your friends has lost someone they care about and look up to. If you do know the person, it's even worse. A part of your extended family is gone. 4. If you had the power to make any gimmick work, no matter how weird or normal it may be, what would you do?

There was a time when I wanted to be a manager. My ideal was a mix of Sherri Martel, Paul Bearer, and Bobby Heenan. If I could be 1/4 as good as those three, I'd consider myself a success. 5. If you could change anything about the Indy wrestling industry what would it be? What about TNA/WWE?

Less animosity between promotions so fans everywhere could see their favorites and find new ones. If a wrestler isn't allowed to work somewhere or can only work for such and such company that hinders their ability to grow a fan base, to wrestle new people, and to get their name out there. I know as a fan I want to have wrestlers from all over Texas, or the East Coast, West Coast, Canada, Midwest, Mexico, Japan, whatever… I want them to come to Austin so I can see them!

Eamon and Becca by Stan

  6. Do you handle crowds differently depending on size? 

Since all I do is man the merch booth, no, not really. But when there are larger crowds I usually need an extra body or two to help me out, because I can't be everywhere helping everyone at once. 7. How do you handle going from say going from a no rules wrestling show to a family first show. Do you change a lot about how you handle things and what you say or do you just try and act the same no matter what the show?

The only thing different for me is when there are more kids at a show, because tiny humans are scary and I don't know what to do with them. 8. Was there every a moment when you truly felt you had had enough, that maybe wrestling wasn't for you? Was it a crowd? Just one guy/gal? A losing streak? Too many broken bones? If so what kept you going? 

I've had some health issues over the years and sometimes I wake up and honestly don't feel like getting out of bed or going outside. Once I'm at the show… there's nowhere else I want to be. I know if I keep reminding myself how much fun I'll be having, I can get over that moment of not wanting to participate in life.

9. Say you were picked up by TNA or WWE and given a over the top gimmick? How would you play it, go through the motions and hope it fails so you can move on to something better or really try to sell and play up the gimmick?

There's no reason that would happen to me, BUT I would totally do it and have fun while it lasted!

Doing Prom Right

10. What promotions do you feel are breaking down the walls separating Men Wrestling from Women Wrestling and just making it all Wrestling? How do you feel they are doing that?

ACW and Inspire are the only ones I have experienced personally. There a lot of great promotions that have a heavy focus on women's wrestling, but it still seems very separated. As a female fan I love seeing intergender and mixed tag matches where every athlete in the ring is treated as equal. 11. What has been your most exciting experience in the wrestling world so far?

So many things have happened over the years that I can't narrow it down to one. People always ask me about specific matches, and honestly, after over 8 years, hundreds of shows, thousands of matches, so many things run together for me. The most exciting thing is that I've been in attendance and been able to see so many international stars do what they do best. I've seen current WWE and International title holders wrestle, in person, spoken with them, and been able to tell them I appreciate what they do… that's amazing to me. 12. Who are your wrestling Idols?

Too many to name because I know I'd forget a ton of folks and I don't want to anger them. ;-P As far as all-time favorites in the wrestling business…. my first favorite wrestler was the Undertaker, so he'll always be my favorite. When I was a kid I loved the British Bulldog and the Hart Foundation, and Roddy Piper. I think I've always been a fan of the bad guys, but not the simple bad guys who do nothing more than yell things about the city they're in or their opponent. The ones that really worked for it and had good psychology. I love the theatricality of the 80s and 90s and for me, a well-done character will always win me over, even if that person isn't as good in the ring. I also really love a good manager, like Bobby Heenan, Paul Bearer, James Mitchell, Scary Sherri… 13. Goals for 2015/2016?

Keep doing what I do for ACW and Inspire. I want to go to more shows outside of the Austin area, especially promotions I've never been to before. If money and time allowed it, I'd probably road trip every weekend to see wrestling and help out where I could. 14. What tricks and tips have you picked up for helping wrestlers sell merch?

First is even if you don't have merch, come out at intermission or after the show and meet your fans. If you take 10 minutes per show to do that, then when you do have merch, they'll buy it. If you have merch, make sure you come out at intermission and sell it because the fans want to buy it from you and interact with you. They see me all the time, I'm just Becca, they're here to see you. And lastly, if you're someone with a lot of merch like t-shirts and DVDs, make sure you also have something under $5 for the kids or the fans who don't have a lot of expendable income. Some folks do save up to spend their $10 a month to get into a show and maybe they only have $5 extra after that. It doesn't make them a bad fan, it makes them dedicated, so have something available for them in their price range.

WWE Love

15. You have gone on several road trips and picked up many a wrestler from the airport or given them a place to stay. What is your funniest story about these times and trips?

I don't have anything super funny, but maybe just entertaining?

The first 6 months I worked for ACW I took various wrestlers to The Alamo at least 4 times. I was so sick of The Alamo after that. I didn't go back again until 2011.

I was really nervous the first time I was going to meet Jerry Lynn. I mean, here I am getting to drive Jerry Lynn around. How is this my life?! I had no idea what to say or do, and all my worry ended up being for nothing. We ate Chinese food and talked about Guitar Hero and it was like I'd known him forever. Such an incredibly cool, down-to-earth guy.

When Matt Sydal came to ACW we were driving around and talking about how much we liked Chik-Fil-A, and how much it sucked they were closed Sunday's, etc. Maybe 20 minutes later we thought, hey, let's go eat there! I was about to turn into the parking lot when we realized it was still Sunday, they were still closed, and all our chicken sandwich dreams had been crushed. So sad. 16. You competed one time in the ring, would you do so again in a anniversary match or for a special show? Why?

I'd absolutely do it again! It's a lot of fun getting to be a part of the show, even in that small way. 17. Which wrestler is your favorite to watch?

There are so many people who work for ACW and Inspire that I absolutely love to watch. I could list an entire roster worth of people and still leave folks out. I love our Texas(ish) wrestlers and always enjoy seeing them all.

Peek A Boo!

18. You have a unique perspective, as a fan who also does some work for the companies you go to, what do you feel are the best and worst things you see in fans?

I'll start with the best… the best fans are the ones who cheer and boo, take pictures, bring signs, talk to the wrestlers at the merch stand, and buy merch. Wrestling is just like going to a baseball game. Show your appreciation for the hard work they're doing, because they're doing it for you!

The people who yell obscenities and racist or misogynistic things at wrestlers or ring announcers are the absolute worst. Don't be a dick. No one came to the show to hear you yell ignorant things. Cheer or boo, comment on the actual match taking place, but stop yelling things just to get a reaction from the crowd. And crowd, stop rewarding these jerks by giving them a reaction. Plus, you don't get to yell things like that then turn around and ask the wrestler you just called a bunch of disgusting things to sign your picture. What they should be doing is punching you in the face.

Also, I really hate jerk "fans" who even after being asked not to or to move, put their drinks on people's merchandise, smoke beside the merch booth, or hover when they're not looking at merch at all. No one wants their t-shirts to smell like your nasty cigarettes, no one wants you to ruin their stuff when you inevitably spill your drink, and if you're blocking the way for fans to get to the merch booth, which is how these athletes make their money, then you're a supreme jerk! 19. What is the most unique merch item or items you have seen come across your table? 

Dragon Gate had mirrors, as well as paper fans with cartoons of all their athletes on them. I really like the art Masada has been selling (handmade skulls, leather and bone jewelry) as well as the patches he has. A few years ago MsChif had a coloring book. I love the Filsinger Gaming cards at Inspire because even if you don't play the game, they're affordable, perfect size to get autographed, and would look amazing in a collage frame. Bonus Questions: What would be your finisher? 3D Splash (just wait, you'll figure it out) Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate for sure

Submission or High Flying? I like a mix, depending on who is in the ring. Cats or Dogs? Cats

Gorilla

Beer or Liquor? Liquor Light Side or Dark Side? Dark Side Favorite Opponent EVER? I still haven't gotten revenge on Evan Gelistico and the Submission Squad….

 

 Fun to see things from a whole different P.O.V.  Fans, take heed to some of her tips and how you might be looked at by not just wrestlers and workers but fellow fans as well. Don't be a supreme jerk.

Not Jerks

Always take a look at the Merch table or tables, you never know what you may find to buy, some wrestlers and companies have some clever and unique stuff and many wrestlers have something for sale under 5 bucks for people who want to have something of thier favorite wrestler but not a lot of extra cash.

She is a big supporter of managers and while she is mostly merch, she has been in the ring and even has a score to settle with The Submission Squad who we have not seen much of in Texas so I am not sure she will ever get her revenge but stranger things have happened, it may even make up for crushed chicken sandwich dreams!!!!

Good Times!