Athena Says She Watches Mercedes Mone ‘Very Closely’, Says Mone Is Her ‘Ultimate Rival’

In an interview with Denise Salcedo (via Fightful), Athena called Mercedes Mone her ‘ultimate rival’ and said that she has been keeping a close eye on the AEW TBS Champion. Athena has been ruling ROH as the Women’s World Champion, which she has held for two years. Here are highlights:

On Mercedes Mone: “That’s someone I watch very very closely, every match that she has. I think when the bar stacks up, that is my ultimate rival. That is the person that like, I don’t know how that match is going to pan out. When I look at every scenario in my head — because she’s so innovative, I’m very innovative. I’m very creative, I know that she loves wrestling just as much as I love wrestling. We’ve had conversations about watching old stuff, All Japan and old TNA stuff. It’s really like, I feel like I might have met my match as far as creativity goes in the ring.”

On Mone never beating her before: “But at the same time, I’ve been in matches with her former self and she’s never beat me. I look at that and know that, okay, but those weren’t singles matches, there were other variables. If it came down to me versus Mercedes Mone one-on-one, Athena versus Mercedes Mone, that has to headline. That has to be a main event wherever it’s going to be. I look at everything that she’s accomplished and everything that she’s done and knowing that I haven’t accomplished as much as her, I know that I’ve done my own string of things, right? I was the first woman to ever main event, I was the first woman to two time main event, after this weekend, I’ll be a third time main event. I’m going to wrestle in the Tokyo Dome, she is too. I’ve never gotten to wrestle in Japan, she has the New Japan STRONG Championship. I look at everything that has coincided with our careers and the only difference between me and her is that I have more experience and I am more hungry.”

On what makes her different than Mone: “I don’t have to do a little hip swivel dance and say I got money. No, I got grit and I got determination and I got these two fists that will dot those eyes, hussy. At the end of the day, I know that I’m better than her. It’s a matter of showing the world that I’m better than her. At the same time, I’m curious how it would go.”