Over the past month and change, all but one of Ring of Honor‘s championship belts, from the Television to the Pure, the World Championship, the Six-Man Championship, and the Tag Team Titles, have been defended on AEW programming, with belts being wrestled for on television, on Pay-Per-View, and as part of the Continental Classic, where the final prize will include both of Eddie Kingston's straps.

The lone exception? Athena‘s Ring of Honor Woman's Championship, which has more recently been defended in Prestige Wrestling than on an AEW-branded show, Dark, which came all the way back in January.

What gives? Why isn't Athena being afforded the same chances to shine as Brian Cage, Wheeler Yuta – or Katsuyori Shibata before him – or even Samoa Joe, who set a record as the longest-running Television Champion while pursuing MJF's AEW World Title on Dynamite, Rampage, and Collision. Well, Tony Khan was asked that very question on the Ring of Honor Media Call and attempted to explain his unique usage of the ROH Woman's Champion.

“I’m certainly open to Athena appearing in AEW and other places. I think it’s really great to have somebody who is a great ambassador for the company like Athena,” Tony Khan said on the ROH Media Call via Fightful. “One thing that has been consistent and great about ROH is that Athena has been very much a part of that show and focused on that show. Her work has been one of the strongest things about the show. If Athena is focused on ROH and AEW, that’s great too. With Billie Starkz, you have a great challenger that would be a great champion for ROH, but also somebody people would be excited to see in AEW. Both Billie and Athena offer something to any wrestling company. In reflecting on the year in 2023, I believe Athena’s work on ROH was quite possibly, likely, the strongest and most consistent thing throughout the year, and it’s been really nice having that anchor.”

If Athena is unable to overcome the odds and defeat Billie Starkz at Final Battle, who knows, maybe she'll be freed up to work on AEW without having to do anything at all but if she retains the title, AEW would be wise to find a way to showcase her talents on weekly television, as few performers of any gender have had as successful a 2023 as the “Fallen Godess.”

Athena wants to take the ROH Woman's Title on tour outside of AEW.

While Tony Khan was less than willing to commit to giving Athena a higher profile position in 2024, that didn't stop the Ring of Honor Woman's Champion from suggesting that she would like to take her talents on the road to really showcase everything she can do in the ring.

Stopping by the Battleground Podcast to help promote Final Battle, Athena noted that she would like to take her title to Japan, either Stardom or NJPW, the UK, and beyond in order to prove that she's one of the very best wrestlers in the world.

“I’ve done it before with Miyu Yamashita on the indie scene. Because of the filming schedule, it’s not quite possible without Tony’s [Tony Khan] approval. I would love to go to Japan. I would love to take the Ring of Honor Championship to Japan and defend it there, particularly for New Japan or Stardom. I have always wanted to wrestle over there, especially for those two companies in particular. When I was first on the Indies, New Japan did not have women’s wrestling so it’s even more of a ‘I need it.’ Those are dreams I have. I want to go to the UK. The UK scene has changed immensely since I was on the independent scene. I would love to go back to Australia,” Athena said via 411 Mania.

“I would love to take the Ring of Honor Championship on a world tour, I really would. Now, I’m more focused on trying to see what’s next for me because I don’t know. I would love to promote Ring of Honor on a world level. We get to go to Canada. My dream right now is to go to Japan. That is a dream, that is a style that I have emulated more than anything else, and I know those women hit so hard, and they are so phenomenal, and they train beast mode 24/7, and that’s something I have always wanted to be immersed in.”

If TK isn't willing to give Athena a bigger platform, why not allow her to take her talents on the road and fight against the baddest and best female performers the world has to offer? Considering Ring of Honor is usually filmed after Collision on Saturdays, it wouldn't be too hard to string off a few backstage segments and spread them out over a few weeks in order to accommodate a world tour.