Summary

Athena says she still wants another match with Asuka, even as questions continue to surround what comes next for the former WWE Women's Champion after her recent goodbye with IYO SKY on Raw.

Looking back on their history together, Athena described Asuka as one of the defining rivals of her career. She pointed to their early meeting in Shimmer Womens Wrestling and their later NXT Women's Championship matches in 2017 as key moments that shaped her as a performer.

Quote from Athena

Athena reflected on how long her rivalry with Asuka has stretched across different stages of both careers:

"Oh, man. Like Asuka is one of those people, that's a forever rival for me. Like when we were back on the indies, we actually ended up wrestling at Shimmer Women's Wrestling. That's where we met. We had one of the hardest hitting matches I think I've had in my career then, and then fast forward to WWE NXT for the NXT Women's Championship. Asuka is my yin to my yang. I really hope she's not stepping away. I've actually been trying to get a hold of her because I lost a whole bunch of people's numbers when I switched my phone and everything."

Athena later went on to say:

"But man, talk about someone who's just the epitome of what legendary status is or what a living legend is. I, to some extent, don't feel like people really understand how much she's done for wrestling as a whole. Like from grinding on the indies to being like an independent contractor in Japan to getting signed to WWE. Not only that, like just excelling in WWE in every form and facet from match to match, but never changing who she was as a person, a character. I couldn't be more proud, more happy for her. I hate her in that same breath, of course."

After praising Asuka's body of work, Athena made it clear that she does not want their in-ring history to be finished yet.

"I also feel like I have to have one more match eventually and hope that this isn't it. This isn't the long goodbye, if you will. But like, Asuka's one of those people that I wouldn't be who I am as a performer, as an athlete, if she wasn't in my life. If she wasn't on the opposite side of the ring. I don't think I would have gotten anything really if I didn't have that experience with her."

What Athena's comments mean for Asuka

Athena naming Asuka as a rival she still needs to face again keeps the door open on a matchup that already has real history behind it. Because both of their best known singles meetings came in NXT, any future rematch would immediately carry nostalgia for longtime fans while also feeling meaningful in the present.

Just as importantly, Athena's comments frame Asuka's next move as unfinished business rather than a closed chapter. There is still no confirmed word on what Asuka's next step will be, but Athena made it clear that, from her side, one more meeting remains on the table.

Sources

Athena while speaking with Sean Ross Sapp