Commentary puts over that Athena is looking to shake off her loss to Jade Cargill at All Out starting with this match. Athena hits a back splash in the corner on Emi then a handspring forearm on the opposite corner. Logically, I can buy that a strike after a handspring can produce greater force but when Athena does it you don’t have to be talked into it.
Emi recovers and hits a DDT which Athena sells awesomely as she looks like she takes it right on top of her head. Just deadly. Sakura hits her double-underhook back breaker and then sets up Athena for “Tea Time”.
Emi builds her way back into the match with a bunch of different strikes and drops Sakura with a hard Shotgun Dropkick. She then hits a back suplex on Emi but Emi fires up on that and gets up and chops Athena down.
Athena then returns with her own surge of adrenaline. She hits a thrust kick on Emi Sakura which sets up the O-Face, which Athena hits, putting away Emi.
Athena is quickly becoming one of my absolute favourite wrestlers to watch in the ring. She’s just the total package. In my recent article, Who’s “The 1” To End Jade’s Streak, I pitch that Jade should beat Athena in a rematch at Grand Slam but Athena is so great that watching her on a TBS Title reign would be pretty awesome.
Watch this match on YouTube
Note: Just because I give a match a low rating doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it for what it was nor is it necessarily a commentary on the competitors. Not all matches are meant to be 3-to-5 star matches.
Athena wins via pinfall
Athena wins via pinfallElite
- Athena's whole in-ring game
Mid
- Competitive but predictable
