"I don't wanna be limited" - Former WWE Superstar contrasts experience in AEW with her stint in Vince McMahon's promotion

WWE has dominated the world of professional wrestling for decades, but in the past few years, many of its stars have jumped ship to rival promotions. In a recent interview, a former NXT Women's Champion drew comparisons between her stints in the Stamford-based promotion and AEW.

During the global COVID-19 pandemic, WWE released quite a number of their Superstars, many of whom ended up signing with AEW. Several of these performers have reinvented themselves, including FTR, Toni Storm, and more recently Athena (fka Ember Moon).

During her interview with Bleav in Pro Wrestling, Athena shared how she was considered a much different wrestler before signing with WWE.

“Before I got there, I was a technician. I was a powerhouse. I didn’t do any of the high flying stuff. I learned that to get a job because I saw that no one else was doing that at the time. Being at AEW gives me that freedom to explore all of these moves and get to do new things. And it’s not that I’m 5’1”. It’s that I’m a wrestler and I’m competitive.”

The former NXT Champion added that she's trying to shake off how WWE portrayed her during her previous tenure:

“I don’t wanna be limited by the way I look. I might not look like it at times, but I can push a lot of weight and I don’t wanna be limited by someone looking at me, ‘Ah, she’s short. She can’t do anything.,” Athena said. “I can jump in the air. I can kick you in the face and I can throw a saito like nobody else.” (H/T: CagesideSeats)

Since her AEW debut, The Fallen Goddess has pulled off far more powerful moves when compared to her previous in-ring style in the Stamford-based promotion.

Need to catch up on the latest AEW Dynamite results? Check them out via this link.

Athena on whether she wanted to continue wrestling after her WWE release

During an interview with NBC "Sports Boston," Athena shared how long it took for AEW to reach out to her after her WWE release. She also expressed how her exit from the company made her question her career.

“It was like a six-month, ‘Ah, are we interested? Are you interested?'” Athena stated. “Because I think, when I left, I didn’t know if I wanted to continue wrestling, I just knew that I loved watching the AEW product at home. We finally just kind of hit the double tap on the phone call and it was like, ‘Yeah, let’s figure out something. Let’s do this.'” (H/T WrestlingInc)

While WWE's release of some of their top names was initially shocking, many of these stars have found their way into other promotions where they now have a chance to reinvent themselves.

Do you think Athena will be able to shake off the rust and be a top-tier competitor in AEW? Sound off in the comments below.