Tony Khan announces return of former WWE star; will wrestle big match on AEW Dynamite

AEW President Tony Khan recently announced the comeback of a major former WWE star. Athena has been one of the top names in ROH for years, and fans have been asking Khan to feature her on Dynamite. Moreover, she has cemented her legacy as one of the most dominant ROH Women's World Champions of all time.

Athena's last appearance on Dynamite came in April when she wrestled Mercedes Mone in the semifinal of the 2025 Owen Hart Foundation Tournament. After her crushing loss on Spring BreakThru, she will be returning to the company for the first time in over two months to compete in a high-stakes contest.

Tony Khan recently announced that this year's All In will feature both men's and women's Casino Gauntlet matches. To become the first entrant in the contest, Athena, Kris Statlander, Willow Nightingale, and Thunder Rosa will square off in a four-way bout on the upcoming edition of Dynamite.

"Wednesday Night #AEWDynamite, 8pm ET/7pm CT, on TBS + Max, TOMORROW! Wed. 6/25. 4-Way Match for the #1 Spot in the #AllInTexas Casino Gauntlet. @willowwrestles vs ROH Women’s World Champion @AthenaPalmer_FG vs @thunderrosa22 vs @callmekrisstat. Don’t miss #AEWDynamite TOMORROW," Khan wrote on X.

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Athena recently talked about possibly performing at AEW All In: Texas

Despite her popularity, Athena has rarely been booked to perform at big All Elite Wrestling events since signing with the promotion. Before being announced for the four-way match on Dynamite, the 36-year-old appeared on Takedown. During the chat, she said that she would be upset if Tony Khan didn't feature her at All In: Texas.

"I don't know if that's in my stars. If not, I have a Ring of Honor pay-per-view that I will probably be defending my championship on. You know, I would probably be super bummed out if I wasn't on All In, but honestly, there's still time," she said.

It remains to be seen if Athena manages to win her upcoming match on Dynamite and book her ticket to All In.

About the author

Tejas has been an AEW writer at Sportskeeda Wrestling since 2021. Possessing a degree in Food Processing Technology, it was his brother who introduced him to Sportskeeda, and he has never looked back since.

Tejas’ writing style is analytical and descriptive style, mostly sticking to statistics. He believes in thoroughly checking all statistics and information before using them in his articles to ensure his readers get nothing but the best and most accurate stories. He also does not indulge much in speculation in his content.

His all-time favorite wrestler is Roman Reigns for his journey from being one of the most unlikable babyfaces at the start of his career to one of the greatest modern WWE superstars. If Tejas ever got the chance to go back to the Attitude Era and manage a superstar, it would choose high-flying, risk-taking diminutive entertainer Spike Dudley. Tejas would assure him that he would be involved in long-term storylines, something that he wasn’t part of during his time.

In his free time, Tejas enjoys singing and learning new things.

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Edited by Pratik Singh